Shimla, April 9 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday said his government was pursuing with the central government the option of routing the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage in China through this hill state.

In a written reply, he informed the state assembly that a missive to Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar by Chief Secretary P. Mitra on February 24 took up the development of an alternate route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage through Shipkila pass in Kinnaur district. The issue was earlier raised by the chief minister with the prime minister on September 25, 2014.

"The Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route will not only be shortened but will also help in developing tourism in Himachal Pradesh," said the letter.

The chief minister's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014 also said: "The state has been continuously taking up the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage with the government of India since 2006."

"This matter was taken up by the ministry of external affairs with the China government in 2009 but the Chinese side had cited difficulty in opening alternative routes," it said.

Official sources told IANS that from Shipkila, the last Indian village in Kinnaur district, the holy lake of Mansarovar is just 91 km, which can be mostly covered by road. Only a short distance is left for trekking.

The journey between New Delhi and Shipkila is of three days, with two night halts at Shimla and Rekong Peo towns.

Thousands of pilgrims visit Kailash Mansarovar, one of the toughest pilgrimages among Hindus, from June to September every year.