Adi Kailash yatra’s second phase began on 20 September, after the bridge was restored

Update — 25 September 2026: the second phase has begun

The tentative date held. The second phase of the Adi Kailash and Om Parvat yatra began on Sunday 20 September, after the Border Roads Organisation restored the Kulagad Bailey bridge on 18 September, the Times of India reported. Dharchula’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Ashish Joshi, said more than 500 Inner Line Permits were issued on the first day, when about 200 pilgrims left for Gunji (Amar Ujala), and more than 1,000 in the first two days (Times of India).

“As the rainy season is still continuing, we have advised tourists and pilgrims to plan their journeys according to weather conditions,” the SDM told the Times of India. If you are going, keep a buffer day on either side of the high-altitude stretch and check the road status at Dharchula before you set out. Our report of 14 September, written when the date was tentative, follows unchanged.

What has happened

The second phase of the Adi Kailash and Om Parvat yatra in Pithoragarh district, due to begin on 15 September, has been postponed. A Bailey bridge near Kulagad on the Dharchula–Gunji road was washed away for the second time in two weeks, PTI reported on 14 September. The New Indian Express spells the place Kulagarh and describes the bridge as the principal approach to the upper valleys.

Dharchula Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashish Joshi told The New Indian Express that Inner Line Permits would now be issued from 20 September, “subject to conditions on the ground”, adding: “That remains a tentative date.” He told PTI the pilgrimage would start only once both weather and transport conditions were safe. The Border Roads Organisation is rebuilding the bridge, and the Army has prepared an alternative route to keep access open.

What it means if you are booked

The yatra has not been cancelled. The first phase ran from 1 May, with 52,441 pilgrims visiting Adi Kailash and Om Parvat within two months, according to official figures cited by both reports. But no Inner Line Permit means no travel beyond the restricted-area checkpoints, so nobody can go up until permits are issued.

If you are booked for the second phase, treat 20 September as the earliest possible start, not a confirmed date. Keep your dates flexible, ask your operator what happens if the start moves again, and check with the Dharchula sub-divisional administration before travelling to Pithoragarh. Our Uttarakhand pages cover the wider region. We will update this article once permits are issued or the date changes.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Bad weather, washed-out bridge push Adi Kailash yatra’s second phase to September 20 — The New Indian Express, 15 September 2026
• U’khand: Second phase of Adi Kailash Yatra in Pithoragarh postponed until September 20 (PTI) — PTI, via ThePrint, 14 September 2026
• Adi Kailash Yatra second phase begins following the construction of the Bailey bridge — Amar Ujala, 21 September 2026
• Adi Kailash yatra resumes after 2-month monsoon pause — The Times of India, 21 September 2026