Like every year, the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is being organized by the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs starting end May/early June to September 2008. The pilgrimage or "Yatra" is open to all Indian citizens above18 years of age who wish to proceed to Kailash and Manasarovar for religious purposes.

About Mount Kailash

The holy Mount Kailash is situated in the western Tibetan plateau in the northernmost region of the Himalayas. Also referred to as Mount Meru and Kang Rinpoche, or snow jewel, Mount Kailash is a 22,028 ft high peak known for being the abode of Shiva. Hindus perform a "parikrama" or walk around the 32-mile circumference of Mount Kailash, an act that is believed to wipe away all sins.

About Mansarovar Lake

Travel 18 miles southeast of Kailash, and you arrive at the placid blue circular Lake Mansarovar, also known as Tso Rinpoche or "precious lake" in Tibetan. Bathing in the freezing cold water of the lake which is said to contain miraculous powers is considered to be of massive spiritual benefit.

About the Yatra

The duration of the Yatra is 26 days. In addition, Yatris will need to spend 4 days in New Delhi to obtain visas, undergo a comprehensive medical examination and complete other formalities. This year, 16 batches each consisting of a maximum of 60 pilgrims will take part in the Yatra. The first batch is expected to depart from New Delhi in the last week of May/first week of June and continue till the end of September 2008.

Mount Kailash And Mansarovar

High on the remote western Tibetan plateau in the northern most region of the Himalayas, sits Mount Kailash, the holy mountain. The Tibetan people have named it Kang Rinpoche, or snow jewel, and the Hindus refer to it as Mount Meru. Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrims from the world over go to this holy mountain to circumambulate rather than scale the 22,028- foot high peak. Hindus who walk around the 32-mile circumference of Mount Kailash use the term parikrama. They believe that lord Shiva, one of their three main gods, resides atop what they call Mount Meru. Tibetans refer to the clockwise circumambulation as a kora. Both words mean the same thing pilgrimage. Doing a walk around the mountain can away a lifetimes worth of sins.

A Single circumambulation around Mount Kailash wipes away the sins of a lifetime. The Jains who refer to the Kailash as Mount Ashtapada believe the founder of their faith, rishabanatha, resides atop the mountain. And the Bons the religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region and the Nine story Swastika Mountain is the seat of all power. Mount Kailash is also the source of four major rivers: the Indus, the Brahamputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej. The comparison to the Indian legend of Mount Meru from whose summit flows four great rivers that irrigate all of Asia is hard to miss. Eighteen miles southeast of Kailash is the circular, turquoise Lake Mansarovar or Tso Rinpoche (precious lake) a 64-mile circuit, which is rarely completed except by the most devout. Bathing in the lake, or even dousing ones head with the holy water is said to be of enormous spiritual benefit to those who can brave the icy water which many claim contain miraculous powers. Hindus are told that complete immersion into the lake ensure they be reborn as a god. There is no place more powerful for practice more blessed, or more marvellous than their abode of god.

Cost of Travel

Applicants should ensure that they possess an Indian Passport. The cost of the Yatra will include Rs. 19,250 to be paid to Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), Rs. 1,950 to be paid to ITBP for medical examination / tests at Delhi, and US$ 700 to be paid to the Chinese side, besides additional expenditure on equipment, clothing, food, baggage, ponies, etc.

An Arduous Yatra

The Indian Mountaineering Foundation has recognized the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as a trekking expedition with an element of life risk involved. The Yatra is extremely arduous - much more than Vaishnodevi or Amarnath Yatra, and involves trekking at altitudes as high as 19,500 feet, under hostile conditions, in extreme cold and on rugged terrain, and may prove hazardous for those who are not physically fit.

Fitness Test a Must

Applicants should be physically healthy, medically fit and are required to undergo a comprehensive medical examination in New Delhi. A second medical test to ascertain reactions to altitude trekking is done at Gunji, after 6 days of the Yatra, at a height of 3500 meters.

How to Apply

Complete applications in the prescribed format should be sent to Under Secretary (EA) Room No. 255-A, South Block, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi-110011 latest by Monday, March 17, 2008. The selection of Yatris will be done by Ministry of External Affairs through a computer-generated random gender-balanced selection process.

Websites

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