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Indian traders crossed the Lipulekh Pass into Tibet on 5 August 2026 and reached the market town of Taklakot, the first crossing on this route in close to seven years.
The crossing followed the formal resumption of India-China border trade on 1 August 2026 through three Himalayan passes - Nathu La in Sikkim, Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand - after a six-year suspension.
Lipulekh sits at about 5,334 metres (roughly 17,500 feet) in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand's Kumaon region, at the tri-junction of India, Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
It was the first Indian border post opened for trade with China, in 1992, followed by Shipki La in 1994 and Nathu La in 2006.
Nepal lodged a formal protest on 3 May 2026 restating its claim to Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, a dispute that turns on where the Kali river rises under the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli.
Lipulekh lies in the north-east corner of Uttarakhand, where the state meets both Nepal and Tibet. The Kali river, called the Mahakali in Nepal and the Sharda downstream, runs along the India-Nepal boundary here; the disputed triangle of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura sits at its headwaters. Beyond the pass lies Taklakot in Purang county of Tibet, on the approach to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.
Treaty of Sugauli signed after the Anglo-Nepalese War, fixing the Kali river as the boundary between British India and Nepal.
Lipulekh becomes the first Indian border post opened for trade with China.
Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh opens for border trade.
Nathu La in Sikkim opens for border trade.
India and China agree to expand trade and pilgrimage through Lipulekh, drawing protests in Nepal.
Border trade suspended amid the pandemic and the Galwan Valley clash; Nepal issues a revised map claiming Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.
Nepal's Foreign Ministry lodges a formal protest restating its claim to the three areas.
India-China border trade formally resumes through Nathu La, Shipki La and Lipulekh.
Indian traders cross Lipulekh Pass and reach Taklakot in Tibet.
Concluded between the East India Company and Nepal after the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16, it made the Kali river Nepal's western boundary. Both countries accept the treaty; they disagree on which stream is the Kali.
India holds that the Kali rises near Kalapani, placing Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura on the Indian side. Nepal holds that it rises further west at Limpiyadhura, which would put all three inside Nepal.
Nepal amended its Constitution to adopt a revised national emblem and map incorporating Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, hardening the claim in domestic law.
GS Paper II > India and its neighbourhood - relations with China and Nepal; GS Paper I > Indian geography, Himalayan passes
General Awareness > Indian geography - mountain passes and their states
A point where the boundaries of three countries meet; Lipulekh lies near the India-Nepal-China tri-junction.
Limited, officially designated exchange of goods between communities on either side of an international boundary, conducted through notified passes and trade marts.
The 1816 treaty between the East India Company and Nepal that set the Kali river as Nepal's western boundary and remains the basis of the present dispute.