Draupadi Ka Danda

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Draupadi Ka Danda
DraupadiKaDanda-HimalayanPeak-Garhwal,India.jpg
The summit of Draupadi Ka Danda II
Highest point
Elevation 5,670 m (18,600 ft)
Listing List of mountain peaks of Uttarakhand
Coordinates 30°50′06″N78°48′32″E / 30.83500°N 78.80889°E / 30.83500; 78.80889 Coordinates: 30°50′06″N78°48′32″E / 30.83500°N 78.80889°E / 30.83500; 78.80889
Geography
India Uttarakhand relief map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Draupadi Ka Danda
India relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Draupadi Ka Danda
Parent range Garhwal Himalaya

Draupadi Ka Danda (English: Draupadi's Hill) are two peaks in the Gangotri range of Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. [1] The Dokriani glacier emerges from the northern slope of the mountain. [2]

Contents

The heights of the peaks are uncertain. In various literature, elevation has been reported as 5,670 metres, 5716m or sometimes above 6000m. [3] [4]

On the morning of 4 October 2022, a team of 41 climbers from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering attempting Draupadi Ka Danda II were hit by an avalanche a few hundred meters below the summit. [5] It was a team of 34 advance mountaineering course trainees and 7 instructors. The dead bodies of twenty-seven were recovered during rescue operations, and two mountaineers could not be found. [6] [7]

Etymology

The name Draupadi Ka Danda is derived from the combination of two words, Draupadi (A character of Mahabharata Epic) and danda meaning "peak". [8]

Legends

As per local folklore, the Pandavas and their wife Draupadi, the central figures of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata had traversed through the area, also known as Devbhumi, (God's own land) on their way to heaven. Just before being carried into the higher regions, Draupadi had planted her staff (similar to modern-day hiking sticks) into the ground. The mountain is believed to exist where the staff once stood. [9]

See also

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References

  1. Across Peaks and Passess in Garhwal Himalaya. Kapadia, Harish p. 166: "On the northwest of the Bhilangana valley lies a group of peaks: Kairi, Jaonli, Draupadi-ka-Danda..."
  2. Hasnain, Syed Iqbal (1999). Himalayan Glaciers: Hydrology and Hydrochemistry. Allied Publishers. ISBN   978-81-7023-922-2.
  3. The Himalayan Club Newsletter. Himalayan Club. 1985.
  4. Upadhyay, Kavita (June 23, 2016). "Woman rescued from crevasse in Uttarakhand's Dokriani glacier" via www.thehindu.com.
  5. Oct 5, Gaurav Talwar / TNN / Updated. "Avalanche Hits 41 Nim Trainees & Teachers | Dehradun News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  6. "Uttarakhand: Search for two mountaineers continues for 11th day". The New Indian Express.
  7. "Uttarakhand: 27 Bodies In Uttarkashi Avalanche Found, Search Operations Continues On Sixth Day". Outlook India. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  8. "Draupadi's Hill". Uttarakhand Hub.
  9. "Shyam Saran: Despoiling the Himalayas". Business Standard . Retrieved October 8, 2014.