Nanda Kot
Encyclopedia
Nanda Kot is a mountain peak of the Himalaya range located in the Pithoragarh district
of Uttarakhand
state in India
. It lies in the Kumaon
Himalaya, just outside of the ring of peaks enclosing the Nanda Devi
Sanctuary, 15 kilometres (9 mi) southeast of Nanda Devi itself. The name Nanda Kot literally means "Nanda's Fortress" and refers to the abode of one of the sacred forms of the Hindu Goddess Parvati
who in legend has made her sanctuary amongst the ring of lofty mountains in the region.
Nanda Kot is connected to the Sanctuary wall by a high pass known as the Pindari Kanda, 5269 m (17,287 ft). This pass, Nanda Kot itself, and the ridge proceeding south from the peak together form the divide between the Pindar and Ghori Ganga River valleys, with Dana Dhura Pass connecting the two sides. The Kaphni (or Kafani), Pindar, Lawan, and Shalang Glaciers drain the south, west, north, and east sides of the peak respectively.
The first attempt to climb Nanda Kot was made in 1905 by T.G. Longstaff
, who proceeded by way of the Lawan Valley and Lawan Glacier. The first successful ascent of the summit came in 1936 by a Japanese team led by Y. Hotta. A new route involving a direct ascent of the south face was successfully undertaken by a British expedition led by Martin Moran in 1995. Mountaineering expeditions to Nanda Kot today typically follow the route through Loharkhet, Dhakuri Pass, Khati Village to Dwali base camp.
Outlying subpeaks of Nanda Kot include:
device on the top of Nanda Devi
mountain to monitor Chinese
nuclear
and missile
activity in Tibet
. Shortly after delivery to the mountain, the thermonuclear generator designed to supply power to the sensor was lost during a storm and threatened to become a source of radioactive contamination to the area. Following upon at least three futile attempts between 1966-1968 to locate and recover the lost apparatus, it is said that in 1968 a similar device placed only the year before on Nanda Kot was dismantled. After more than a decade of secrecy, this story hit the Indian news media in 1978. There is still debate over these expeditions and whether any remnants of the radioactive materials remain in the vicinity of Nanda Kot to this day.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr252004/fp2.asp
http://www.bcasnet.org/articlesandresources/article12_2.htm
http://www.dayafterindia.com/oct205/cover_story.html
Pithoragarh District
Pithoragarh district is the easternmost Himalayan district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is naturally landscaped with high Himalayan mountains, snow capped peaks, passes, valleys, alpine meadows, forests, waterfalls, perennial rivers, glaciers and springs. The flora and fauna of this area...
of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It lies in the Kumaon
Kumaon Division
For Kumaoni/Kumauni People see Kumauni PeopleKumaon or Kumaun is one of the two regions and administrative divisions of Uttarakhand, a mountainous state of northern India, the other being Garhwal. It includes the districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar...
Himalaya, just outside of the ring of peaks enclosing the Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...
Sanctuary, 15 kilometres (9 mi) southeast of Nanda Devi itself. The name Nanda Kot literally means "Nanda's Fortress" and refers to the abode of one of the sacred forms of the Hindu Goddess Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
who in legend has made her sanctuary amongst the ring of lofty mountains in the region.
Nanda Kot is connected to the Sanctuary wall by a high pass known as the Pindari Kanda, 5269 m (17,287 ft). This pass, Nanda Kot itself, and the ridge proceeding south from the peak together form the divide between the Pindar and Ghori Ganga River valleys, with Dana Dhura Pass connecting the two sides. The Kaphni (or Kafani), Pindar, Lawan, and Shalang Glaciers drain the south, west, north, and east sides of the peak respectively.
The first attempt to climb Nanda Kot was made in 1905 by T.G. Longstaff
Thomas George Longstaff
Tom George Longstaff was an English doctor, explorer and mountaineer, most famous for being the first person to climb a summit of over 7,000 meters in elevation, Trisul, in the Indian Himalaya in 1907. He also made important explorations and climbs in Tibet, Nepal, the Karakoram, Spitsbergen,...
, who proceeded by way of the Lawan Valley and Lawan Glacier. The first successful ascent of the summit came in 1936 by a Japanese team led by Y. Hotta. A new route involving a direct ascent of the south face was successfully undertaken by a British expedition led by Martin Moran in 1995. Mountaineering expeditions to Nanda Kot today typically follow the route through Loharkhet, Dhakuri Pass, Khati Village to Dwali base camp.
Outlying subpeaks of Nanda Kot include:
- ChanguchChanguchChanguch is a Himalayan mountain peak situated at the boundary of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district of the Uttarakhand state of India. This peak is situated above the Pindari Glacier. This peak offers a ridge leading to Nanda Kot. On its massif Traill's pass is situated, which connects Pindari...
, 6322 m (20,741 ft) - Kuchela, 6294 m (20,650 ft)
- Nandabhaner (or Nandabhanar), 6236 m (20,459 ft)
- Dangthal, 6050 m (19,849 ft)
- Lespa Dhura (or Laspa Dhura), 5913 m (19,400 ft)
- Lamchir, 5662 m (18,576 ft)
Nanda Devi/Nanda Kot nuclear controversy
In 1965, a covert mission was launched by an Indo-American team with the goal of installing a surveillanceSurveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
device on the top of Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...
mountain to monitor Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
and missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
activity in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Shortly after delivery to the mountain, the thermonuclear generator designed to supply power to the sensor was lost during a storm and threatened to become a source of radioactive contamination to the area. Following upon at least three futile attempts between 1966-1968 to locate and recover the lost apparatus, it is said that in 1968 a similar device placed only the year before on Nanda Kot was dismantled. After more than a decade of secrecy, this story hit the Indian news media in 1978. There is still debate over these expeditions and whether any remnants of the radioactive materials remain in the vicinity of Nanda Kot to this day.
External links
Nanda Kot Nuclear Controversy:http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030511/spectrum/book8.htmhttp://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr252004/fp2.asp
http://www.bcasnet.org/articlesandresources/article12_2.htm
http://www.dayafterindia.com/oct205/cover_story.html
Books
- Harish Kapadia, Across Peaks and Passes in Kumaun Himalaya.
- Peter Takeda, An Eye At The Top Of The World, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006, ISBN 9781560258452