Gunji is a small village in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is administered by India, but dusputed by Nepal. It is near the borders of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

and the confluence of the

Kuthi Yankti Kuti Valley is a Himalayan valley situated in the Pithoragarh District, Kumaon division of the Uttarakhand state of India. Located in the eastern part of Uttarakhand, it is the last valley before the border with Tibet. It runs along a NW to SE a ...

and

Kalapani River The Kalapani territory is an area under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Kumaon Division of the Uttarakhand state, K. C. SharadKalapani's new ‘line of control’ Nepali Times, 10 September 2004, p. 6 but it i ...

, at the east end of the

Kuthi Valley Kuti Valley is a Himalayan valley situated in the Pithoragarh District, Kumaon division of the Uttarakhand state of India. Located in the eastern part of Uttarakhand, it is the last valley before the border with Tibet. It runs along a NW to SE a ...

. It is officially listed in the map of India. Nepal has historically no significance over this place. As of now Gunji, Kuti, and Nabhi villages belong to India. The village is on the traditional Indian/Nepalese route to

Kailas Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of ...

–

Manasarovar Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The l ...

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, the village of Gunji has a population of 335 people living in 194 households.Pithoragarh district census handbook
Director of Census Operations, Uttarakhand, 2011. The village is only populated seasonally, with winters coming people migrate to lower places (mostly to

Dharchula Dharchula is a town in Pithoragarh district in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, situated at an elevation of 940 m above sea level, surrounded by peaks from all sides and Kali river cutting through the middle, dividing the area in ...

, in the same district).

Sashastra Seema Bal Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB; ) is a border guarding force of India deployed along its borders with Nepal and Bhutan. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The fo ...

, the Indo-Tibet Border Police and GREF personnel remain there throughout the year.

Transportation

It is possible to reach Gunji by helicopter, which takes off from

Darchula Khalanga (also called Darchula) is a town and the district headquarters of the Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It is part of the Mahakali Municipality in the Mahakali Zone. The town is located on the bank of Mahakali ...

. While approaching Gunji from Dharcula and the rest of India, the route along the western bank of

Sharda River The Sharda River, also called Kali River and Mahakali River, originates at Kalapani in the Himalayas at an elevation of in the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, India. It flows along Nepal's western border with India and has a basin area ...

(also called Mahakali River) at Gunji forks into two separate motorable routes, one goes north to

Om Parvat Om Parvat is a mountain located in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, India. Om Parvat peak elevation is above sea level. Sacred Status It is considered sacred by Hindus and its snow deposition pattern resembles the sacred ' Om' (ॐ). Near Om ...

and

Kailash Mansarovar Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The ...

and another to the west to

Adi Kailash Adi Kailash ( Kumaoni: आदि कैलाश), also known as Shiva Kailash, Chota Kailash, Baba Kailash or Jonglingkong Peak, is a mountain located in the Himalayan mountain range in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India. Both Ad ...

. In May 2020, India inaugurated a new 80 km long road from

via Gunji to

Lipulekh Pass Lipulekh () is a Himalayan pass in Kalapani territory is on the border of India, Nepal and China. It is one of the routes for the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar in Tibet, China. Tourism This pass links the Byans valley of Uttarakh ...

India-China border The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment o ...

(under geostrategic

India-China Border Roads India-China Border Roads (ICBRs, ICB Roads) is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project is largely in response to C ...

project) to the

.Suhasini Haidar,
New road to Kailash Mansarovar runs into diplomatic trouble
The Hindu, 9 May 2020. In July 2020, India also opened a newly constructed road in this area from Gunji to Limpiyadhura Pass (Lampiya Dhura Pass on India-China border) which will reduce the trek time to

to two hours.Kalyan Das and BD Kasniyal
Road to Limpiyadhura will reduce Adi Kailash trek to two hours
Hindustan Times, 17 July 2020. Trekkers and other travelers may get food and accommodation here, but in order to reach Gunji one has to obtain an Inner line permit which is issued by SDM at Darchula. Travelers need a valid ID, a health certificate, and a character certificate at hand for this permit.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Darchula District