'Journey of a lifetime': Indian Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami completes Mount Kailash Parikrama as Yatra resumes after 5 years | Watch

India’s newly appointed Ambassador to China, Vikram Doraiswami, has completed the sacred Parikrama (circumambulation) around Mount Kailash in Tibet, calling the high-altitude pilgrimage a "journey of a lifetime."

The rare and demanding trek by a senior Indian diplomat highlights a positive phase in India-China people-to-people ties. The pilgrimage around the 6,638-metre Mount Kailash is considered sacred by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and followers of the Bön faith.

On-the-ground inspection for Indian devotees

Ambassador Doraiswami’s trek was part of an extensive, first-of-its-kind diplomatic transit tour across the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The primary objective was to review logistics, infrastructure, and security arrangements alongside local Chinese authorities ahead of the high-volume phases of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.

Following his Parikrama, the Ambassador released a video message filmed on location in Tibet's Yadong County to brief incoming Indian citizens on what to expect.

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"We wish you a warm welcome in Yadong County, China," Ambassador Doraiswami stated in his briefing. "Pilgrims will be received by Chinese Customs and Immigration authorities at the Nathu La Pass entrance. From there, a specialised transit bus will transport travelers securely."

The envoy walked viewers through newly built border infrastructure, which includes custom foreign currency exchange counters and medical-support facilities, while offering practical warnings about Tibet’s notoriously volatile sub-zero temperatures.

The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, organised by India's Ministry of External Affairs, was suspended for five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The pilgrimage resumed after India and China reached an agreement during talks held on the sidelines of the Kazan Summit.

A seasoned 'China hand'

Doraiswami, a veteran 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who previously served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Bangladesh, took charge of the Beijing mission.

A fluent Mandarin speaker who chose the Chinese name Wei Jiameng ("Auspicious Ally"), Doraiswami has focused heavily on cultural and regional outreach since his arrival. Prior to hitting the mountain trails, his fluent Mandarin video tour of the Indian Embassy in Beijing went viral on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, drawing praise from local citizens and state media.