First batch of pilgrims to view Mt Kailash from Lipulekh pass

October 01, 2024 21:59

The first batch of five pilgrims arrived in Pithoragarh on Tuesday to have a view of the sacred peak of Mount Kailash from the old Lipulekh pass.

It is for the first time that pilgrims are getting an opportunity to view the peak from the old Lipulekh pass as part of a pilot project started by the tourism department.

The five pilgrims of the first batch will be taken from the Naini Saini airport by a helicopter to Gunji camp from where they will have to trek to the old Lipulekh pass, located at a height of 17,500 feet, for a view of Mount Kailash, District Tourist Officer of Pithoragarh Kriti Chandra Arya said.

Mount Kailash is situated in Tibet and earlier pilgrims from India used to go there for a view of the sacred peak.

The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra through Uttarakhand and other routes in India was suspended when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The tour will also include a pilgrimage to Adi kailash and Om Parvat, the official said.

Fifteen pilgrims have booked for the pilot project, he said, adding that they will be taken in batches in Heritage Aviation helicopters up to Gunji on Oct 2, 4, 7 and 10.

Home stay facilities have been booked for the pilgrims in Gunji, Arya said.

The nodal agency for the project is Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) which has made all the arrangements of loading, boarding and travel of the pilgrims, he said.

The Kailash Darshan Yatra from within Indian territory was planned by the Centre after Chinese authorities stopped giving permission to Indian pilgrims to visit Kailash Mansarovar after 2019.

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