Mount Satopanth (7084m) is one of the prominent peaks of the Garhwal range of

Himalayas 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 ...

that fall in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

and also the second highest peak in

Gangotri National Park Gangotri National Park is a national park in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand in India, covering about . Its habitat consists of coniferous forests, alpine meadows and glaciers. Gaumukh at Gangotri glacier, the origin of river Ganga, is locat ...

Location

Satopanth
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 (topography), summit area, and ...

in the

Gangotri Gangotri is a town and a ''Nagar Panchayat'' (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is 99 km from Uttarkashi, the main district headquarter. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi � ...

region of the

Garhwal Himalaya The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Geology This range is also a part of Himalaya Sivalik Hills, the outer most hills of the Himalaya located in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Major peaks ...

, in the

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 ...

. It lies in the northern

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 ...

. The nomenclature of the peak is derived by an amalgamation of two Sanskrit words “Sato” meaning ‘Truth’ and “Panth” meaning “A Figure of veneration or Devotion” when combined means ''"The True Figure of Devotion and Veneration''".

Climbing history

The mountain was first climbed successfully by a Swiss expedition in 1947, 15 days prior to the Indian independence, the team was led by

André Roch André Roch (August 21, 1906 in Hermance, Switzerland – November 19, 2002 in Geneva) was a mountaineer, avalanche researcher and expert, skier, resort developer, engineer, and author. Roch is best known for having planned and surveyed the Aspen, ...

. Lately the mountain has become quite famous for its pre-Everest expeditions, because of her majestic altitude, the daunting ‘knife ridge’ at 6500m and the technical ice and rock glacial negotiations at 5900 m.

Colin Kirkus Colin Fletcher Kirkus (18 September 1910 – 14 September 1942 was a British rock climber. He climbed extensively in Wales and elsewhere, such as the Alps and the Himalaya. He wrote the instruction book ''Let's Go Climbing!'' which inspired Joe ...

climbed Satopant'h with Charles Warren in 1933 while a member of

Marco Pallis Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish co ...

's expedition; his account of the climb is included in Pallis's book ''Peaks and Lamas''.Pallis, Marco (1939) ''Peaks and Lamas''. London: Cassell

References

Mountains of Uttarakhand Seven-thousanders of the Himalayas {{Uttarakhand-geo-stub