Annual Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra to Tibet concludes

Pithoragarh: The annual Kailash-Mansarovar yatra through the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand concluded on Sunday with 41 members of the last batch of pilgrims returning to Indian territory from Tibet at 7.30 am, an official said.

"The 41-member 18th and last batch of Indian pilgrims returned from Tibet to Bundi this morning. They will stay at Bundi camp of the Nigam and will reach Pithoragarh on way to New Delhi," Dinesh Gururani, the KMVN in-charge at Pithoragarh camp said.

KMVN or Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam is the nodal agency for the Yatra.

According to Gururani, a total of 949 pilgrims went to Kailash-Mansarovar through Lipulekh route this year, out of which 23 returned midway due to various personal reasons.

One pilgrim of the 26th batch died due to cardiac arrest during the yatra, he said.

"The pilgrims who undertook the yatra through the Lipulekh route included 727 males and 198 females," said Gururani.

Kailash Mansarovar yatra that began on June 8 from New Delhi went on more smoothly this year than last year, when all the batches had to be ferried by Indian Air Force helicopters from Pithoragarh to Gunji and back due to adverse weather conditions.