Trisul is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, Uttarakhand, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m. The three peaks resemble a trident - in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

Trishula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. In Nepal and Thailand, the term also often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a ''daṇḍa'' " staff". Unli ...

, trident, is the weapon of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. The Trishul group forms the southwest corner of the ring of peaks enclosing 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 consi ...

Sanctuary, about west-southwest of Nanda Devi itself. The main peak, Trisul I, was the first peak over to have ever been climbed, in 1907. Trisul1

Description of the massif and neighbouring peaks

The three peaks are named Trisul I, Trisul II, and Trisul III. The

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 ...

is a north-south ridge, with Trisul I at the north end and Trisul III at the south. The massif runs roughly North-South, and hence appears compressed when viewed from the south (

Ranikhet Ranikhet ( Kumaoni: ) is a hill station and cantonment town, nearby Almora Town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home for the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) and Naga Regiment and is maintained by the In ...

Kausani Kausani ( Kumaoni: ''Kôsānī'') is a hill station and Village situated in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like ...

), and more stretched out from the Southeast (

Chamoli Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, ...

, Bedini Bugyal). Nanda Ghunti lies a few Kilometres to the northwest, while Mrigthuni is just to the southeast.

Climbing history

Trisul I

T. G. Longstaff made the first climbing reconnaissance of Trisul, in September 1905, focussing on the western and southern sides. He returned in 1907 with two other

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

, three

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...

, and a number of

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...

s. They ascended through the

Rishiganga Rishiganga is a river in the Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It springs from the Uttari Nanda Devi Glacier on the Nanda Devi mountain. It is also fed from the Dakshini Nanda Devi Glacier. Continuing through the Nanda Devi National Park, ...

valley, to the north of the peak, onto the Trisul Glacier, which lies on the east side. From there they climbed the northeast flank to the north ridge, reaching the summit on 12 June. At the time Trisul was probably the highest mountain to have been climbed. The climb was noted also for the first use of supplementary oxygen in a major climb. During the 1950s Harold Williams led Indian Army expeditions to the summit. Routes on the west face and south ridge of Trisul I have also been climbed. The south side was first ascended in 1976 by a Yugoslavian expedition, with Slovenian climbers Andrej Graseli and Štefan Marenče reaching the peak on 15 May, followed by Vanja Matijevec the following day.

Trisul II and III

Trisul II and Trisul III were first climbed in 1960 by the Yugoslav team . They climbed from the Bidalgwar glacier, achieving the summit of Trisul II via the southern ridge and Trisul III via the north ridge. Another Yugoslav expedition made the first traverse of the three peaks in 1987, and two members paraglided from the summit.

Access

The Trisul massif can be accessed via the following route:

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of th ...

- Garur- Gwaldam - Debal - Bagargad - Wan - Bedini Bugyal - Kalu Vinayak - Roopkund - Trisul.

References

Other sources

* ''This My Voyage'' by T. G. Longstaff. * ''Across Peaks and Passes of Kumaun Himalayas'' by Harish Kapadia. {{Authority control Bageshwar Mountains of Uttarakhand