Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra – the spiritual and life changing journey – to start on June 8

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, will take place between June 8 and September 8. The registration for the yatra began on Tuesday and applicants between 18-70 years of age can apply till May 9.

Applicant should possess an ordinary Indian passport valid for at least six months as on 01 September of the current year. The yatra is through the routes of the Nathu La and the Lipulekh passes.

The route through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, which involves some trekking, is estimated to cost about Rs 1.8 lakh per person and will be conducted in 18 batches of 60 pilgrims each. The duration of the yatra is 24 days for each batch, including three days in Delhi, for preparatory work.

The route through Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) is motorable and is suitable for senior citizens unable to undertake arduous trekking. It is estimated to cost about Rs 2.5 lakh per person, and the duration of the yatra would be 21 days, including three days in Delhi for preparatory work. This year, 10 batches of 50 pilgrims each are scheduled for this route.

The applicants are advised to fill the online application on https://kmy.gov.in/

The applicants need to keep ready a scanned copiy of passport size photograph (in JPG format not exceeding 300 kb in size), scanned copy of Passport (page containing photo & personal particulars) and last page containing family details in .pdf format not exceeding 500 kb in size.

Yatris will be selected and assigned to different routes and batches by the Ministry of External Affairs through a fair computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process. Selected applicants would be informed through automated messages to their registered email id/mobile number after the computerized draw of lots.

After the computerized draw of lots, each selected applicant will be required to confirm participation by crediting the non-refundable Confirmation Amount detailed in ‘Fees and Expenditure for Yatris’ into designated bank account of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) or, the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) before the cut-off date.