Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Andhra Pilgrims Stranded in Tibet After Floods Block Routes
Some people from Andhra Pradesh travelled to Tibet for a religious trip to Mount Kailash.
Flash floods damaged roads and blocked the routes out of the area.
Many pilgrims are staying in Darchen, a town near Mount Kailash.
The town itself is currently stable.
Hotels are giving pilgrims food and other important supplies.
However, the pilgrims cannot easily travel to nearby places or leave the region.
Chinese authorities require permission for movement.
Some pilgrims began a three-day walk around Mount Kailash, while others stayed behind because of illness or family reasons.
The pilgrims want the Indian government to help them return safely.
Several Andhra Pradesh pilgrims are stranded in and around Darchen after flash floods damaged roads in Tibet.
Darchen, about 10 km from Mount Kailash, is a base for the Kailash Parikrama pilgrimage.
Pilgrims can access hotels, food and essential supplies, with no immediate shortages reported.
Blocked roads and strict movement permissions have left pilgrims uncertain about when they can leave.
Pilgrim Nivarthi Ranganath Sastri urged the Indian government to arrange safe evacuation or return.
- Who
- Several pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India, including Telugu-speaking groups, are stranded; Nivarthi Ranganath Sastri described the situation.
- What
- Flash floods damaged roads and blocked routes, preventing pilgrims from leaving the Mount Kailash-Mansarovar region.
- When
- The report was dated August 26; Sastri said his family reached Kathmandu on August 18 and later travelled to Tibet.
- Where
- The pilgrims are in and around Darchen in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, near Mount Kailash and the route to Mansarovar.
- Why
- Flood damage blocked roads, while movement in the region is restricted and requires permission from Chinese authorities.
- Location
- Darchen, China’s Tibet Autonomous Region
- Distance from Mount Kailash
- Approximately 10 kilometres
- Affected area
- Darchen and the route toward Mansarovar, within roughly 60 kilometres
- Pilgrimage route
- The three-day Kailash Parikrama around Mount Kailash
- Current conditions
- Darchen was described as stable, with hotels providing food and essential supplies
- Main concern
- Blocked roads and uncertainty over when pilgrims can leave
- Reported groups
- Around 15 groups associated with the Isha Foundation were said to be operating in the area, each with at least 150 members