INDIA, August 22, 2014 (Hindustan Times): Giving a reason for officials to smile, more than 900 pilgrims have pilgrimaged on foot to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) this year via the India route, setting a new record of sorts. The yatra is an annual affair which passes through Uttarakhand and goes till Kailash Mansarovar in TAR under China.
The 18th batch of the yatra left from Pithoragarh for its destination on Wednesday. This is the last batch and with this batch, total number of pilgrims has reached 909, breaking all past records since 1981.
The pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar by this route is considered one of the difficult pilgrimages (you can take a Land Rover to the base from Nepal, or even fly in by helicopter–for US$3,199 each…). On the Indian side, beyond Malti, pilgrims have to trek the route on foot. The last station on the Indian side is Liphulekh pass. The yatra began on June 12 through an old route but later the administration decided to move pilgrims through an alternative route. Despite odds, the yatra went on successfully.