Every Single Pilgrim Reached Home Safely from Kailash with Mohanji 2026 Yatra

On 26th August 2026, a devastating flash flood hit the Nepal-Tibet border in the Rasuwa district, causing widespread deaths and destruction. The Kailash with Mohanji 2026 group, numbering over 300 with pilgrims hailing from 25 countries, had crossed the same border just days earlier, with the latest batch crossing over into Kerung via the same Timure/Syaprubesi border on 24th August, hardly 48 hours prior. 2 batches of Kailash with Mohanji 2026 with over 300 participants had just achieved a narrow escape from one of the worst flood disasters in years. One participant from the UK, Christopher Greenwood said “We knew something serious had happened before we knew the scale of it.”

On the night of 1st September, the last buses pulled into Kathmandu carrying the final group of pilgrims from this year’s Kailash with Mohanji yatra. All 340 pilgrims, from 25 countries, spread across 3 batches, were back safe and sound. A week before, nobody could have promised that.

A special pilgrimage in a rare year-But what made this Kailash pilgrimage special in the first place?

The year 2026 is the sacred Dev Kumbh year as per Hindu tradition, and the Fire Horse year as per Chinese tradition. The Dev Kumbh year occurs only once in 12 years, while the Chinese fire horse year occurs once in 60 years only.  

After several years, Mohanji himself joined the pilgrimage upto Lake Mansarovar, presiding over sacred ceremonies and interactions through the yatra. Furthermore, this year’s Kailash with Mohanji pilgrimage had distinguished guests from the World Tribal Alliance, including indigenous Elders and wisdom keepers from the Andes range of South America and the Sámi people of Norway. These Elders travelled to Kailash for the first time ever. In addition, spiritual educators such as Matias de Stefano as well as revered saints and priests from Haridwar and Shirdi joined this year’s Kailash with Mohanji pilgrimage.

There was such overwhelming interest that the organisers had to split the group into three separate batches just to manage the logistics, since Kailash with Mohanji groups always try to be near Mansarovar around the sacred occasion of Shravan Poornima (full moon).

When the way home disappeared

None of that prepared anyone for 26 August. Flash floods hit Nepal’s Rasuwa district that day, tearing through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli valleys. Locally, thousands are believed dead or missing. The floods also wiped out the Rasuwa–Gyirong corridor, the main road linking Tibet back to Nepal and the route pilgrims usually take home.

What followed was several days of trying to work out a way home with very little to work with. Not only was the return route closed, but supplies were severely curtailed too. No further materials could reach the different stations. Support staff availability was constrained as well. Several other groups were stranded, with many unable to figure out what to do next. Some even had to come to the Mohanji group counters for their meals, given their lack of supplies.

Narinder Rohmetra, a member of the organizing team of Mohanji Foundation and retired Chief Engineer of Jammu & Kashmir said “We could not replan, we could not forecast, we just had to improvise, that too in high hypoxia conditions where all of us were suffering from altitude sickness and lack of oxygen. We were under pressure to choose easy options that were beyond most participants’ financial means. We had to make the right choice and there was no room for any error, while dealing with such a large multinational group.”

Amidst all this confusion and anxiety, the organizers had to also work to enable the batches to complete their Kailash Mansarovar yatra and the sacred parikrama around Kailash. “For a few days, we had no clarity on the next steps or the return route. However, we had to hold the group steady, despite the stress and chaos.” said Madhusudan Rajagopalan, CEO of Mohanji Foundation. Eventually, every pilgrim of the 340 had a wonderful darshan of Mansarovar and Kailash, barring 3 individuals. Furthermore, 85% of the group completed the Kailash parikrama successfully in this sacred Dev Kumbh year, where 1 parikrama is considered equivalent to 12.

In the background, the organizers were wrestling with various solutions that were emerging for the return – which route, how many people, what dates etc. Each option came with some dramatic pros and cons. One solution involved additional flights and costs of over $1500 per person, and a potential delay of a few days, to just to come back to Kathmandu. Another required foreigners and Indians to take different routes home, each with different costs. “We were particular that every batch should go home together, and that nobody would be asked to pay an extra cost for something that wasn’t their fault”, said Rajagopalan.

The way home

Meanwhile, Nepal and China agreed to reopen the Kodari–Tatopani crossing, closed for years, as a one-off exception. The Mohanji group decided to utilize this route for their two biggest groups, while a third smaller batch came out further west through Taklakot. The Kodari border route brought in several new complications – landslides on the road and inclement weather. At one point, the group was even escorted by police to see them safely through. But the groups found their way past these obstacles. Eventually, all the batches reached Kathmandu safely, one day ahead of schedule.

Reflecting on the developments, Christopher Greenwood (UK) said “What I noticed was that the answer always came before the question. We were moved, fed and looked after, and encouraged to complete our yatra. I never felt anxious once, because the team was guiding the group constantly.”

“You go to Kailash expecting the mountain to change you,” said Dalila Lakomica from Bosnia and Herzegovina. “I didn’t expect it to be the people around me who did that instead, once everything else fell apart.”

Afterword

The Kailash with Mohanji pilgrimage has been held every year since 2012, barring the Covid affected years from 2020-2022. But 2026 was the largest and most challenging ever.

Mohanji, who was with the group up to Mansarovar, put the outcome down to the people managing it on the ground. “Bringing every single person home safely, on time, and without any extra cost to them was our biggest priority,” he said. “That this challenging task was achieved, and achieved a day early, is thanks to our organizing team, our operators, our guides, sherpas and drivers, who replanned the logistics against all odds. We are extremely grateful to them.”

At the end, the pilgrimage was successful in this rare and auspicious year. Ordinary pilgrims found their fulfillment in Kailash. The Elders and priests conducted special ceremonies in the sacred spaces of Mansarovar and Kailash. Despite the adversities and uncertainties, every single participant returned safe.

Even as the pilgrims celebrate their return, the region they passed through is still recovering. ACT Foundation, the humanitarian organisation Mohanji started, is now raising money and planning to provide relief to the Rasuwa areas where the damage is still being counted. The Kailash with Mohanji pilgrimage might be complete, but the task of supporting the less fortunate is still open, and that will be the next challenge for the Mohanji group.