Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India, and the highest entirely within the country. (Kangchenjunga, on the border of India and Nepal, is the highest peak in India.) It is part of the Garhwal Himalaya, and is located in the state of Uttarakhand, between the Rishiganga valley on the west and the Ghoriganga valley on the east. Its name means Bliss-Giving Goddess. The peak is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Mount Everest, the worlds highest mountain The following is a list of the worlds 109 highest mountains per height above sea level, all of which are located in Asia. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... This is a list of peaks by prominence; that is, a list of mountains on Earth ordered by their topographic prominence. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Noel Ewart Odell (1890 - 1987) was a geologist and mountaineer. ... Bill Tilman Major Harold William Bill Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar (14 February 1898–1977) was a mountaineer and explorer, famous for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 450 pixelsFull resolution (1152 × 648 pixel, file size: 144 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Self Photo I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Kausani Hindi-कौसानी) is the place situated in the Bageshwar district of the Uttarakhand state of India. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Pithoragarh is a Himalayan town in Pithoragarh District of Uttaranchal state of India. ... Chamoli is a district of Uttaranchal state of India. ... Bageshwar is a town in Uttaranchal state of northern India. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... Lyskamm, 4 527 m, Pennine Alps A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world (after Mount Everest and K2) with an altitude of 8,586 metres (28,169 feet). ... Garhwal, or Gurwal, is a region and administrative division of Uttaranchal state, India, lying in the Himalayas. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ...

Description and notable features

Nanda Devi is a two-peaked massif, forming a 2 km (1.2 mi) long high ridge, oriented east-west. The west summit is higher, and the eastern summit is called Nanda Devi East. Together the peaks are referred to as the twin peaks of the goddess Nanda. The main summit stands guarded by a barrier ring comprising some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalayas (one of which is Nanda Devi East), twelve of which exceed 6,400 m (21,000 ft) in height, further elevating its sacred status as the daughter of the Himalaya in local myth and folklore. The interior of this almost insurmountable ring is known as the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, and is protected as the Nanda Devi National Park. Nanda Devi East lies on the eastern edge of the ring (and of the Park), at the border of Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts. In geology, a massif is a section of a planets crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. ... km redirects here. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... The Nanda Devi National Park is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7,800m) in Jammu and Kashmir in India. ... Chamoli is a district of Uttaranchal state of India. ... Pithoragarh is a Himalayan town in Pithoragarh District of Uttaranchal state of India. ... Bageshwar is a town in Uttaranchal state of northern India. ...

In addition to being the 23^rd highest independent peak in the world, Nanda Devi is also notable for its large, steep rise above local terrain. It rises over 3,300 m (10,800 ft) above its immediate southwestern base on the Dakkhni Nanda Devi Glacier in about 4.2 km (2.6 mi), and its rise above the glaciers to the north is similar. This makes it among the steepest peaks in the world at this scale, closely comparable, for example, to the local profile of K2. Nanda Devi is also impressive when considering terrain that is a bit further away, as it is surrounded by relatively deep valleys. For example, it rises over 6,500 m (21,300 ft) above the valley of the Ghoriganga in only 50 km (30 mi).^[7] Mount Everest, the worlds highest mountain The following is a list of the worlds 109 highest mountains per height above sea level, all of which are located in Asia. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... km redirects here. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... The North Face of K2 K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... km redirects here. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ...

On the northern side of the massif lies the Uttari Nanda Devi Glacier, flowing into the Uttari Rishi Glacier. To the southwest, one finds the Dakkhni Nanda Devi Glacier, flowing into the Dakkhni Rishi Glacier. All of these glaciers are located within the Sanctuary, and drain west into the Rishiganga. To the east lies the Pachu Glacier, and to the southeast lie the Nandaghunti and Lawan Glaciers, feeding the Lawan Gad; all of these drain into the Milam Valley. To the south is the Pindari Glacier, draining into the Pindar River. Just to the south of Nanda Devi East, dividing the Lawan Gad drainage from the Dakkhni Nanda Devi Glacier, is Longstaff Col, 5,910 m (19,390 ft), one of the high passes that guard access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary.^[7] For a list of notable peaks of the Sanctuary and its environs, see Nanda Devi National Park. Col may refer to: the French word for mountain pass a common abbreviation for the military rank colonel This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The Nanda Devi National Park is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7,800m) in Jammu and Kashmir in India. ...

Exploration and climbing history

Nanda Devi (main summit)

The ascent of Nanda Devi necessitated fifty years of arduous exploration in search of a passage into the Sanctuary. The outlet is the Rishi Gorge, a deep, narrow canyon which is very difficult to traverse safely, and is the biggest hindrance to entering the Sanctuary; any other route involves difficult passes, the lowest of which is 5,180 m (16,990 ft). In 1934, the British explorers Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman, with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang, finally discovered a way through the Rishi Gorge into the Sanctuary. In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch or bealach) is a lower point that allows easier access through the range. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Eric Shipton (1907 - 1977) was a Himalayan mountaineering legend. ... Bill Tilman Major Harold William Bill Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar (14 February 1898–1977) was a mountaineer and explorer, famous for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages. ... See at the bottom of this page for other meanings of the word Sherpa. ...

When the mountain was later climbed in 1936 by a British-American expedition, it became the highest peak climbed by man until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, 8,091 m (26,545 ft). (However higher non-summit elevations had already been reached by the British on Mount Everest in the 1920s.) It also involved steeper and more sustained terrain than had been previously attempted at such a high altitude.^[4] The expedition climbed the south ridge, also known as the Coxcomb Ridge, which leads relatively directly to the main summit.^[3] The summit pair were H.W. Tilman and Noel Odell; Charles Houston was to be in place of Tilman, but he contracted severe food poisoning. Noted mountaineer and mountain writer H. Adams Carter was also on the expedition, which was notable for its small scale and lightweight ethic: it included only seven climbers, and used no fixed ropes, nor any Sherpa support above 6,200 m (20,300 ft). Eric Shipton, who was not involved in the climb itself, called it "the finest mountaineering achievement ever performed in the Himalaya."^[4] 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Annapurna is a series of peaks in the Himalaya, a 55-km-long massif whose highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091 m (26,538 ft), making it the 10th-highest summit in the world and one of the 14 eight-thousanders. It is located east of a great... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... Bill Tilman Major Harold William Bill Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar (14 February 1898–1977) was a mountaineer and explorer, famous for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages. ... Noel Ewart Odell (1890 - 1987) was a geologist and mountaineer. ... Charles Snead Houston, MD is an American physician, mountaineer, high-altitude investigator, inventor, author, film-maker, and former Peace Corps administrator. ... Hubert Adams Ad Carter (1914 – 1 April 1995) was a American mountaineer and language teacher. ... The practice of fixing in place bolted ropes to assist climbers and walkers in exposed mountain locations. ... See at the bottom of this page for other meanings of the word Sherpa. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Attempts were made from 1965 to 1968 by the CIA to place a plutonium-powered listening device high on Nanda Devi, to monitor possible Chinese nuclear activity in Tibet, but the device was lost in an avalanche.^[3] (Recent reports indicate that radiation traces from this device have been discovered in sediment below the mountain.^[8]) As a result of this activity, the Sanctuary was closed to climbing by foreign expeditions during much of the 1960s, and was not re-opened until 1974. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States government. ... General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight (244) g·mol−1 Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 西藏, Hanyu Pinyin: XÄ«zàng; also referred to as 藏区 (Simplified Chinese), 藏區 (Traditional Chinese), ZàngqÅ« (Hanyu Pinyin), see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ...

A difficult new route, the northwest buttress, was climbed by a thirteen-person team in 1976. Three Americans, John Roskelley, Jim States and Lou Reichardt, summitted on September 1. The expedition was co-led by Louis Reichardt, H. Adams Carter (who was on the 1936 climb) and Willi Unsoeld, who climbed the West Ridge of Everest in 1963. Unsoeld's daughter, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, who was named after the peak, died on this expedition.^[9][10] In 1981, the first women to stand on the summit were part of an Indian led expedition. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... September 6, 1978 - Jim Wickwire and Louis Reichardt reached the top of the worlds second largest mountain, Pakistans K-2. ... Hubert Adams Ad Carter (1914 – 1 April 1995) was a American mountaineer and language teacher. ... Willi Unsoeld (October 25, 1926 - March 4, 1979) was an American climber who, along with Tom Hornbein, led the first American expedition to summit Mount Everest on May 22, 1963. ...

Nanda Devi East

Nanda Devi East was first climbed in 1939 by a four-member Polish expedition led by Adam Karpinski. They climbed the south ridge, from Longstaff Col; this is still the standard route on the peak. The summit party were J. Klaner, J. Bujak, and D. Tsering (Sherpa).^[3] Karpinski and Stefan Bernardzikiewicz died later in an attempt on Trishuli. Trishuli is the name of Himalayan mountain peak,which is 7,074 m high in the Pithoragarh district of Uttaranchal ,India. ...

The first attempt to traverse the ridge between the peaks (from the main summit to Nanda Devi East) resulted in the death of the team, two members of a French expedition. Leader Roger Duplat and Gilbert Vignes disappeared on the ridge somewhere below the main summit.^[3] Tenzing Norgay was in a support team on this expedition; he and Louis Dubost climbed Nanda Devi East directly (Some years later people would ask Norgay what was the most difficult climb he ever took part in, expecting him to say Mount Everest, but he would surprise them by saying Nanda Devi East.) Tenzing Norgay (May 1914 – 9 May 1986), often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. ... “Everest” redirects here. ...

The standard approach to the south ridge route, from the Milam Valley to the east, passes through Lawan Glacier via Lawan Gad and thence to Longstaff Col. The trek to base camp goes through the villages of Munsiyari, Lilam, Bogudiar, Martoli, Nasanpatti, and Bhadeligwar. An alternate route climbs the southwest face, from a base camp inside the Sanctuary.

Partial timeline

• 1934: First entry into the inner Sanctuary by Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman
• 1936: The first ascent of Nanda Devi by Odell and Tilman.
• 1939: First ascent of Nanda Devi East by Klaner, Bujak, and Tsering.
• 1951: Attempted traverse and death of Duplat and Vignes.
• 1975: A 13-member Indo-French expedition including Coudray, Renault, Sandhu, and Chand ascend Nanda Devi East via the south ridge.
• 1976: A 21-member Indo-Japanese team approaches the south ridges of main peak and Nanda Devi East simultaneously, and achieves the first traverse, going from Nanda Devi East to the main summit.
• 1981: An Indian Army expedition attempts both main and Nanda Devi East peaks simultaneously. The southwest face of Nanda Devi East is climbed for the first time, but both Premjit Lal and Phu Dorjee are killed in the descent. Three others – Daya Chand, Ram Singh, and Lakha Singh – also fall to their deaths, leading to the highest ever number of casualties on the mountain.

Recent history and conservation

After the re-opening of the Sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed in 1983.^[3] Currently, Nanda Devi forms the core of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established as part of the Nanda Devi National Park by the Indian government in 1982. In 1988, the Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site[1], "of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind." The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks) are off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions, except for a 1993 Indian army led expedition to check the state of recovery and remove garbage left by prior expeditions. Many beautiful natural scenes are only accessible if one is willing to hike to get to them. ... The Nanda Devi National Park is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7,800m) in Jammu and Kashmir in India. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Cultural heritage (national heritage or just heritage) is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. ... Cultural heritage (often just termed heritage) consists of a nations historic buildings, collections, monuments, etc. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ...

Nanda Devi East remains open from the east side, leading to the standard south ridge route.

Reference

The Survey of India is Indias central agency in charge of mapping and surveying. ... The American Alpine Journal is the yearly flagship publication of the American Alpine Club. ...

Books

• E. Shipton, H. W. Tilman, C. Houston, Nanda Devi : Exploration and Ascent, (The Mountaineers Books, 2000), [ISBN 0-89886-721-5]
• B. Aitken, The Nanda Devi Affair, (Penguin Books India, 1994), [ISBN 0-14-024045-4]
• M S Kohli, K Conboy, Spies in the Himalayas: Secret Missions and Perilous Climbs, (University Press of Kansas, 2003), [ISBN 0-7006-1223-8]
• Peter Takeda, An Eye at the Top of the World: The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War's Most Daring C.I.A. Operation, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006, ISBN 1-56025-845-4.
• Hamish Brown, Nanda Devi Sanctuary

Captain Mohan Singh Kohli (b. ...

External links

• Nanda Devi Campaign - web site of the local inhabitants
• Nanda Devi on Peakware - photos
• Unesco World Heritage Site
• [2]
• Photo of Nanda Devi Massif
• Satellite Image of Nanda Devi East and Nanda Devi