Nanda Devi
Elevation	7,816 m (25,643 ft) Ranked 23rd
Location	Uttarakhand, India
Range	Garhwal Himalaya
Prominence	3,139 m (10,300 ft)[1]Ranked 74th
Coordinates	30°22′36″N, 79°58′15″E[1][2]
First ascent	August 29, 1936 by Noel Odell and Bill Tilman[3][4]
Easiest route	south ridge: technical rock/snow/ice climb

Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India, and the highest entirely within the country. A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country (Kangchenjunga, on the border of India and Nepal, is the highest peak in India. Kangchenjunga ( Nepali:कञ्चनजङ्घा Kanchanjaŋghā) SewaLungma ( Limbu language) is the third highest Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. ). It is part of the Garhwal Himalaya, and is located in the state of Uttarakhand, between the Rishiganga valley on the west and the Goriganga valley on the east. Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i Its name means Bliss-Giving Goddess. The peak is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i

Description and notable features

Nanda Devi is a two-peaked massif, forming a 2 kilometres (1. In Geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or Flexures In the movement of the crust, a massif 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. The Nanda Devi National Park is a National park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi,, in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India Nanda Devi East lies on the eastern edge of the ring (and of the Park), at the border of Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts. Chamoli is a district of Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Pithoragarh, a city with a Municipal Board in the Pithoragarh district in the Indian state WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Bageshwar is a city and a municipal board in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand

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. The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia It rises over 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) above its immediate southwestern base on the Dakkhni Nanda Devi Glacier in about 4. 2 kilometres (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. K2 is the second- highest Mountain on Earth (after Mount Everest) 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 metres (21,300 ft) above the valley of the Ghoriganga in only 50 km (30 mi). ^[6]

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. ^[6] For a list of notable peaks of the Sanctuary and its environs, see Nanda Devi National Park. The Nanda Devi National Park is a National park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi,, in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India

Exploration and climbing history

Nanda Devi (main summit)

Shaded contour map of Nanda Devi region

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 a range of hills or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch, Hugh Ruttledge attempted to reach the peak three times in the 1930s and failed each time. Hugh Ruttledge ( 24 October 1884 – 7 November 1961) was an English Mountaineer, and leader of two expeditions to In a letter to The Times he wrote that 'Nanda Devi imposes on her votaries an admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance', adding that gaining the Nanda Devi Sanctuary alone was more difficult than reaching the North Pole. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is subject to the caveats explained below defined as the point in the northern [1] 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. Eric Earle Shipton ( 1 August 1907 - 28 March 1977) was a distinguished British Himalayan Mountaineer. Major Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar (14 February 1898&ndash1977 was an English mountaineer For other uses of the word Sherpa see Sherpa (disambiguation.

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 metres (26,545 ft). Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Annapurna ( Sanskrit, Nepali, Nepal Bhasa: अन्नपूर्णा is a series of peaks in the Himalaya, a -long Massif (However higher non-summit elevations had already been reached by the British on Mount Everest in the 1920s. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in ) 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. Major Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar (14 February 1898&ndash1977 was an English mountaineer Noel Ewart Odell ( 25 December 1890 – 21 February 1987) was an English Geologist and Mountaineer. Charles Snead Houston is an American physician mountaineer high-altitude investigator inventor author film-maker and former Peace Corps administrator 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). Hubert Adams "Ad" Carter (1914 – 1 April 1995) was an American mountaineer and language Teacher. Fixed rope is the practice of fixing in place bolted ropes to assist climbers and walkers in exposed mountain locations For other uses of the word Sherpa see Sherpa (disambiguation. Eric Shipton, who was not involved in the climb itself, called it "the finest mountaineering achievement ever performed in the Himalaya. "^[4]

After abortive attempts by Indian expeditions in 1957 and 1961, the second ascent of Nanda Devi was accomplished by an Indian team led by N. Kumar in 1964, following the Coxcomb route.

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. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European ^[3] (Recent reports indicate that radiation traces from this device have been discovered in sediment below the mountain. ^[7]) The actual data is not conclusive, however, but the absence of Pu-238 (the isotope that powered the device) in the sample proves that any Pu present could not have come from the device. 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.

A difficult new route, the northwest buttress, was climbed by a thirteen-person team in 1976. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Mountaineering September 6, 1978 - Jim Wickwire and Louis Reichardt reached the top of the world's second largest mountain Pakistan Hubert Adams "Ad" Carter (1914 – 1 April 1995) was an American mountaineer and language Teacher. Willi Unsoeld ( October 5, 1926 - March 4, 1979) was an American climber who along with Tom Hornbein, were members of the Unsoeld's daughter, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, who was named after the peak, died on this expedition. ^[8][9] In 1981, the first women to stand on the summit were part of an Indian led expedition.

Nanda Devi East

Nanda Devi East was first climbed in 1939 by a four-member Polish expedition led by Adam Karpinski^[10]. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland They climbed the south ridge, from Longstaff Col; this is still the standard route on the peak. The summit party were J. Klarner and J. Bujak. ^[3] Karpinski and Stefan Bernardzikiewicz died later in an attempt on Trishuli. Tirsuli is a Himalayan mountain peak in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India.

The first attempt to traverse the ridge between the main summit and Nanda Devi East resulted in the death of two members of a French expedition in 1951. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Team 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 to look for the missing pair. Some years later Tenzing was asked what was the most difficult climb he ever did, expecting him to say Mount Everest; he surprised his interlocutors by saying Nanda Devi East. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in

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 Klarner, Bujak.
• 1951: Attempted traverse and death of Duplat and Vignes. Second ascent of Nanda Devi East.
• 1964: Second ascent of Nanda Devi by Indian team led by N. Kumar.
• 196?: Covert ascent by Indo-American expedition?
• 1975: A 13-member Indo-French expedition led by Y. Pollet-Villard including Coudray, Renault, Sandhu, and Chand ascend climbed both Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East but failed to accomplish the traverse of the connecting 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 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. The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries but there are differences in usage 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 (which includes Nanda Devi National Park), declared by the Indian government in 1982. The Nanda Devi National Park is a National park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi,, in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India In 1988, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, "of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Cultural heritage ("national heritage" or just "heritage" is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or Society Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus "^[11] The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks) are off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions. An exception was made in 1993 for a 40-member team from the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army to check the state of recovery and remove garbage left by prior expeditions. The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based The expedition also successfully scaled the peak. Nanda Devi East remains open from the east side, leading to the standard south ridge route.

References

Books

• E. Shipton, H. W. Tilman, C. Houston, Nanda Devi : Exploration and Ascent, (The Mountaineers Books, 2000), [ISBN 0-89886-721-5]
• J. Sircar, Himalayan Handbook,(private pub. , Calcutta , 1979)
• 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. Captain Mohan Singh Kohli (b December 11 1931 at Haripur) is an internationally renowned Indian Mountaineer. I. A. Operation, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006, ISBN 1-56025-845-4.
• Hamish Brown, Nanda Devi Sanctuary
• John Roskelley, "Nanda Devi: The Tragic Expedition", (Stackpole Press, 1987), [ISBN 0-8117-1647].
• John Roskelley, "Nanda Devi: The Tragic Expedition", (The Mountaineers Books, 2000), [ISBN 0-89886-738-8]

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