The first batch of pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Uttarakhand reached Kathgodam on Wednesday. The 59 members of the first batch of pilgrims were accorded a traditional Kumaoni welcome by the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) on their arrival here.
The 59 members of the first batch of pilgrims include 50 men and nine women. Five of the group members are from Uttarakhand. In the first batch, 68 year old Muralidhar from Delhi is the oldest member while 21 year old Ajaysinh Bihola from Gandhinagar in Gujarat is the youngest pilgrim.
As the first batch of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims reached the Kathgodam roadways station, they were welcomed with the traditional Cholia dance of Kumaon. Raising the name of lord Shiva, as the pilgrims reached KMVN, they were welcomed in traditional Kumaoni style. The enthusiasm of the pilgrims could be seen as they started calling out ‘Bam Bam Bhole- Har Har Mahadev’ as soon as they reached Uttarakhand. They were served Buransh (rhododenderon) juice and traditional dishes after they reached here. On reaching the KMVN guest house, they were also welcomed by the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar MP and BJP State president Ajay Bhatt, KMVN vice chairperson Renu Adhikar and the corporation’s officiating managing director Vinod Kumar Suman.
The KMVN general manager Ashok Kumar Joshi informed that this time, homestay facility has been arranged for the pilgrims at Nabhidhang. Started to boost self employment among the locals, this initiative will also give a chance to the pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to know about the culture of this mountain state. The KMVN GM further informed that as decided by the ministry of External Affairs, two public liason officers will be included with each batch of pilgrims. In the first batch of the pilgrims, Vijay Kumar Mantri of Delhi and Akhilesh Singh Rawat of Greater Noida are the public liaison officers in the first batch of pilgrims. The first batch of pilgrims consists of 15 members from Gujarat, 10 from Delhi, seven from Uttar Pradesh, five from Uttarakhand, three from Haryana, two from Madhya Pradesh, eight from Rajasthan, two each from Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal along with one each from Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. After their arrival in Kathgodam at about 5 PM, members of the first batch of pilgrims left for Almora late in the evening. After spending the night there, the group will reach Dharchula on Thursday.