Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to Resume via Nathula in June After 5-Year Hiatus. Check Details

New Delhi: After a five-year suspension, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is set to resume through the Nathula Pass in Sikkim starting June this year. The pilgrimage was put on hold following the 2017 Doklam standoff between India and China, and later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With diplomatic and infrastructural hurdles now cleared, preparations are in full swing for the reopening of the route via the Indo-China border.

Final Touches to Infrastructure Underway

The route is undergoing final infrastructural developments, including the renovation of key acclimatisation centres. According to Sunil Kumar, who is in charge of labour operations on site, the work is nearing completion.

“The renovation and reconstruction of acclimatisation centres are expected to be completed within the next four to five days,” Kumar told ANI.

Two acclimatisation centres are being established along the route one at 16th Mile (10,000 feet) and another near Hangu Lake (14,000 feet) along the Kupup Road. Each centre will include:

Two five-bedded and two two-bedded buildings

A medical facility

Kitchen, office space, and other essentials for pilgrims

Local residents and former yatris have welcomed the reopening of the pilgrimage route. IK Rasaily, a participant in the 2016 yatra, said, “Tourism will revive and local livelihoods will improve. The Sikkim route remains the safest and most accessible due to its good road connectivity.”

Kabi Lungchok MLA Thinley Tshering Bhutia thanked the central and state governments for facilitating the resumption. Highlighting Sikkim’s safety profile, Bhutia said, “Sikkim is a peaceful state with no history of terrorist activity, making this the safest route for Mansarovar pilgrims.”

He further assured that functional toilets and essential amenities along the route would be completed before the yatra begins.

The initiative gained momentum after Sikkim Rajya Sabha MP D.T. Lepcha raised the issue in Parliament, prompting coordinated efforts between the Government of India and the Government of Sikkim.