Registration process for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra through Sikkim’s Nathu La pass this year has started.
Pilgrims can go for the yatra through Nathu La Pass, which was closed last year because of the India-China military face-off in Doklam. The last date of registration is March 23
Announcing the starting of the registration process for the four-month Yatra on June 8, the External Affairs Ministry has said there are two routes.
“The route through Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand), which involves some trekking is estimated to cost about Rs 1.6 lakh per person… The route through Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) is motorable and suitable for senior citizens unable to undertake arduous trekking,” the Ministry said.
The Nathu La route will cost around Rs 2 lakh per person, for 21 days, including three days in Delhi for preparatory work.
The Ministry said applicants must be 18 years and not more than 70 years of age on January 1, 2018 to be eligible for application. The Yatra through Nathu La Pass, will be 10 batches of 50 pilgrims each.
From Gangtok, the Nathu La route passes through scenic places like Hangu lake, and through the vast landscape of the Tibetan plateau.
Like the previous years first time applicants, medical doctors and married couples would have priority, the Ministry said, adding that senior citizens would have priority on the Nathu La route if they opt for it.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said the selection of applicants will be through a computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process and applicants will be notified of their selection through automated email or SMS.