Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to undertake pilgrimage to the Kailash Mansarovar in the first week of September. Rahul had declared his intention to undertake the holy yatra during Karnataka Assembly elections. He will reportedly travel to Kailash-Mansarovar through the China route, not Nepal.
Congress sources added Rahul has already applied to the Ministry of External Affairs for undertaking the pilgrimage.
The arduous pilgrimage to Mt Kailash, considered the abode of lord Shiva, is organised every year between June and September.
Rahul, who has often talked about being a devotee of lord Shiva, had said during the rally that the desire to undertake the Kailash Mansarovar yatra arose when his plane plunged hundreds of feet in the air while he was travelling for poll campaign in Karnataka.
“A few days ago, we were on our way to Karnataka in an aircraft. And the aircraft suddenly came down by 8,000 ft. I thought ‘gaadi gayi’ (it was all over),” he had said in his first public comment on the incident.
“The moment I thought that it was all over, it struck my mind that I have to go to Kailash Mansarovar,” he had told the gathering at Ramlila Maidan.
On April 26, the plane carrying Rahul from Delhi to Hubli airport in developed a technical problem and tilted heavily on the left side. The plane dipped steeply with violent shuddering, but soon recovered and landed safely.