Kailash Manasarovar Yatra to Resume

Among religious pilgrimages, the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is one of the most hallowed and arduous for India. Hindus believe the god Shiva resides in the Kailash mountain but even for Buddhists and Jains it is a sacred place. However, a combination of a pandemic and geopolitical tensions had meant that Indians were unable to do the Yatra in recent times. Now it is being resumed after five years and applications are being invited in the website the government has set up for the purpose.

The Yatra was first suspended when Covid struck in 2020 and just as those lockdowns were raised, there arose border tensions between India and China. The mountain and the lake Mansarovar near it are located in Tibet, and for the Yatra to happen both countries need to coordinate. The resumption itself is a sign of better relations that have been witnessed  since last year. Among the talks that led to it, resuming the Yatra was a part of what the Indian side was keen on.

Usually, the applications far exceed the permitted numbers and so a lottery system decides who is selected once they register on the website. There are two routes available. One from Uttarakhand and a second route, slightly less difficult, through Sikkim.

A release by the External Affairs minister, under whose aegis this Yatra is conducted, said, ‘This year, 5 batches, each consisting of 50 Yatris, and 10 batches, each consisting of 50 Yatris, are scheduled to travel through Uttarakhand State crossing over at Lipulekh Pass, and through Sikkim State crossing over at Nathu La Pass, respectively. The website at kmy.gov.in has been opened for acceptance of applications. The Yatris will be selected from among applicants through a fair, computer-generated, random and gender-balanced selection process.’

Any Indian adult between 18 and 70 are eligible but will have to be physically fit. One of the eligibility criteria is a BMI index of below 25. The last date for applications is May 13. Once selected, the payment has to be made and the groups start going from June onwards.

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