About Kalapani

• The Kalapani territory is an area disputed between India and Nepal, but under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Uttarakhand state.
• It shares a border on the north with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Nepal in the east and south.
• The valley of Kalapani, with the Lipulekh Pass at the top, forms the Indian route to Kailash–Mansarovar, , a revered Hindu pilgrimage site in the Tibetan plateau.
• It is also the traditional trading route to Tibet for the Bhotiyas of Uttarakhand.

Treaty of Sugauli 

• The Treaty of Sugauli signed by Nepal and British East India Company in 1816 defines the Kali River as Nepal’s western boundary with India.
• According to the treaty, Nepal lost the regions of Kumaon-Garhwal in the west and Sikkim in the east.
• However, what is meant by “Kali River” in the upper reaches is unclear because many mountain streams come to join and form the river.
• From 1879 onwards, the survey maps show the stream that flows down from the Lipulekh Pass as the Kali River.
• This stream has served as the border between India and Nepal until India’s independence.

What is the issue?

• However, the discrepancy in locating the source of the river led to boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps supporting their own claims.
• Kalapani has been controlled by India’s Indo-Tibetan Border Police since the Sino-Indian War with China in 1962.

Why in News?

• Recently, Nepal published a revised official map showing the areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura as part of its territory.
• However, the move drew sharp criticism from India which said the map includes parts of Indian territory.