Rahul Gandhi likely to leave for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this week

New Delhi, Aug 29: Congress president Rahul Gandhi may leave for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this week as he had promised earlier this year, said reports.

There are two routes for the Mansarovar Yatra, one is via Nepal while the other is through China. Rahul Gandhi will reportedly take the China route.

The yatra is considered a holy pilgrimage by worshippers of Lord Shiva. Rahul had claimed during the campaigning for Gujarat elections that he was a Shiv Bhakt (a devotee of Lord Shiva).

Even during the campaigning for Karnataka elections, Rahul had said that he would go for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after his plane plummeted thousands of feet due to a technical glitch.

Some reports say that he may leave on August 31. The yatra concludes on September 8 after which the routes are closed for the winter.

The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, which is being held between June 8 and September 8 this year, is organised by Ministry of External Affairs. The Yatra is organised on two routes - via Uttarakhand and via Sikkim.