Nanda Devi

Nanda Devi stands at 7,816 meters elevation and ranks as the second-highest mountain in India and the highest located entirely within Indian borders. The twin-peak structure features a western main summit and a slightly lower eastern summit connected by a ridge.

Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman became the first mountaineers to cross the difficult inner sanctuary around the mountain in 1934. Two years later, Tilman and Noel Odell reached the western summit, making history as the first to climb what was then the highest mountain ever ascended.

The name comes from Sanskrit and means goddess of bliss, while the twin peaks are traditionally seen as the goddess and her consort. Pilgrims from across the region still revere this mountain as a sacred site, though access remains heavily restricted.

The entire area lies within the national park and has been off-limits for more than four decades to protect the high mountain ecosystems. Visitors can only view the mountain from a distance at certain viewpoints in the surrounding region, with clear weather conditions needed.

An American espionage operation in the 1960s lost a plutonium-powered surveillance device on these slopes that has never been recovered. The apparatus was meant to monitor Chinese missile tests and disappeared during a snowstorm into the glaciers on the southern face.