Kalapani territory
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. 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.
Kalapani territory | |
|---|---|
Territory in dispute | |
Kalapani territory
5km 3miles
TIBET (CHINA)
NEPAL
KUMAON (INDIA)
Tera Gad
Pankha Gad
Lilinthi Gad
Lipu Gad
Kalapani River
Tinkar Pass
Om Parvat
P. 6172
Gunji
camp
ground
Kalapani
village
Lipulekh Pass Kalapani territory is the southern half of the Kalapani river basin Kalapani territory Kalapani territory (Sudurpashchim Province) | |
| Coordinates: 30.214°N 80.984°E | |
| Status | Controlled by India Disputed by Nepal |
| Established | c. 1865 |
| Founded by | British Raj |
| Government | |
| • Type | Border security |
| • Body | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| Area | |
| • Total | 35 km2 (14 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 6,180 m (20,280 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 3,650 m (11,980 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 50–100 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 |
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.
A joint technical committee of Indian and Nepalese officials have been discussing the issue since 1998, along with other border issues. But the matter has not yet been resolved.
On 20 May 2020, Nepal released a new map of its own territory that expanded its claim an additional 335 square kilometres up to the Kuthi Yankti river, including Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura. It did not explain why a new claim arose. According to The Kathmandu Post, residents of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, which India has claimed for decades, were not counted after the 1961 Nepal census. The final census report of 2021 Nepal census did not included data of Kuti, Gunji and Nabi villages of the Kalapani area, which was included in the preliminary census report released in January 2022.