Dunagiri, Himalayan summit in Joshimath Tehsil, India

Dunagiri is a Himalayan peak standing at about 7,066 meters and forms part of a circular ring of mountains surrounding the Nanda Devi range. The mountain features several climbing routes with varying levels of difficulty across its different ridges and slopes.

The first successful ascent took place in 1939 when Swiss climbers reached the summit via the southwest ridge. Later expeditions in the 1970s opened new routes and shifted how mountaineers approached climbing in this region.

In the Ramayana, Hanuman is sent to Dronagiri (also called Gandhamardhan) to fetch the Sanjeevani herb that can revive the dying Lakshmana; unable to identify it, he lifts the whole mountain. The herb mountain is identified with the Valley of Flowers near Badri in Uttarakhand, and Dunagiri is sometimes named as Dronagiri.

Dunagiri lies at the northwest corner of the Sanctuary Wall ringing Nanda Devi, in the Nanda Devi National Park of Chamoli District, Uttarakhand. Approach routes run from the Lata area below the peak. The 1939 first ascent and the 1975 southeast buttress route both required sustained high-altitude work, so plan for snow, rock and rapidly changing weather.

A climbing route on the southeast face was established in the 1970s and became a turning point in mountaineering history. This route showed climbers worldwide how to approach difficult mountain terrain in fresh ways.