Chaukhamba is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
in the
Gangotri Group of the
Garhwal Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. Its main summit, Chaukhamba I, is the highest peak in the group. It lies at the head of the
Gangotri Glacier
Gangotri (Sanskrit and hi, गंगोत्री) is located in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering Tibet. This glacier, one of the primary sources of the Ganges, has a volume of over 27 cubic kilometers. The glaci ...
and forms the eastern anchor of the group.
[Andy Fanshawe and Stephen Venables, ''Himalaya Alpine-Style'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1995, , p. 106.] It is located in the northern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
, west of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
holy town of
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
.
Chaukhamba has four summits, along a northeast–southwest trending ridge, and ranging in elevation from to with an average elevation 7,014 m;
the main summit is at the northeast end.
After unsuccessful attempts in 1938 and 1939, Chaukhamba I was first climbed on 13 June 1952, by Lucien George and Victor Russenberger (
Swiss members of an otherwise
French expedition). They ascended the northeast face, from the Bhagirathi-Kharak Glacier.
The other members of the expedition were the French alpinist and traveler Marie-Louise Plovier Chapelle and the renown French alpinist and climber Edouard Frendo.
Chaukhamba I is an ultra-prominent peak, with a prominence of more than 1,500m.
Mana Pass
, photo = Mana Village, Badrinath, Uttarakhand, India.jpeg
, photo_caption = Mana Village, Badrinath, Uttarakhand, pak
, elevation_m = 5632
, elevation_ref = (SRTM2)
, traversed = India National Highway NH58
, location = Uttarakhand, India ...
is the
key col for Chaukhamba I.
Photo gallery
Image:Chaukhamba from Tungnath Morning vvnataraj.JPG, Chaukhamba from Tungnath
Image:Chaukhamba from Tungnath Early Morning vvnataraj.JPG, Chaukhamba from Tungnath shortly after sunrise
Image:Chaukhamba from Madhyamaheshwar (Old).jpg
Image:Chaukhamba moonlit from Kartikswamy temple.jpg, Moonlit Chaukhamba from the Kartikswamy temple
Image:Chowkhamba mountain.jpg, Chowkhamba
See also
*
List of Himalayan peaks of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand is a Himalayan state of India. This mountainous state contains, in its northern section, some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. Many of them are unclimbed; many are unnamed. A large number of peaks in Uttarakhand are still ...
References
External links
*
*
Geography of Uttarkashi district
Mountains of Uttarakhand
{{Uttarakhand-geo-stub