Rahul Gandhi to undertake Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from August 31

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is likely to undertake the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from August 31, 2018, keeping his promise made during the Jan Aakrosh Rally at Ramlila Maidan on April 29, sources said on Wednesday.

Rahul Gandhi, a devotee of Lord Shiva, had desired to undertake the yatra during the Karnataka assembly elections.

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Rahul is likely to travel from the Nepal route, the sources added.

Rahul had said that he had decided to take the yatra after he narrowly escaped an air mishap while campaigning during Karnataka elections. His flight 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 arduous pilgrimage to Mt Kailash, considered the abode of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology, is organised every year between June and September.

 “The moment I thought that it was all over, it struck my mind that I have to go to Kailash Mansarovar. So, I would require your leave of 10-15 days after the Karnataka Assembly polls,’ Rahul had said.

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The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, which is being held between June 8 and September 8 this year, is organised on two routes - via Uttarakhand and via Sikkim. Mount Kailash, located in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, is considered as the abode of Lord Shiva in the Hindu mythology.

(With inputs from agencies)