At the roof of the world, where Himalayan peaks touch the sky and pilgrimage meets endurance, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami joined participants and prize-winners of the Adi Kailash Parikrama Run 2.0 at Gunji, Pithoragarh on Sunday, 25 October 2026 — live-streaming the event directly to his followers on X.

Gunji: base camp of a sacred circuit

Gunji is no ordinary venue. Nestled in the high-altitude valleys of Pithoragarh district, bordering Tibet, it serves as the traditional base camp for the trek to Adi Kailash — the Himalayan peak revered as an abode of Lord Shiva and one of the most spiritually significant pilgrimage destinations in the country. The parikrama — a circumambulation of the sacred peak — has for centuries drawn devout pilgrims from across India.

Turning that ancient pilgrimage route into a competitive run is part of a deliberate effort to reimagine how people engage with Uttarakhand's Himalayan heritage — blending faith with fitness, and solitude with celebration.

Religious tourism as a border-region strategy

Pithoragarh sits at a sensitive intersection of geography and culture — a district that shares borders with both Tibet and Nepal, home to routes that lead not just to Adi Kailash but also to the mystical Om Parvat, whose natural snow formation in the shape of the sacred symbol draws thousands each year. Hosting a marquee event like the Parikrama Run 2.0 here is as much a statement of connectivity and confidence in the border region as it is a cultural celebration.

The Uttarakhand government has consistently positioned religious and adventure tourism as twin engines of development for remote Himalayan districts, where traditional livelihoods can be thin and seasonal. Events anchored at pilgrimage circuits give local communities in Gunji and surrounding villages a direct stake in the tourism economy — from hospitality to logistics to guiding.

CM Dhami and the pilgrimage-circuit push

For Chief Minister Dhami, showing up at Gunji — not in Dehradun, not in a conference hall, but at the actual venue in a remote high-altitude village — carries a clear signal: that the state's commitment to developing these circuits runs beyond press releases. His presence at the prize distribution ceremony places the office of the Chief Minister in direct contact with the runners, the local communities, and the sacred landscape that draws them all here.

The Parikrama Run 2.0 designation suggests an event already into its second edition, with an established format that the state is now scaling and amplifying with greater institutional backing.

As Uttarakhand continues to invest in the identity of a pilgrimage and adventure tourism destination, Adi Kailash — long in the shadow of the more famous Char Dham circuit — may be finding its own moment in the spotlight. The run at Gunji is one stride in that direction.