NAINITAL, INDIA, February 18, 2004: The government-organized pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash each year from India is open only to first-timers, according to this news report. Only 16 batches of 44 persons each are selected in a lottery system to go on the arduous pilgrimage which proceeds mostly on foot from India over a 19,500 foot pass into Tibet.
To qualify, applicants must be Indian citizens and pass rigorous medical tests both before and during the pilgrimage. The government application form warns, “The Yatra is extremely arduous (more so than the Vaishnoodevi/Amarnath routes), involves trekking at high altitudes up to 19,500 feet, under inhospitable conditions including extreme cold and rugged terrain and may prove hazardous for those who are not physically or medically fit. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation has recognised the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as a trekking expedition. There is a considerable element of risk to life and property.” A few years ago a landslide killed many pilgrims.
Click here for details of the application. The time to apply has passed for 2004. The first batch of pilgrims is set to start on June 2, it takes 26 days to complete.
A personal account of the pilgrimage can be found here.
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