PATNA, Aug. 28 -- Near the sacred shores of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, a group of 55 Indian pilgrims finds itself in a state of anxious limbo. Their spiritual journey to Mount Kailash, said to be the abode of Lord Shiva, continues for now, but the path home has been severed by nature's fury.

A day before catastrophic flash floods tore through the Nepal-China border region on August 26 these devotees completed visa formalities at the Gyirong County immigration office and pressed onward. Today, with the Friendship Bridge washed away and roads obliterated, they pin their hopes on Chinese and Nepali authorities to restore a lifeline by their scheduled return on September 3.

Mohan Jee Chaubey, 59, a resident of Ahirauli village in Buxar, Biha...