Why in the news?
- India rejects Nepal’s claims over Lipulekh after India, China restart trade through border points.
Lipulekh Pass
- Location and Geography
- Lipulekh Pass is a high-altitude mountain pass located at the trijunction of India, Nepal, and Tibet (China).
- Altitude: Around 5,000 metres (16,400 ft) above sea level.
- It lies in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand (India).
- Provides one of the shortest trade and pilgrimage routes to Tibet.
- Significance
- Trade and Pilgrimage
- Serves as the traditional route for the Kailash–Mansarovar Yatra (to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet).
- Facilitates border trade between India and Tibet.
- Strategic Location
- Critical for India’s defence and surveillance due to proximity to Tibet (China).
- Considered part of India’s effort to strengthen border infrastructure (notably the Dharchula–Lipulekh road built by BRO in 2020).
- Trade and Pilgrimage
- India–Nepal Dispute:
- Nepal claims Lipulekh, along with Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, as part of its territory.
- India maintains it lies within Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district.
- Tensions escalated in 2020, after India inaugurated the new road to Lipulekh.
- Nepal responded with a new political map including Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura in its territory.