Embarking on a Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is considered a blessing from the divine. For travellers, it's a test of their faith by none other than the mighty mountain, Mount Kailash. As the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, where they live with their sons Kartikeya and Ganesha, Kailash is the pinnacle of spirituality for Hindus. Accompanying it is Lake Mansarovar, where the Gods are believed to bathe every day.
Likening the pilgrimage to a bucket list will be an injustice to pilgrims like Raj Yadav, a 69-year-old devotee of Lord Shiva who travelled to the iconic mountain for the 25th time this year, when the yatra reopened after a six-year hiatus in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and India-China tensions. "Kailash is like my maika (maternal home)," Yadav told Outlook Traveller in an exclusive interaction.
A former banker, Yadav has curated multiple itineraries for Kailash-Mansarovar yatra pilgrims and spearheaded many treks in the last two decades.
She describes her tryst with "Mahadev" as a divine intervention that began in 2001. "I took my first-ever trek to Kailash Mansarovar without realising that it would become a journey of a lifetime. It's been 25 years of worshipping Mahadev from so close," she added.
Her journey as a "Shiva Bhakt" gradually ripened from a divine nasha (fixation) to a thrilling expedition. "I realised the intensity of the trek when I took it for the first time. At Dolma La Pass, the highest point on Mount Kailash, our group realised it wasn't a layman's job. Tired, worried, we stared at the daunting task of reaching the topmost point at Kailash."
When hopes shattered and exertion took a toll, many mystical moments unfolded, Yadav reminisced. "Call it a divine push or our resilience, after a few challenging moments, our bodies felt lighter, and we were ready to set off once again." Beating odds on a snow-laden trail, Yadav and her group finally summited Dolma La Pass.
In 2002, Yadav asked her husband, Vinod Yadav, to take her on the pilgrimage as their anniversary gift. "My husband had to keep his word, after all, it was a gentleman's promise," Yadav said with a chuckle, hinting at how she tricked him emotionally into agreeing to the trip for the second time.
But little did Yadav know that it was the beginning of an experience she would start treasuring in the years to come. The following year, in 2003, Yadav once again requested her husband to go on the trip. And this time she convinced him, saying that they would circumambulate together.
"I told Vinod, who has travelled to Kailash five times, that even in parikrama (circumambulation), the third round fructifies the prayer; therefore, we must take our third pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar." And like every doting husband, he agreed.
Year after year, Yadav's urge to see "Mahadev" in his abode grew deeper. It reached a point that there was no looking back for her.
As an intrepid traveller, Yadav has covered every face of the holy mountain. "You name it, and I will tell you the significance of each of these faces which helped me nurture my spiritual transformation further," she said with an introspective pause.
"From rope climbing to trekking, I have taken every possible route to meet Mahadev in his abode." However, it's still impossible to climb up to the throne of the deity. It is believed that the Lord's powerful aura protects his home, and people who have attempted to summit in the past were either lost or came back due to unfavourable weather conditions.
The Chinese government has prohibited climbing the peak owing to its significance to different religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon. People across faiths perform Kora or Parikrama for spiritual liberation. As the most significant ritual, pilgrims perform the sacred exercise in two ways: outer kora and inner kora.
The standard pilgrimage route surrounding Mount Kailash will give you a glimpse of the holy site from afar. Most travellers prefer the standard route; however, people like Yadav undertake the physically more demanding route by doing the inner parikrama. The route allows devotees to see the sacred mountain from close by, touch it, offer prayers, and marvel at it.
Yadav shared that if devotees go via the government route, they do the outer parikrama, while private tour operators take them inside. "Even though inner kora is a gruelling process, it's worth every step."
On her third trip, Yadav discovered a door-shaped rock. Believing it was the entrance to the holy abode, she offered prayers there. These occurrences make travellers like the 69-year-old curious about the significance of the different faces: North, South, East and West, especially when performing the inner parikrama.
Yadav elaborated, "The south face is believed to be carved out of Lapis Lazuli, a glossy sea-blue hued rock, depicting a long line from head to base. Legend goes that the tall line is the spine of Lord Shiva. Adding to its splendour is the holy Mansarovar Lake, streaming at its foot, in what appears as the confluence of the therapeutic water and divine enigma."
She further shared that on reaching the west face, pilgrims will find a human-like face chiselled on what seems like ruby rock, easily spotted with the naked eye.
"Embracing the amber glow at the crack of dawn, the north face is visible during the trek to Dirapuk as soon as you leave the base camp in Darchen," added Yadav. The seven km long trail gives you the first glimpse of the sacred mountain.
Meanwhile, the east face has all shades of mystery, she explained. "Visible clearly if you undertake the inner kora and from a distance if you are performing the outer kora."
Yadav's journey is extraordinary because what began as a spiritual retreat transformed into an ode, a belief system that elevates the power of faith and surrender. Today, as a blessing from "Mahadev," she has kept a cloth offering at her home, which she brought back from the Saptasrishi Cave during the inner parikrama.
"I had kept the chadava (offering) at the cave for a year," said Yadav. When she returned the following year, the cloth piece was lying as it was. "This time I folded it in crisp pleats, kept it in my bag and brought it home."
Her 25 years as a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrim have been about her becoming a spiritual traveller. The soon-to-be septuagenarian wishes to take the pilgrimage one last time, before her birthday in October 2025. Tears well up in her eyes, knowing that her visit to the divine destination will discontinue soon after she turns 70, due to the age cap.
Indians aged between 18 and 70 can take the pilgrimage. They must have an Indian passport and be medically fit with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 27 or less. Foreigners, including OCI or PIO cardholders, are ineligible.
In 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) selected 750 participants following a lucky draw. The selected participants must confirm their participation by depositing a fee of INR 5,000. Post this, they are required to take medical tests in Delhi 3-4 days prior to the journey. Please note that ITBP will conduct additional tests during the yatra.
If you go via the government of India, the entire journey will cost you approximately INR 2.6 lakh per person. This includes food, lodging and commute. For additional facilities such as pony services, pilgrims are required to pay separately. For those opting for the private tour operator, trip expenses can vary or even increase depending on the itineraries and facilities offered.
The MEA under the Central government takes you on the journey via Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. The ministry does not permit commercial tour operators in these areas.
June-August
MEA-managed pilgrimage takes about 18 days via Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, while private tour operators, who take you through Nepal, get the journey covered in 11-14 days through multiple routes such as Kathmandu, Lucknow, Lhasa, Nepalgunj, Simikot, Kerunga. (11 days via chopper and 14 days via road).
