New Delhi: The annual Kailash Mansarovar yatra will commence from today via old route via Lipulekh pass. The pilgrimage through the new route via Nathula Pass in Sikkim will begin from June 18.
The pilgrimage from the old route will cost Rs 1.5 lakh.
The new motorable route via Nathu-La on the India-China border from east Sikkim to Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet, was added after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping's India visit in September 2014. Beginning June 18, the yatra via the new route will cost Rs.1.7 lakh.
Eighteen batches of 60 people each will pass through the old route whereas five batches of 50 people each will use the new route to reach Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had announced that elderly pilgrims and those with mobility issues will now be able to visit Mount Kailash for the first time via a motorable route passing through China.
Sushma Swaraj had also unveiled a website that has detailed information about the yatra.
The Yatra is organised by MEA each year between June and September in cooperation with the Government of China.
A bilingual Kailash Mansarovar yatra helpline is now available at 011-24300655, where the caller will have a menu of options to choose from and learn more about the pilgrimage.
