GANGTOK, June 18 � The moment which Sikkim had been waiting with baited breath got underway today when Governor Shrinivas Patil along with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling flagged off the first batch of pilgrims for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula Pass.
In a colourful function at Ridge Park here, fourty pilgrims, which included two women from Sikkim along with five support staff, began the journey.
On the occasion, Patil and Chamling also released commemorative special postal cover to mark the event.
It may be mentioned that on June 16, 2015, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from New Delhi for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in Tibetan Autonomous Region of China through a new route via Nathula Pass, which was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit last September.
The new route through the Himalayan pass of Nathula 4,000 metres above sea level will facilitate more comfortable travel for the pilgrims, especially for the elderly, by buses compared to the existing way via Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand.
