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Sonam Gyatso (1923–1968) was an Indian mountaineer.
He was the second Indian man, the seventeenth man in world and the first person from
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
to summit
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
, the highest peak in the world.
He was one of the nine summiters of the first successful
Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
in May 1965 led by
Captain M S Kohli. The first time that the oldest man at the time, Sonam Gyatso at age 42, and the youngest man
Sonam Wangyal
Sonam Wangyal (born 1942) is a former Indian paramilitary personnel and mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest in 1965 at the age 23, making him the youngest summiter. He was one of the nine summiters of the first successful Indian Everest ...
at age 23, climbed Everest together on 22 May 1965. He became the oldest person to scale the peak in 1965 and when he spent 50 minutes at the peak, he set a world record for spending the longest time at the highest point on Earth.
The Government of India awarded him the third highest honour of the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
, in 1965, for his contributions to the sport of mountaineering.
Biography
Born in 1923 at Kewzing, a south
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
ese village at the foot of
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the T ...
in Northeast India, Sonam Gyatso started his career in 1946 as a school teacher at Lachung, in the northern part of the state.
After three years of service, he joined the Frontier Constabulary Force of the
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
as a head constable in 1949 which gave him the opportunity to attend a basic mountaineering course at the
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI Darjeeling) was established in Darjeeling, India on 4 November 1954 to encourage mountaineering as an organized sport in India. The first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund ...
,
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...
in 1954.
His first chance at mountaineering came in 1957 when he was selected for the
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second-highest mountain in India, after Kangchenjunga, and the highest located entirely within the country (Kangchenjunga is on the border of India and Nepal). It is the 23rd-highest peak in the world.
Nanda Devi was consid ...
expedition, but the attempt was unsuccessful. However, he completed his first successful expedition when he scaled the 26,897 ft
Cho Oyu
__NOTOC__
Cho Oyu (Nepali: चोयु; ; ) is the sixth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan. The mountain is the westernmost major peak of the ''Khumbu'' sub-section of the Mahalangur ...
peak in 1958, as a member of an all-Indian expedition, the first time an Indian team climbed a peak of that height.
Gyatso followed his
Cho Oyu
__NOTOC__
Cho Oyu (Nepali: चोयु; ; ) is the sixth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan. The mountain is the westernmost major peak of the ''Khumbu'' sub-section of the Mahalangur ...
success with several successful climbs such as
Annapurna III
Annapurna III ( ne, अन्नपूर्ण ३) is a mountain in the Annapurna mountain range located in Nepal, and at tall, it is the 42nd highest mountain in the world and the third highest peak of the Annapurna mountain range (Annapurna ...
in 1961, Kanchengyao in 1961,
Hathi Parbat in 1963, Rathong peak and Langpo Chung in 1964.
In between, he attempted Mount Everest twice, in 1960 and 1962, but could not scale the peak on both attempts, though he reached up to 700 ft and 400 ft to the summit.
Subsequently, he attempted Everest through the
S Col-SE Ridge route and on 22 May 1965,
he reached the summit at the age of 42 as a member of the first all-Indian Everest expedition,
thus becoming the first person from Sikkim and the oldest person among all mountaineers to summit the peak.
He spent 50 minutes at the top without oxygen supply which was then a world record.
His record stood for over 13 years till Pierre Mazeaud summitted the peak on 15 October 1978 at the age of 49.
The attempt also set another world record for the highest number of successful climbers in a single expedition; the team strength of nine members broke the record set earlier by an American expedition of six members.
India Posts
India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...
issued a postage stamp in commemoration of the achievement.
Later, he also scaled the
Siniolchu
Siniolchu is one of the tallest mountains of the Indian state of Sikkim. The mountain is considered to be particularly aesthetically attractive, having been described by Douglas Freshfield as "the most superb triumph of mountain architecture an ...
peak.
Gyatso was married to Kunzang Choden and the couple had five children.
Gyatso was serving as the founder principal of
Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute
Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute (SGMI) is a paramilitary mountaineering school, located in Gangtok, India.
History
In 1963, the ''Mountaineering Institute'' was established in Gangtok by Indian mountaineer Sonam Gyatso. After the dem ...
(SGMI) when he died on 22 April 1968 at a hospital in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, at the age of 45, succumbing to
frost bite
Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the ha ...
suffered during one of his trials.
Awards and honors
After two successful expeditions and before his second failed attempt on Everest, the Government of India awarded Gaytso the honor of the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
in 1962.
The government followed it up with the higher award of the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in January 1965, four months before his successful Everest climb in May. The Government of Sikkim honored him with one of their highest civilian awards, the Pema Dorji Decoration the same year; and he received one more honor, the
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
from the
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is a branch of the Government of India which administers the Department of youth affairs and the Department of Sports in India. Anurag Thakur is the current Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports followed ...
, the second highest Indian sports award.
He also received the Gold Medal from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), in 1960 after his first attempt on Everest.
The Old Tibet Road in
Gangtok
Gangtok is a city, municipality, the capital and the largest populated place of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the headquarters of the East Sikkim district, Gangtok District. Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an e ...
has since been renamed as ''Sonam Gyatso Marg'' in his honor.
The mountaineering institute in Rathong, Sikkim where he served as the founder principal, is now known as ''
Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute
Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute (SGMI) is a paramilitary mountaineering school, located in Gangtok, India.
History
In 1963, the ''Mountaineering Institute'' was established in Gangtok by Indian mountaineer Sonam Gyatso. After the dem ...
'' since 1968.
Notable expeditions
See also
*
Mountaineering in India
Mountaineering is quite popular in India, since the entire northern and north-eastern borders are the Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world. The apex body in India is the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, which is affiliated to the ...
*
Indian summiters of Mount Everest - Year wise
The first attempts to summit Mount Everest by Indians were in 1960. The first Indians to reach the summit were a group led by Captain M.S. Kohli in 1965. 422 Indians made a total of 465 attempts between 1965 and 2018. These include 43 repeat at ...
*
*
List of Mount Everest records of India
This is list of Mount Everest records of Indian nationals have achieved.
Records
* Chhanda Gayen became the first Indian to climb to the summit of any two Eight-thousanders - Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in one go on 18 May 2013. She comple ...
*
List of Mount Everest records
This article lists different records related to Mount Everest. One of the most commonly sought after records is a "summit", to reach the highest elevation point on Mount Everest.
Records
Highest number of times to reach the summit
Other ...
*
Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay (; ''tendzin norgyé''; perhaps 29 May 1914 – 9 May 1986), born Namgyal Wangdi, and also referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He was one of the first two people known to reach the sum ...
*
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached t ...
*
Bachendri Pal
Bachendri Pal (born 24 May 1954) is an Indian mountaineer. She is the first Indian woman to climb the summit of world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, what she did in 1984. She was awarded the third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan by Gov ...
References
External links
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyatso, Sonam
Indian summiters of Mount Everest
Indian mountain climbers
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports
Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
World record holders
Mountain climbers from Sikkim
People from Mangan district
1923 births
1968 deaths
Recipients of Indian Mountaineering Foundation's Gold Medal