Uttarakhand's Nandadevi Raj Jaat yatra to begin on August 17

Uttarakhand's famous Nandadevi Raj Jaat yatra, which is held every 12 years, will begin this year on August 17.

Held every twelve years through the hill districts of Uttarakhand, the dates for the pilgrimage were announced on Monday after Chief Minister Harish Rawat held a meeting in Dehradun to review preparations for it.

The pilgrimage will go on till September 3. A sum of Rs 91.60 crore was also released to streamline arrangements for the pilgrimage, an official release here said.

Describing the yatra as the 'Himalayan Kumbh', Rawat said no laxity on the part of officials in preparations will be tolerated and asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to finish the pilgrimage related work by the end of June.

An experienced IAS officer will be entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring preparations for the yatra, Rawat said. Apart from 25 stopovers enroute Nandadevi, new places should also be identified which can be connected to the route, he said.

Being held for the first time after the formation of Uttarakhand, Nandadevi Raj Jaat Yatra could not be held in 2012 due to "malemaas" (inauspicious phase) and in 2013 due to the June flashfloods which caused massive devastation along its route.