NEW DELHI: A total of 750 pilgrims have been selected through a computerised draw to take part in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in Tibet, which is set to resume this year after a five-year suspension. The yatra’s revival comes as India and China make cautious efforts to normalise relations following a prolonged military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The pilgrimage, which will run from June to August, is organised annually by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It had been suspended since 2020—first due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and later due to rising tensions and a military face-off in eastern Ladakh.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh conducted the computerised draw on Wednesday, selecting 750 participants from a pool of 5,561 applicants—4,024 men and 1,537 women—who had registered online.
The MEA said the selected pilgrims will travel in 15 batches of 50 people each. Five batches will proceed via the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, while ten batches will travel via the Nathu La route in Sikkim. Each group will be accompanied by two liaison officers.
“Both routes are now fully motorable and involve very little trekking,” the ministry noted, adding that the pilgrims were selected “through a fair, computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process.” Selected individuals will be informed via SMS and email and can also check their status on the official Yatra website (https://kmy.gov.in).
Singh emphasised the government’s efforts to make the yatra more accessible, transparent, and safe. He urged the pilgrims to undertake the journey “with a sense of responsibility, humility and mindfulness, while caring for each other as well as protecting the sanctity of the environment.”
India had announced the resumption of the yatra on April 26 as part of a broader set of confidence-building measures aimed at easing bilateral tensions with China. Relations between the two countries had deteriorated sharply following deadly clashes in the Galwan Valley in 2020, bringing dialogue and people-to-people exchanges to a halt.
The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is seen as a symbolic step towards restoring normalcy in diplomatic and cultural ties between the neighbours.