List of Himalayan topics

The Himalaya are a vast mountain chain in Asia that span multiple countries, including China and India. The Himalaya contain the highest peaks in the world, Mount Everest and K2. These peaks have been attracting mountaineers from around the world since 1920. The Himalaya are also important in art, literature, and religion.

States and territories

Geographically, the Himalayan states lie in the Indian subcontinent. The countries and territories include:
*India
**Jammu and Kashmir
**Arunachal Pradesh
**Himachal Pradesh
**Manipur
**Meghalaya
**Mizoram
**Nagaland
**Sikkim
**Tripura
**Uttarakhand
**Darjeeling district of West Bengal
*Tajikistan
*Afghanistan
*Bhutan
*China
**Bihar
**Punjab
**Aksai Chin, disputed territory, invaded by China
**Tibet/South Tibet
**Trans-Karakoram Tract, disputed territory
*Myanmar
**Kachin State
*Nepal
*Pakistan
**Azad Jammu and Kashmir,
**Gilgit-Baltistan,
**Afghania, Autonomous provincial region

Notable peaks

Mountain passes

Notable mountaineers

* George Mallory (1886–1924) Attempted first ascent of Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924; died on North Face along with Sandy Irvine.
* Noel Odell (1890–1987) British. First ascent, in 1936, of Nanda Devi, which remained the highest summitted peak until 1950. Last person to see Mallory and Irvine high up on Everest in 1924.
* Bill Tilman (1898–1977) British. First ascent of Nanda Devi in 1936. In 1934, first person to penetrate Nanda Devi sanctuary
* Frank Smythe (1900–1949) British. Kamet, and early attempt on Kangchenjunga.
* Eric Shipton (1907–1977) British. With Bill Tilman, first to penetrate Nanda Devi sanctuary. Discovered route to Everest over Khumbu Glacier.
* W. H. Murray Deputy leader to Shipton in 1951. Author of ''The Scottish Himalayan Expedition'' (1951)
* John Hunt (1910–1998) British. Leader of 1953 expedition of Mount Everest.
* Tenzing Norgay (1914–1986) Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. First man on Everest's summit along with Edmund Hillary.
* Maurice Herzog (b. 1919) First person to summit an Eight-thousander, Annapurna, in 1950. Lost all toes and most fingers due to frostbite. Peak not climbed again until 1970.
* Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008) New Zealand mountaineer and explorer, the first man on Everest's summit along with Tenzing Norgay.
* Tom Bourdillon (1924–1956) member of British Everest expeditions 1951, 1952, and 1953, reached from summit of Everest three days before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay finally conquered it.
* Hermann Buhl (1924–1957) First ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953 (feat accomplished solo and without oxygen). First ascent of Broad Peak. Died in fall on Chogolisa, body never found.
* Willi Unsoeld (1926–1979) United States. First ascent of Everest from West Face and first major traverse of a Himalayan peak, with Tom Hornbein 1963. Daughter Nanda Devi Unsoeld killed during Nanda Devi expedition 1976. Died during avalanche on Mount Rainier, 1979.
* Chris Bonington (b. 1934) First ascent of Annapurna (South Face), 4 ascents of Everest.
* Nawang Gombu (1935-2011) Indian mountaineer. First person to climb Everest twice: 1963 and 1965.
* Reinhold Messner (born 1944) Italian mountaineer. First man to climb all fourteen mountains over 8000 metres (collectively known as the eight-thousanders).
* Jerzy Kukuczka (1948–1989) Polish mountaineer. Ascended all fourteen eight-thousanders faster than anybody else, establishing ten new routes.
* Erhard Loretan Swiss climber. Ascended all 14 8000ers, most establishing new routes and/or in alpine style.
* Nazir Sabir Pakistani mountaineer. First ascent of ''two'' eight thousanders (Broad Peak & Gasherbrum II) in a single attempt.
* Swami Sundaranand (b. 1926 India) Climbed 25 mountains with little or no equipment from 1950–1990 to experience open eyed Samādhi using the ancient techniques of the Himalayan yogis. Noted also for his extensive photography of the Indian Himalayas.
* Casey Mackins An English mountaineer who climbed Mt Everest by a new route without oxygen from Tibet in 1984 and then again from Nepal in 1990 during his famous Sea to Summit expedition where he became the first person to climb Everest starting from sea level
* José Antonio Delgado (1965–2006) was the first Venezuelan mountaineer to reach the summit of five eight-thousanders. He was one of the most experienced climbers in Latin America.
* Ed Viesturs (b. June 22, 1959) is the first American, and 12th person overall, to summit all fourteen eight-thousanders, and the sixth climber to do it without bottled oxygen.
* Pemba Dorjie (born c. 1977) a Sherpa who currently holds the world record for the quickest climb to the summit of Mount Everest from camp. On May 21, 2004, Dorjie set that record, with a total time of 8 hours and 10 minutes.
* Apa Sherpa (born c. 1960) On May 11, 2011, successfully summited Mt. Everest for the 21st time, breaking his own record for most successful ascents.
* Krzysztof Wielicki (born 1950) Polish mountaineer, the fifth man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders. Three of them (Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga and Lhotse) he ascended as the first man ever to do it in winter.
* Junko Tabei (born 1939) First woman to climb Mount Everest (1975)

Religions

The main religions in the Himalayas are Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Some of the important religious places in the Himalayas are:
* Sri Hemkunt Sahib, the place where the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji has meditated and achieved enlightenment in a previous incarnation
* Haridwar, the place where the river Ganges enters the plains.
* Badrinath, a temple dedicated to Vishnu.
* Kedarnath, where one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is located.
* Gaumukh, the source of the Bhagirathi (and hence, by extension, the Ganges), located a few miles above the town of Gangotri.
* Devprayag, where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi merge to form the Ganges.
* Rishikesh, has a temple of Lakshmana.
* Mount Kailash, a 6,638 m high peak which is the abode of the Hindu Gods Shiva and Uma and is also venerated by Buddhists. The peak is forbidden to climb, it is so sacred it is circled at its base. Lake Manasarowar lies at the base of Mount Kailash, and is the source of the Brahmaputra.
* Amarnath, has a natural Shiva linga of ice which forms for a few weeks each year. Thousands of people visit this cave during these few weeks.
* The Vaishno Devi is a popular shrine among Durga devotees.

The following mystic entities are associated with the Himalayas:
* The Yeti

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases