Kailash Mansarovar Yatra begins

The first batch of the pilgrims, including six women, who started their journey yesterday from Delhi today reached at Chokari in Pithoragarh district.

A total of 16 batches are scheduled to undertake the famous yatra this year, the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam, the nodal agency responsible for making all the arrangements for the yatra, said.

The first batch consists of pilgrims from 14 states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana Himachal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

The maximum number of pilgrims are from Delhi (13) followed by Gujarat, Haryana and Karnataka, said Deepak Rawat the Managing Director of the Nigam.

During the course of the journey, the pilgrims will circumambulate Mansarovor lake which lies at 15,060 ft above mean sea level. They would also go around the Kailash Mountain, which would involve trekking at high altitudes of up to 19,500 feet, under inhospitable conditions, including extremely cold and rugged terrain.