Where is Kalapani territory located?

Kalapani territory is located in Pithoragarh district, Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, Nepal.

Raju Babu · CC BY-SA 4.0

Kalapani territory

कालापानी

Disputed territory between India and Nepal under India's administration

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The Kalapani territory is an area under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Kumaon Division of the Uttarakhand state, but it is also claimed by Nepal since 1997. According to Nepal's claim, it lies in Darchula district, Sudurpashchim Province.

Quick facts

Type: human settlement, disputed territory wd
Located in: Pithoragarh district (district of India) › Kumaon division (division of Uttarakhand) › Uttarakhand (state of India) wd
Area: 35 km² wd
Coordinates: 30.2140° N, 80.9840° E wd

About

The territory represents part of the basin of the Kalapani river, one of the headwaters of the Kali River in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3600–5200 meters. The valley of Kalapani, with the Lipulekh Pass at the top, forms the Indian route to Kailash–Manasarovar, an ancient pilgrimage site. It is also the traditional trading route to Tibet for the Bhotiyas of Kumaon and the Tinkar valley of Nepal.

The Kali River forms the boundary between India and Nepal in this region. However, India states that the headwaters of the river are not included in the boundary. Here the border runs along the watershed. This is a position dating back to British India c. 1865.

Nepal has another pass, the Tinkar Pass (or "Tinkar Lipu"), close to the area. After India closed the Lipulekh Pass in the aftermath of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, much of the Bhotiya trade used to pass through the Tinkar Pass. The Nepalese protests regarding the Kalapani territory started in 1997, after India and China agreed to reopen the Lipulekh pass.

Since that time, Nepalese maps have shown the area up to the Kalapani river, measuring 35 square kilometres, as part of Nepal's Darchula District.