India's New Ambassador to China Visits Tibet to Review Pilgrimage Arrangements
Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami arrived in Lhasa on June 12, 2026, to review arrangements for Indian pilgrims heading to the sacred Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet. The visit marks his first trip outside Beijing since taking up the post in May and comes as India and China continue rebuilding bilateral ties. The pilgrimage's resumption is seen as a key symbol of diplomatic normalization after years of border tensions and pandemic-related suspensions.
Indian Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami, who speaks Chinese and assumed his post in Beijing in May 2026, traveled to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, on June 12 to inspect preparations for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. He met with Zhao Peng, vice-chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, who briefed the Indian delegation on facilities and logistics for the incoming pilgrims, who are expected to arrive later in June. The yatra, organized by India's Ministry of External Affairs, was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was further delayed by the military standoff between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. It resumed in June 2025 after a five-year hiatus, following a bilateral reset initiated by the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at Kazan, Russia, in 2024. While Indian ambassadors have visited Tibet in the past, such trips had been rare for nearly a decade due to border frictions and the pandemic, making Doraiswami's visit a notable diplomatic signal.
What's missing
Neither source specifies the number of pilgrims expected in the current 2026 batch, the exact route they will take, or whether any new bilateral agreements govern the yatra's operations compared to pre-2020 arrangements.
What different sources said
- The HinduCenter
Indian envoy to China visits Tibet to review arrangements for Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims
- South China Morning PostCenter
Why India’s new envoy to China is visiting Tibet soon after taking up the job
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