A chartered flight carrying 38 Indians took off from Nepalgunj on Monday, the first mountain flight to the sacred Mount Kailash and the holy lake. This flight is called the Mount Kailash Manasarovar Darshan flight, and you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the sacred Mount Kailash and Manasarovar Lake up close.

The Holy Mountain and Holy Lake Pilgrimage Site is located in the Ngari region of the Tibet Autonomous Region and is considered the holiest pilgrimage site by Hindus around the world. These two natural sacred sites are also revered by Buddhists, Jains and the Tibetan native Phenpa faith. China opened up pilgrimages to Mount Kailash in 2023 after a lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, significant increases in fees and multiple visa restrictions, particularly for Indian pilgrims, meant that the pilgrimage did not actually take place.

Keshav Neupane, regional director of Siddharth Business Group, which founded the venture, told PTI that the Shri Air charter flight was carrying 38 Indian tourists and it took about half an hour to complete the journey. The maiden flight carried tourists from various cities in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, and many from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Neupane said flights to Mount Kailash and Manasarovar are cheap, fast, reliable and safe and the next charter flight will be in the first week of February. “We will produce as often as possible based on demand,” he said. Mani Lamichane, director general of Nepal Tourism Department, told PTI that this will help increase tourism activities across the border. Now, Indians can enjoy the darshan of Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake without coming to Kathmandu.

Visitors to India can feel the divine without much effort. They don’t need to spend days to see Mount Kailash. They will see it within 1.5 hours, he said, adding that the flight opens up a new avenue for tourism. Pilgrims traveling to the Kailash Shrine via Nepal must travel to Kathmandu. But with this flight, they don’t need to go to Nepal’s capital. Nepalgunj is located just 200 kilometers northeast of Lucknow, India, and is also accessible by road.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)