NEW DELHI: The Kailash Mansarovar yatra through Nathu La in Sikkim has been suspended for the time being in the wake of ongoing stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops over a road construction by People Liberation Army in a disputed territory along with Indo-China border in Sikkim.
Beijing has only issued visas for first two batches and applications for the other pilgrims were put on hold because of the tension along the border.
According to government official, the decision to put yatra on suspension will affect nearly 400 devotees who were expected to holy shrine of Lord Shiva through an arduous trek along the Nathu La route.
But officials made it clear that the pilgrims travelling through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand will continue as scheduled. However, eight batches, each comprising around 50 pilgrims, were scheduled to have taken the Nathu La route to Mansarovar in Tibet.
And first batch was to have crossed over to China through Nathu La on June 20 and the last batch on July 31. It would have taken a batch 21 days to complete the pilgrimage. The first batch of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims had to return from the Nathu La border and the pilgrims returned to Gangtok on June 23 after staying in Nathu La for three days awaiting permission from the Chinese side for the onward journey.The second batch of pilgrims did not move from Gangtok and was eventually told to return home.
The Sikkim route to Mansarovar was thrown open to the public in 2015. Kailash Mansarovar, located at an altitude of 15,160 feet, takes place from June to September each year through the two routes.