Kanchenjunga, Mountain peak between Taplejung District, Nepal and Sikkim, India

Kanchenjunga's main summit stands at 8,586 m (28,169 ft), with the Central and South peaks on the Nepal–Sikkim border and the West peak and Kangbachen in Nepal's Taplejung District. Four main glaciers radiate from the massif, and the upper slopes are snow and ice above steep exposed rock faces, with forested ridges below.

This peak held the title of highest in the world until 1852, when the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India established that Mount Everest exceeded it. The first ascent took place in 1955 by a British expedition that stopped a few meters below the summit out of respect for local religious beliefs.

The Tibetan name gangs chen mdzod lnga means "five treasures of the great snow", explained by the Schlagintweit brothers as referring to the five highest peaks or, per G. O. Dyhrenfurth, the five main glaciers. The Lhopo people hold that the hidden treasures — salt, gold, turquoise and precious stones, sacred scriptures, armour, grain and medicine — reveal themselves to the devout when the world is in peril. The mountain is sacred in Nepal and Sikkim, and the Limbu name in the Pāncthare dialect is phɔktaŋluŋma, "stone with shoulders".

Climbers reach the summit through routes on the Nepali side, as India does not permit ascents from its territory. Preparation requires specialized gear and several weeks of acclimatization in high camps to adjust the body to the extreme altitude.

The first successful climbers in 1955 stopped a few meters before the actual summit to respect the religious beliefs of local people. Many later expeditions adopted this practice and also refrain from touching the highest point, preserving the spiritual character of the site.