“Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumes after a 5-year gap as India and China move towards normalising ties: All you need to know about the spiritual journey to the abode of Shiva”, Opindia, June 26, 2025:
“The first batch of pilgrims from India has reached Tibet as the holy Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumed after a gap of 5 years. The yatra was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent Galwan Valley standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers, which strained the relations between India and China. Starting on 30th June, the yatra marks a significant step towards improving people-to-people ties as the two countries work towards normalising their relations.
As per the information provided by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the pilgrims will undertake the journey in two sets of batches between June and August. Five batches of 50 devotees each will travel through Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand via Lipulekh Pass and another ten batches of 50 devotees each will undertake the holy trek through Sikkim, crossing over at Nathu La Pass.
The applications for the yatra were accepted through an online process and the selections were made in a fair, computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process. The application and selection process has been made entirely computerised since 2015……”
Read the full article at Opindia.com