Along with the arrival of the border trade season in Tibet, Shigatse Yadong Nathu La border trade channel has been opened from June 20 to welcome the first group of 37 Indian pilgrims and five assistants, Chinanews.com reported.

Li Wenbin, master at the Tibet Public Security and Border Defense Unit Yadong Border Checkpoint Station, said that in order to improve the clearance rate, at the end of last year, this checkpoint specially invited university professors to come teach Hindi and English languages.

Shigatse Customs provides a convenient “one-stop” service for pilgrims. In order to quickly alleviate the discomforts caused by the high altitude, customs passenger inspection has established a “customs caring service spot”, providing things like emergency medicine, oxygen equipment, and hot water.

70-year-old Dilip Kumar is the oldest person in this group of pilgrims. He says that being able to come to worship at Tibet’s holy mountains and lakes during his seventieth year has fulfilled his wish.

The Yadong Nathu La border trade channel is the main channel for Chinese-Indian border trade. Located within Yadong County in Shigatse Prefecture, the 4,500-meter-high Nathu Lu mountain pass is known as the “world’s highest road trade channel”, and it is a seasonal trade channel. Mt. Gang Rinpoche and Lake Mawang Yutso in Ngari of Tibet are a holy mountain and holy lake for Tibetan Buddhism, Bön, Hinduism, and other religions. Because of this, many Indian pilgrims flock to Ngari each year.

Officials estimate that approximately 350 Indian pilgrims in seven groups will enter Tibet through the Nathu Lu border trade channel this year. Last year, the channel welcomed a total of more than 200 people.