Inner line permits for Adi Kailash yatra to be issued from April 30 – ET TravelWorld

Inner line permits for the upcoming Adi Kailash yatra will be issued from April 30, said officials on Friday. The portal of the Shiva temple at Jolingkong, where the sacred Adi Kailash resides, will reopen on May 2 with a ritual by members of the Rung community, marking the start of the yatra to Om Parvat and Parvati Kund.

Adi Kailash is situated at an elevation of 14,500 ft in Byas valley, Pithoragarh, and access to the site requires an inner line permit. The permit shall be issued by the sub divisional magistrate (SDM) of Dharchula, said Vinod Goswami, the district magistrate (DM) of Pithoragarh. While the permit traditionally remains valid for 15 days, the administration had restricted it to four days as heavy footfall led to congestion last year and the same rules will apply this year, the DM added.

Additional district magistrate Yogendra Singh said a control room shall be established at Dharchula to maintain visitor records and jeeps shall operate between Parvati Kund and Jolingkong, with fares to be determined by the tourism department in consultation with taxi owners.

The administration will also restrict daily visitors to 1,000 for Om Parvat and Adi Kailash, considering accommodation capacity at homestays, hotels, and rest houses under Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) in Kuti, Nabi, Napalachchu and Jolingkong villages. Rates shall be fixed by the tourism department through discussions with proprietors, Singh added. The zila panchayat has been instructed to register all horses and ponies used for transporting luggage.

Adi Kailash gained attention after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site in Oct 2023. Last year, over 30,000 tourists visited Adi Kailash and Om Parvat, and the administration anticipates more than 50,000 visitors this year.