Photo courtesy of
Arun Bhat.
Deep in India's Garhwal Himalayas lies beautiful and
mysterious Mount Nanda Devi, the country's highest peak at 25,643 feet (outside of
the disputed Kashmir region). Mount Nanda Devi is one of the most difficult
mountains in the world to access because it is ringed by several other peaks,
each of which is over 20,000 feet high. In fact, no human had ever set foot on any part
of Nanda Devi until the 20th century.
In 1936, Britons Bill Tilman and N.E. Odell became the first humans to stand on
the summit of Mt. Nanda Devi, making it the highest peak ever climbed until
1950 when a French expedition scaled the 26,545 foot Annapurna.
Mt. Nanda Devi is a sacred place for India's Hindu population because they
believe that the god Shiva's wife Nanda lives there. Hoping to
preserve the area as much as possible, the Indian government has banned all
access to it unless a special permit is obtained.
About the photo: Photographer Arun Bhat captured this beautiful image of
Mount Nanda Devi just before sunset from Auli, a ski lodge that faces the
mountain.
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