NEW DELHI:
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the new route via Nathula Pass in Sikkim will begin from June 18, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said.
India and China had signed a bilateral agreement on the Nathula alternative route during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit here in September last year.
The agreement provides for conducting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula in addition to the existing Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand.
“The yatra through the new route will commence on June 18, whereas the Lipulekh route will open on June 8,” Swaraj said adding that a total of 18 batches with 60 members each will be sent via the old route while 5 batches of 50 members each will be sent via the Nathula route.
The route through Nathula will augment the capacity and reduce the hardship and journey time enabling many more pilgrims, in particular aged pilgrims, to undertake the Yatra.
The new route will be in addition to the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand through which the pilgrimage took place until last year.
The External Affairs Minister also launched a dedicated website for the pilgrimage.
The route through Nathula will augment the capacity and reduce the hardship and journey time enabling many more pilgrims, in particular the elderly, to undertake the Yatra. (AGENCIES)
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