By IANS
Kathmandu : An Indian pilgrim died near the Nepal-Tibet border while he was headed to Mansarovar, the world’s highest fresh water lake where a dip in near-freezing temperatures, devotees believe, cleanses them of all sins.
Randhir Chauhan, a 65-year-old man from Gauda in north India’s Uttar Pradesh state, died apparently due to high altitude sickness.
Chauhan, who was bound for Mansarovar, located in Tibet at a height of 4,556m above sea level, had reached the Nepal-Tibet boundary when he fell ill and died, the Kantipur daily said Sunday.
While the daily did not say exactly when Chauhan died, it said his body had been brought to Kathmandu Saturday.
The lake and its neighbouring Mt Kailash are regarded as sacred destinations by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and attract droves of Indian tourists every year.
However, few travellers have much idea about the hazards posed by the high altitude where the rarified air causes breathing difficulties, dizziness and other problems.
Several pilgrims have died near the holy sites and some of their relatives have complained of the difficulties they faced trying to bring the bodies down to Kathmandu due to the Chinese red tape.
On Saturday, doctors from India, Nepal and Pakistan met in Kathmandu to highlight the need for research on altitude-related illnesses and mountain medicine.
Buddha Basnyat, chairman of Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal, an NGO providing aid to lost or ill trekkers and mountaineers, said pilgrims were the most vulnerable group.
There have been untimely deaths of pilgrims visiting Mansarovar in Tibet, Gosainkunda, a holy lake in remote northern Nepal and other mountainous areas, Basnyat said.