A historic first: Pilgrims gaze at Mount Kailash from Indian Soil!

For the first time, pilgrims on Thursday saw the sacred Kailash peak from the Old Lipulekh pass within Indian territory. This pass is in the Vyas valley of Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, which holds religious importance.

Previously, pilgrims had to travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region to view the peak. The current batch of pilgrims is the first to see Kailash peak from India.

"The first batch of five pilgrims had a view of the peak from the Old Lipulekh pass. It was an emotionally overwhelming experience for them," said Pithoragarh's District Tourist Officer Kriti Chandra Arya.


The pilgrims reached Gunji camp on Wednesday before trekking 2.5 kilometers to the Old Lipulekh pass to see the peak. Arya, who was with the pilgrims, noted, "All the five pilgrims were extremely excited and were in tears when they viewed the sacred Kailash peak from a point prepared at the Old Lipulekh pass for the purpose."

This batch included Neeraj and Mohini from Bhopal, Amandeep Kumar Jindal from Chandigarh, and Kewal Krishan and Narendra Kumar from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan.

The Uttarakhand tourism department organized the trip as a pilot project. The traditional Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which began in 1981 from Lipu Lekh Pass, was halted by China in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has not resumed since.

Participants now have to reach Pithoragarh on their own. On the first day, they will be transported by helicopter from Pithoragarh to Gunji. The second-day itinerary includes a visit to Adi Kailash. On the third day, visitors will travel to Nabi Dang to view Om Parvat and then proceed to old Lipu Lekh with assistance from the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). The Kailash Darshan will start before noon on September 28.