Second batch of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims returns through Lipulekh Pass
Pithoragarh, Jul 22 (PTI) The second batch of 47 pilgrims returning from the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district arrived back in India on Tuesday, officials said.
An official from Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), the nodal agency for the pilgrimage, said the group reached Lipulekh at 10:15 am after completing their journey in Tibet. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel welcomed the pilgrims at the border amid foggy weather conditions, the official added.
The batch originally comprised 48 pilgrims. However, former Union minister of state Meenakshi Lekhi, who was part of the group, returned to India two days earlier after suffering injuries in a fall from a horse during the yatra.
While the group was scheduled to halt overnight in Bundi, they will instead be accommodated at the Gunji camp due to ongoing panchayat elections, the official said.
This year, around 250 pilgrims are undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in five batches through the Lipulekh route. PTI DPT HIG
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