Sikkim gears up for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 5 years

Gangtok: The Sikkim government has accelerated infrastructure development for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu La, a mountain pass in the Himalayas that connects the state with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake, set to resume after a gap of five years, holds religious significance to Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists.

Two acclimatisation centres are being established between state capital Gangtok and Nathu La, while functional toilets and other travel-related infrastructure are also being developed for the pilgrims, said MLA Thinlay Tshering Bhutia.

The pass is located under Bhutia’s Kabi-Lungchok constituency and the legislator told reporters that he was assessing the ground situation to further enhance facilities for the Mansarovar Yatris.

The Ministry of External Affairs last month said the Yatra is set to take place from June to August via two routes -- Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim.

“Sikkim is a peaceful state and this is the main USP of travelling via the Nathu La border,” Bhutia said in the presence of officials of the forest, tourism and rural development departments.

He said the Nathu La route, with availability of good roads, would provide the pilgrims with a safe and better travelling experience again.

The Yatra was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.