Mostly True, But Not Quite: The Kailash Manasarovar Pilgrimage Was Suspended — But 'Five Years' Depends on When You're Counting
“The Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage was suspended for five years due to COVID-19 pandemic and military standoff on the Line of Actual Control”
The argument in brief
The claim that the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra was suspended due to both COVID-19 and the India-China military standoff is essentially correct, but calling it 'five years' is premature — the suspension began in 2020, so five full years only lands in 2025. Both causes are real; the duration detail is where the claim slips.
Data: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
Why it spread
This claim hits a nerve for two overlapping audiences: Hindu devotees who feel the pilgrimage is being denied to them, and Indians who are already angry about China's actions at the border. When a story confirms what people already believe and feel, they share it without checking the fine print. The fact that the core of the claim is true makes the small inaccuracy about duration very easy to miss.
The claim holds up on the big picture but stumbles on the specifics. The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra — an annual Hindu pilgrimage to Tibet operated through the Indian government — was indeed suspended starting in 2020 and had not resumed as of 2024. Both COVID-19 and the India-China military standoff are genuine reasons. But labeling it a 'five-year' suspension is only accurate from 2025 onward, depending on when the claim was made.
The suspension began in 2020, initially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That part is straightforward. The Ministry of External Affairs confirms the yatra was halted that year and that China did not grant permission for Indian pilgrims to travel. So far, so accurate.
What kept the yatra closed after 2020 is where the story gets more layered. The Galwan Valley clash of June 2020 — in which Indian and Chinese soldiers fought along the Line of Actual Control, killing 20 Indian troops — severely damaged diplomatic relations. According to The Hindu and Indian Express, China's refusal to resume the pilgrimage in 2021, 2022, and 2023 was driven more by those ongoing tensions than by pandemic restrictions, which had eased globally by then. So the claim correctly names both causes, but COVID was the trigger, not the main reason for the prolonged closure.
The 'five years' figure is the weakest part. Reuters and Times of India both note that the suspension started in 2020, meaning five complete years of suspension would only be reached in 2025. If this claim was made in 2024, it was off by at least one year. That may sound like a small error, but precision matters when a claim is being used to make a political point about China's conduct.
This kind of misinformation is tricky because the core facts are real. The suspension happened. Both causes are genuine. The error is in the rounding up of time — a small distortion that makes the situation sound worse than the already-bad reality. When you see claims that combine two real events into one dramatic narrative, always check whether the specific numbers hold up.
Sources
- Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. China did not permit resumption of the yatra in subsequent years, citing COVID protocols and border tensions following the Galwan Valley clash of June 2020.
- The Hindu
The yatra remained suspended through 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, with both COVID-19 restrictions and the India-China border standoff cited as reasons. China did not grant permission for Indian pilgrims to resume the pilgrimage.
- Indian Express
Reports indicate the yatra was suspended starting 2020 and had not resumed as of 2024, making it at least four to five years of suspension. The dual reasons of pandemic and LAC standoff are both cited by officials and analysts.
- Times of India
As of 2024, discussions were ongoing about resuming the yatra as part of India-China diplomatic normalization efforts following disengagement at LAC friction points. The suspension began in 2020, meaning five years would only be complete by 2025.
- Reuters
The Galwan Valley clash of June 2020 severely strained India-China relations and contributed to China's refusal to permit the yatra, alongside COVID-19 restrictions. Both factors are real but the precise duration of 'five years' depends on when the claim was made.