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Follow UsGopeshwar, Jan 18 (PTI) Uttarakhand's famous Nanda Devi Raj Jat yatra has been postponed to next year, a member of Rajjat committee said.
After a meeting of the Rajjat committee in Karnaprayag, Chamoli district, on Sunday, the committee's chairman, Rakesh Kunwar, said that the decision has been taken to postpone this year's Nanda Devi Raj Jat pilgrimage, and it will now be held in 2027.
He said that the committee took this decision unanimously.
This religious pilgrimage, which passes through the snow-capped peaks and meadows of the high Himalayas, is considered the most arduous and longest foot pilgrimage, which is completed after halting at more than 22 stops.
The pilgrimage takes place after an interval of twelve years and was scheduled to be held this year in August-September. The yatra was last held in 2014.
Kunwar said that the auspicious time for the pilgrimage this year falls on September 19-20, and during this period, the weather in the high Himalayan region remains quite unfavourable.
"During this time, there is a possibility of hailstorms, snowfall, and rain, the cold intensifies, and construction work related to basic facilities in the still uninhabited areas has not yet been completed. In such circumstances, it did not seem possible to conduct the Nanda Devi Raj Jat yatra safely, so it has been postponed this year," he said.
He said that to organise the Nanda Devi Raj Jat pilgrimage next year, a vow will be taken in Nauti village on January 23, the day of Basant Panchami, and the program will be formally announced.
Kunwar said that in this ceremony, the royal prince of Kansuwa village of Garhwal will take a vow for the Nanda Rajjat at the Shri Nanda Devi Temple and will announce the further program according to astrological calculations.
He also said that the committee had not yet finalised any official program for this year's pilgrimage, and it was to be announced only after the traditional prayers and rituals on Basant Panchami. PTI DPT NB