PrashantNews
It was a clear blue sky on Thursday that provided a big opportunity to a small group of pilgrims at the dizzying heights of Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand to witness the snowy Mount Kailash, considered as the revered abode of Lord Shiva.
The Uttarakhand tourism department has conducted the first trip including Darshan of Mount Kailash, Adi Kailash and Om Parvat from the Indian soil under a new package. Due to travel restrictions, the Mansarovar yatra has been suspended since 2020.
“The darshan of Mount Kailash was done from the Old Lipulekh mountain (18000 feet). The pilgrims could pay homage to their revered deity Lord Shiva from Indian soil,” an official statement said.
The pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab, viewed the mountains from Old Lipulekh Peak, a point from where Mount Kailash is clearly visible. This point was discovered a few months ago by a team of officials from Uttarakhand Tourism, BRO and ITBP following which necessary preparations were made by the state tourism department to start a package tour covering darshan of Mount Kailash, Adi Kailash and Om Parvat all from Indian soil.
The pilgrims will visit Adi Kailash from Gunji Pithoragarh tomorrow before returning to Pithoragarh by helicopter.
The package includes helicopter tickets from Pithoragarh to Gunji and back with accommodation at KMVN guest houses or homestays.
Narrating their experiences, Neeraj Manohar Lal Chowksey and Mohini Neeraj Chowksey from Bhopal, who were among the first batch of 5 pilgrims, said they were overwhelmed when they saw the Kailash mountain.
Amandeep Kumar Jindal from Chandigarh said she was lucky to have clear darshan of Mount Kailash from Old Lipulekh.
Chief Minister Pushkar SIngh Dhami and state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj expressed happiness and congratulated the officials involved in the initiative.
The 4 nights/5 days package costs Rs. 80,000 per tourist including GST and bookings can be made on Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam website – kmvn.in, the official statement said.