Adi Kailash Yatra suspended due to monsoon

The Adi Kailash and Om Parvat Yatra in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh has been suspended in view of the monsoon, risk of landslides and safety of pilgrims, officials said on Friday.

Dharchula Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashish Joshi said that 52,441 pilgrims visited Adi Kailash and Om Parvat within two months of the commencement of the pilgrimage on May 1. “Inner Line Permits for the Adi Kailash and Om Parvat Yatra will now be issued only after further orders,” he said.

Joshi said that 103 pilgrims were last issued permits on July 1 before the suspension came into effect. The Adi Kailash pilgrimage in Pithoragarh began in 1981 — alongside the Kailash Yatra in Tibet — but gained popularity following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on October 12, 2023.