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Nanda Devi

Nanda Devi is the highest mountain which is completely within the territory of India and was also the highest mountain in the British Empire at its fullest extent. Its name means Bliss-Giving Goddess and is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya, currently in Uttarakhand state.

Enigmatically, Nanda Devi stands guarded by a barrier ring of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalayas, 12 of which exceed 6,400m (21,000ft) in height, further elevating its sacred status as the daughter of the Himalayas in local myth and folklore.

Its ascent also necessitated fifty years of arduous exploration in search of a passage into the interior of this almost insurmountable ring. In 1934, the British explorers Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang, finally discovered a passageway. 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 (8,091m). In 1981, the first women to stand on the summit were part of an Indian led expedition.

The mountain actually has two peaks, Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East. The first attempt to traverse the ridge between the peaks resulted in the death of the team. Tenzing Norgay was in a support team on this expedition - some years later people would ask him what was the most difficult climb he ever took part in, expecting him to say Everest, but he would surprise them by saying Nanda Devi East.

Currently, Nanda Devi is at the centre of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established as a national park by the Indian government in 1982 and as a UN-registered World Heritage Site in 1988. The main summit has been off-limits to climbing expeditions since 1982 except for a 1993 Indian army led expedition to check the state of recovery and remove garbage left by prior expeditions.

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Nanda Devi Sanctuary

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