Highest Himalaya Mountain Peaks in India
Himalaya is the highest mountain range in the world that is famous for its natural beauty. It separates India from neighbouring countries by acting as a natural border. There are various highest world-famous Himalaya peaks in India, some of which are as follows:
- Kanchenjunga
- Nanda Devi
- Kamet
- Trishul Peak
- Saltoro Kangri Peak
- Saser Kangri Peak
- Mamostong Kangri
- Rimo Peak
- Hardeol Peak
- Chaukhamba
1) Kanchenjunga
Kanchenjunga, which is also spelt Kangchenjunga, is located in Sikkim close to India-Nepal Border. It is the highest mountain peak in India and third-highest mountain peaks in the world after Mount Everest and K2 (Kangchenjunga-2), which are also parts of Himalayas. Its height is 8586 meters from the sea level.
Kanchenjunga is a Tibetan word which means “five treasures of the snow” that are regarded as five repositories of God. These treasures include salt, gold, grain, medicines, and religious scriptures as per the local Lhoppo population. It is also regarded as a sacred mountain and is also known as Sewa Lungma in the local Limbu language.
Kanchenjunga is a huge peak that occurs as a massif that can be divided into five sections or parts or peaks, which are as follows:
- Kanchenjunga itself with a height of 8,586
- Kanchenjunga West with a height of 8,505 m
- Kanchenjunga Central; 8,482 m
- Kanchenjunga South; 8,494
- Kangbachen; 7,903
2) Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is located in the Himalayas in Garhwal region of the state of Uttarakhand. It is the second-highest mountain peak in India and 23rd highest in the world with the height of 7,816 m. On the West, it is bordered by Rishiganga valley and on the East, it is bordered by Gori Ganga valley.
The peak holds a special place among the local people. It is regarded as the Goddess of Himalaya. In every twelve years, Nanda Devi Raj-jat Yatra is organized and the peak is worshipped. There is also Nanda Devi National Park located alongside this peak. It was recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1988.
Nanda Devi is a vast mountain range. Its eastern part also stands at a significant height of 7,434 m. and is known as Sunanda Devi. Earlier, it was known as Nanda Devi East. We can say that it is a two-peaked massif from east to west with a length of up to 2 kilometres. The western top is Nanda Devi itself.
The main attractions at this peak include the surreal valley of flowers, Shalidhar Tapovan, Trekking to Khatling Glacier. The summer and spring are the best time of the year to visit Nanda Devi. It can be seen from Mukteswar.
3) Kamet
Kamet Himalayan peak is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in the northern Himalayas. It is the third-highest peak of the country with a height of 7,756 m. In the Garhwal region, it is the second-highest peak, after Nanda Devi. However, in the Zaskar mountain range, it is the highest peak of Garhwal Himalayas.
Kamet looks like a huge pyramid with two peaks at the top of it. It is situated close to the Tibet and is surrounded by three other peaks namely Mukut Parbat, Mana and Abi Gamin witch. It is bordered by Purbi Kamet glacier to its East and by Paschim Kamet glacier to its West. Besides this, Raikana Glacier can also be seen around Kamet.
The Kamet range can be divided into four sections;
- Kamet itself 7,756 m
- Abi Gamin 7,355
- Mana 7,272 m
- Mukut Parbat 7,242 m
4) Trishul Peak
Trishul Peak is a group of three individual peaks. It is located in Auli, in the region of Western Kumaon of the state of Uttarakhand, near the Nanda Devi sanctuary. It got its name from trishul of Lord Shiva as it looks like the trishul of Lord Shiva. The three peaks of Trishul are named Trishul I, Trishul II, and Trishul III. Trishul I is the highest among the three with a height of 7,120 m. The height of Trishul II is 6,690 m and of Trishul III is 6,007m.
The Trishul I is first climbed by T.G. Longstaff in 1907. Later, the other two peaks were also climbed by a team from Yugoslavia, in 1950. Its skiing slope was used for the skinning training of patrolling officers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force.
5) Saltoro Kangri Peak
It is the fourth-highest mountain peak in India and the highest peak in Saltoro Mountain ranges. This range houses some of the longest glaciers in the world such as Siachen Glacier, the largest glacier in India. In the world, it is the 31st highest mountain peak. It is situated on the Actual Ground Position Line that lies between the Siachen region of India and West of the Saltoro Range that is under the control of Pakistan.
Saltoro Kangri peak stands at a height of 7742 metres. It can be divided into four parts that looks like a massif, all of which stands higher than 7000m. These sections are given below with their respective heights:
- Saltoro Kangri: 7742 metres
- K12: 7,428 metres
- Ghent Kangri: 7401 metres
- Sherpi Kangri: 7,380 metres
6) Saser Kangri Peak
Saser Kangri is the fifth-highest peak in India and 35th highest peak in the entire world with a height of 7,672 metres. It is located in Ladakh (union territory of India) in Saser Muztagh range which is the easternmost subrange of Karakoram Range.
It is a group of five summits including the Saser Kangri Peak. We can say that it is a massif made of five peaks that are as follows.
- Saser Kangri I: 7,672 m
- Saser Kangri II East 7,518 m
- Saser kangri II West 7,500 m
- Saser Kangri III 7,495 m
- Saser Kangri IV 7,416 m
This group of peaks extends towards the north-western end of Saser Muztagh, on the top of the North Shukpa Kunchang Glacier into which the slopes of the massif are drained.
7) Mamostong Kangri
Mamostong Kangri peak is situated in Ladakh, India. It is a part of the Rimo Muztagh that is an isolated sub-range of the Karakoram Range. It is the sixth highest peak in India with a towering height of 7,516 metres. In the world, it is the 48th highest peak. It does not have any segmentation, it is an independent mountain peak. It is also known as K35 and lies close to the Siachen Glacier.
Besides this, there are various glaciers that are located on the slopes of Mamostong Kangri, some of these glaciers are South Chong Kumadan Glacier, Kicchik Kumdan, and South Terong Glaciers.
Due to its remote location, it is not visited much by the mountaineers and tourists. The first effort to explore this peak was made by D.G. Oliver and Arthur Neve of Europe in 1907. However, the first successful climb was made by an Indo-Japanese expedition in 1984 which was led by Col. B.S. Sandhu.
8) Rimo Peak
Rimo is one of the mountain peaks of the Rimo massif. It stands at a towering height of 7,385 metres at the Rimo Muztagh in the Karakoram Range. The word “Rimo” means striped mountain. The Rimo glacier of this region drains into the Shylok River. It is the 71st highest mountain in the world.
The Rimo massif is made of four peaks including the Rimo. They include:
- Rimo I 7,385 metres
- Rimo II 7,373 metres
- Rimo III 7,233 metres
- Rimo IV 7,169 metres
The first ascent (climb) on the Rimo I was attempted by an Indian and Japanese team together in 1988 led by Hukam Singh and Yoshio Ogata.
9) Hardeol Peak
Hardeol is the eight-highest mountain peak in India with a towering height of 7151 metres. It is an independent mountain peak with no sections. It is located in Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, in the north of the Nanda Devi.
Hardeol is a part of Kumaon Himalayan range and is also known as the Temple of God. On its north, Trishul peak is located; on its south, Rishi Pahar is sanding.
For the first time, it was climbed by a group of Indo-Tibetan Border police on 31st May 1978. S.P. Malasi led this team in this ascent. The range that connects the Hardeol with Trishul peak was used as a route by this team to reach the top of the Hardeol. As of now, the easiest way to reach this peak passes through the Ikualari glacier. It is on the North-East corner of the peaks that guard the Nanda Devi Sanctuary.
10) Chaukhamba
Chaukhamba is the ninth-highest peak of Himalayan range with a height of 7,138 metres. It is located in the Gangotri mountain range of Garhwal Himalaya in India.
The meaning of Chaukhamba is ‘four pillars’ that represents its four peaks that form the massif. The name and heights of these four peaks are given below:
- Chaukhamba I 7,138 metres
- Chaukhamba II 7,070 metres or 23,196 metres
- Chaukhamba III 6,995 metres or 22,949 metres
- Chaukhamba IV 6,854 metres or 22,487 metres
Chaukhamba I is the highest peak of this massif and is located on the top of the Gangotri glacier. Guptakashi and Vasuki Tal Lake are two spots in this region that offer an excellent view of the Chaukhamba mountain peak. The slopes of this peak are suitable for mountaineering tours. The best time for climbing this peak is from June to September. The trek to this peak starts from Badrinath, which is one of the four famous pilgrimage sites (char dham) in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. For the first time, it was successfully climbed on 13th June 1952 by Victor Russenberger and Lucien George.