• The yatra includes visits to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet.
  • The Ministry of External Affairs, India organises the Yatra during June to September through two different routes:
    • Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand)
    • Nathu La Pass (Sikkim).
  • It is open to eligible Indian citizens holding valid Indian passports.
  • The Yatra is organised with the support from state governments of Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Sikkim; and cooperation of Indo Tibetan Border Police.
  • Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) does not provide any subsidy or financial assistance to Yatris.
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra explained for UPSC

LOCATION

  • Mount Kailash is located in the Kailash Range (forms part of the Trans Himalaya) in Tibet.
  • Lake Manasarovar is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in Tibet.
  • Four rivers emerge from the Kailash-Mansarovar region: Sutlej, Brahmaputra, Indus and Kamali (Karnali).
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra explained for UPSC

RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA

  • Hindus believe Mount Kailash is the abode of Lord Shiva. Mansarovar lake is said to be one of Goddess Sati’s 51 Shakti Peethas.
  • Tibetans, Buddhists and Jains revere it as the ‘Stairway to heaven’.
  • Jains hold that Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankar (Jains’ spiritual preacher), found enlightenment at Mount Kailash.
  • The Mount is referred to in Jain literature as “Ashtapada,” or “the eight steps,” which can pave the way to enlightenment and spiritual advancement.