China to provide access to Mansarovar through Nathu La

China will open the Nathu La pass to provide access to Indians for pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday.

Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi said the Chinese side will open the Nathu La pass to give access to Mansarovar.

Modi thanked him for that.

"On behalf of the people of India, I thank the president that he has agreed to a new road for Kailash Mansarovar from Nathu La," Modi said.

"The pilgrims will be benefitted in a big way. Besides that, this road will remain safe during the rainy season too," the prime minister added.

The new route would be a boon to Indian travellers who would now have a safe passage to the religious hub even during the monsoon season.

The Mansarovar Yatra, organised by the external affairs ministry every year, goes through Lipu Pass, a Himalayan pass connecting the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India with the old trading town of Taklakot in Tibet.

This route was, however, badly damaged in last year's floods in Uttarakhand.

Tour companies also organise similar tours through Nepal which are equally tough.

The route through Nathu La, though longer, takes pilgrims to Shigatse - also known as Xigaze, the second biggest city in Tibet after provincial capital Lhasa - by road.

From there, pilgrims can comfortably travel to Mansarovar and Kailash using a well-laid-out highway.