Rudrapur, May 7 -- The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2026 is likely to begin from July 2, said officials on Wednesday, adding the pilgrims were expected to pay Rs.35,000 more than last year.. The pilgrimage will be cover two routes- the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim- with 10 groups of pilgrims scheduled to travel from each route. In Uttarakhand, the yatra is organised by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), a state government undertaking that arranges pilgrim travel through the Kumaon route. "We have started preparations for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra scheduled to begin in July. The pilgrimage will follow the Tanakpur-Champawat-Pithoragarh route as in previous years. KMVN arranges transportation, lodging, food, medical assistance and guides for the pilgrims," said KMVN managing director Vineet Tomar. Officials said that earlier, pilgrims were charged around Rs.1.74 lakh per person, but this year the cost was expected to rise to Rs.2.09 lakh per person. KMVN officials said the corporation earlier received about Rs.57,000 per pilgrim for arrangements covering travel from Delhi to Lipulekh Pass and back. This year, the amount has been increased to Rs.65,000 per pilgrim, about Rs.8,000 more than the previous year. Additional expenses, including visa charges and arrangements in Tibet, are under the Ministry of External Affairs, with pilgrims paying around $1,400 for related arrangements. Officials said 10 batches of 50 pilgrims each will travel through Lipulekh Pass from Uttarakhand. A similar number of groups will undertake the pilgrimage via Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. The Nathu La route was opened for the first time in 2015 to facilitate the pilgrimage....