Surkhet, May 1 -- Despite the reopening of Hilsa border point on the Nepal-China border in April last year, the closure of the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage route has left the Hilsa area eerily quiet for the past five years.

The Hilsa border crossing was officially reopened on April 30 last year but the Chinese government has yet to lift its restrictions on pilgrims travelling to Mt Kailash and Mansarovar. Since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, China shut down access to this sacred site, halting what used to be an annual influx of nearly 15,000 pilgrims, mostly Indians, from May to October.

The route through Hilsa gained popularity after the 2015 earthquake, which led to the closure of the Tatopani border. Since 2006, Indian pilgrim...