Draupadi Ka Danda | |
---|---|
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 Coordinates: 30°50′06″N78°48′32″E / 30.83500°N 78.80889°E |
Geography | |
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]
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]
The name Draupadi Ka Danda is derived from the combination of two words, Draupadi (A character of Mahabharata Epic) and danda meaning "peak". [8]
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]
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Uttarakhand has a total geographic area of 53,483 km2, of which 86% is mountainous and 65% is covered by forest. Most of the northern parts of the state are part of Greater Himalaya ranges, covered by the high Himalayan peaks and glaciers, while the lower foothills were densely forested till denuded by the British log merchants and later, after independence, by forest contractors. Recent efforts in reforestation, however, have been successful in restoring the situation to some extent. The unique Himalayan ecosystem plays host to many animals, plants and rare herbs. Two of India's great rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna take birth in the glaciers of Uttarakhand, and are fed by myriad lakes, glacial melts and streams.
Nanda Devi East, locally known as Sunanda Devi, is the lower of the two adjacent peaks of the highest mountain in Uttarakhand and second highest mountain in India; Nanda Devi is its higher twin peak. Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East are part of the Garhwal Himalayas, and are located in the state of Uttarakhand. The graceful peaks of twin mountains are visible from almost everywhere in Kumaon. The first ascent to Nanda Devi East peak in recorded history appears to be in 1939 by Jakub Bujak and Janusz Klarner. The elevation of Nanda Devi East is 7,434 m (24,390 ft) and its prominence is 260 m (850 ft).
The role of The Doon School in Indian mountaineering describes the formative links between The Doon School, an all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, India and early post-Independence Indian mountaineering. From the 1940s onwards, Doon's masters and students like A.E. Foot, R.L. Holdsworth, J.A.K. Martyn, Gurdial Singh, Jack Gibson, Aamir Ali, Hari Dang, Nandu Jayal, were among the first to go on major Himalayan expeditions in a newly independent nation. These early expeditions contributed towards laying the foundation of mountaineering in an independent India.
Devtoli is a mountain of Kumaon Himalaya located in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand,India. It stands at 6,788 metres (22,270 ft). It is 36th highest located entirely within Uttarakhand. Nanda Devi is the highest mountain in this category. It is located at the southern rim of Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Devtoli is located just north west of Maiktoli and east of Mrigthuni. On the north east side lies Nanda Devi and Panwali Dwar on the east side. Tharkot on the southern side.
Kirti Stambh is a mountain of the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand India.The elevation of Kirti Stambh is 6,270 metres (20,571 ft) and its prominence is 100 metres (328 ft). It is 128th highest located entirely within the Uttrakhand. Nanda Devi, is the highest mountain in this category. It lies between Thalaysagar and Bhartekunta. Its nearest higher neighbor Bhartekunta 6,578 metres (21,581 ft) lies 2.3 km SE. It is located 5.1 km SSE of Thalaysagar 6,904 metres (22,651 ft) and 12.8 km NEE lies Bhagirathi I 6,856 metres (22,493 ft).
The 2021 Uttarakhand flood, also known as the Chamoli disaster, began on 7 February 2021 in the environs of the Nanda Devi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the outer Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand state, India. It was caused by a large rock and ice avalanche consisting of material dislodged from Ronti peak. It caused flooding in the Chamoli district, most notably in the Rishiganga river, the Dhauliganga river, and in turn the Alaknanda—the major headstream of the Ganges. The disaster left over 200 killed or missing. Most were workers at the Tapovan dam site.
On 4 October 2022, an avalanche hit the Draupadi Ka Danda peak in Uttarakhand, India. 27 mountaineers in the Advanced Mountaineering Course of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering were killed as a result. The death toll makes this the worst mountaineering disaster recorded in India.
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand is an institute that was established on November 14, 1965. The institute was formed to honor the great desire of President Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.