With the slew of safety measures in place this year, including the capping of devotees per day, the online registration for the upcoming Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba district of Himachal, will begin on August 5.
The yatra, one of North India’s most revered Himalayan pilgrimages dedicated to Lord Shiva, is scheduled to commence on August 25, with a maximum of 5,000 devotees allowed to register and undertake the pilgrimage every day. Officials said registration would be mandatory and no devotee would be allowed to enter the pilgrimage route without it. For now, the registration will begin only for the first three days: August 25, 26 and 27.
Drawing lessons from the devastating flash-floods of last year, which triggered one of the largest rescue operations in the history of the Manimahesh Yatra, the Chamba administration has introduced a number of safety measures for this year’s pilgrimage. Mandatory online registration, a daily cap on pilgrim numbers, drone surveillance and the closure of the traditional parikrama route via Kugti village are among the key measures aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2025 crisis.
“Online registration has been made mandatory this year. Pilgrims will be required to carry a hard copy of their registration confirmation for verification at the check posts. Decision regarding increasing the number of daily pilgrims will depend on the weather conditions,” an official said.
{{/usCountry}}“Online registration has been made mandatory this year. Pilgrims will be required to carry a hard copy of their registration confirmation for verification at the check posts. Decision regarding increasing the number of daily pilgrims will depend on the weather conditions,” an official said.
{{/usCountry}}Bharmour additional district magistrate (ADM) Vikas Sharma said, “A special weather forecast link issued by the IMD has been made available to pilgrims undertaking the yatra. It will enable them to access weather updates for the Bharmour region before beginning their journey. The link is available on the official Manimahesh Yatra website. The initiative has been taken to ensure the safety of pilgrims.”
During last year’s yatra, incessant rains triggered flash floods that washed away several stretches of the Chamba-Bharmour highway—the pilgrimage’s lifeline. Around 15,000 devotees were stranded at various locations after road connectivity was severed, prompting the administration, the army, the Air Force, the NDRF, the SDRF and local volunteers to launch a massive rescue operation by road and air. Sixteen pilgrims died during the yatra, including four in Kugti.
The Manimahesh Yatra is an annual fortnight-long pilgrimage to the glacier-fed Manimahesh Lake in Bharmour subdivision of Chamba district. The Lake is situated twenty-six kilometers from Bharmour in the Budhil valley, and at an altitude of 13,000 feet at the foot of the Kailash peak (18,564 ft). The devotees trek to the lake to offer prayers and catch a glimpse of Mount Kailash, regarded as the abode of Lord Shiva. Starting from Hadsar in Chamba district, the 14-km uphill trek is considered as challenging as the Amarnath Yatra.