Other Definitions
nanda devi (dict)
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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 Himalayas, currently in Uttaranchal 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). 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. External link Books - E Shipton, H W Tilman, C Houston, Nanda Devi : Exploration and Ascent, (The Mountaineers Books, 2000), 0898867215
- B Aitken, The Nanda Devi Affair, (Penguin Books India, 1994), 0140240454
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