Celebrating People

25 Kailash-Mansarovar Yatras Later: The Incredible Pilgrimage Of 69-Year-Old Raj Yadav

Raj Yadav hopes to embark on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra one more time in August 2025—her final chance before she turns 70 in October. The upper age limit set by the Ministry of External Affairs is under 70

Raj Yadav (right) with a local during her pilgrimage to Mount Kailash Photo: Raj Yadav
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Embarking on a Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is considered a blessing from the divine. For travellers, it's a test of their faith by none other than the mighty mountain, Mount Kailash. As the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, where they live with their sons Kartikeya and Ganesha, Kailash is the pinnacle of spirituality for Hindus. Accompanying it is Lake Mansarovar, where the Gods are believed to bathe every day.

Likening the pilgrimage to a bucket list will be an injustice to pilgrims like Raj Yadav, a 69-year-old devotee of Lord Shiva who travelled to the iconic mountain for the 25th time this year, when the yatra reopened after a six-year hiatus in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and India-China tensions. "Kailash is like my maika (maternal home)," Yadav told Outlook Traveller in an exclusive interaction.

A former banker, Yadav has curated multiple itineraries for Kailash-Mansarovar yatra pilgrims and spearheaded many treks in the last two decades.

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