The Scaling of Kanchenjunga and What it Means to Sikkim's Culture and Autonomy

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07-06-2025

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The Scaling of Kanchenjunga and What it Means to Sikkim's Culture and Autonomy
Jiwan Rai
11 minutes ago
On May 18 this year, an expedition team under the Har Shikhar Tiranga Mission, an initiative of the Indian Army, planted the national flag atop the Kanchenjunga peak. This has hurt the indigenous Buddhist communities of Sikkim, to whom the mountain is a deeply revered spiritual entity.
Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal during the Kanchenjunga expedition. Photo: Facebook.
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Twenty-four years ago, while the rest of India was racing to open up 18 virgin peaks and 176 lesser-known summits to foreign climbers, the Sikkim government, through notification 70/HOME/2000, imposed a ban on expeditions to its highest peak, Kanchenjunga, along with seven other peaks considered sacred by local Buddhists.
This administrative decision was actually the reaffirmation of a longstanding cultural tradition of reverence. In fact, an expedition to Kangchenjunga would fall under the scope of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits any desecration of sites held sacred.
When British climbers Joe Brown and George Band first successfully ascended Kangchenjunga in 1955, they voluntarily stopped just short of the summit to honour local sentiments. Their act of restraint was more than a display of mountaineering ethics. It was a profound gesture of civilisational respect.
Nearly seven decades after the respectful restraint shown by climbers on Kangchenjunga, fresh reports of another summit attempt have stirred a storm of emotions among the Bhutia and Lepcha communities of Sikkim.
On May 18 this year, an expedition team under the Har Shikhar Tiranga Mission, a patriotic initiative of the Indian Army executed through the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), successfully planted the national flag atop the sacred peak.
The mission, led by the celebrated mountaineer Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, was envisioned as a tribute to India's unity in diversity. 'This wasn't just an expedition,' Colonel Jamwal remarked. 'It was a tribute to every corner of India. From the dense forests of the Northeast to the icy ramparts of Kanchenjunga, our Tiranga has now flown atop every state's highest point. I'm proud of the team and honoured to lead a mission that reflects the unity and diversity of our great nation.'
Sacred
However, beneath the wave of patriotic celebrations, are the hurt religious sentiments and cultural traditions of the indigenous Buddhist communities of Sikkim. To them Kanchenjunga is not merely a geographic pinnacle, it is a deeply revered spiritual entity. Its summit is considered sacred and has traditionally been off-limits to human trespass. This restriction is not unique to Sikkim; similar bans exist elsewhere. In China, Mount Kailash remains unclimbed due to its profound spiritual significance, while in Nepal, climbing Machapuchare and Khumbila is prohibited out of respect for their sacred status among the Gurung and Sherpa communities.
The recent ascent has reignited a long-standing and sensitive debate between the fervour of national pride and religious belief.
In this image released by @adgpi via X on May 19, 2025, a team of Indian Army and Nepali Army personnel climbs Kanchenjunga mountain. (@adgpi via PTI Photo) Photo: PTI
In anticipation of this clash, the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) had taken pre-emptive efforts. On April 4, it formally petitioned the Ministry of Defence and the governor of Sikkim, Om Prakash Mathur, urging them to halt the planned expedition.
The irony should not be lost in how an initiative meant to celebrate the unity in India's diversity has hurt the sentiments of a religious and cultural group of a state that had merged with India by way of abolition of its own kingdom 50 years ago. True unity respects diversity, and true patriotism upholds the sentiments of all its peoples.
Now, as the tricolour flutters over a peak considered sacred for centuries, the question before the nation is not merely who reached the top but at what cultural cost. When seen through a time-honoured Sikkimese lens, Kanchenjunga is not a trophy for adventurers, a playground for thrill-seekers, or just another tick on a climber's checklist. It stands as a symbol of cultural heritage and the pinnacle of religious identity for a significant section of Sikkim's people. In this context, the ban on climbing it is not merely a regulatory restriction. It is a civilisational assertion. And the significance of this act extends beyond religion or tradition. It is deeply political, rooted in the Sikkimese identity, dignity and autonomy.
Politics
Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang has written to Union home minister Amit Shah on the matter.
But what exactly is the state government demanding in response to the violation? Why did it not act in advance? Given that the climbing ban was imposed by the state government back in 2001, should the authorities not have been consulted before any expedition was approved? Interestingly, Sonam Lama, the Sikkim Sangha minister – elected by a unique constituency which is reserved for Buddhist monks and nuns – downplayed the issue, noting that the expedition took place from the Nepalese side.
It is unclear if the the Sikkim government fully grasps that at the heart of this issue lies the deeper question of Sikkimese autonomy. It must know that any violation here is not just cultural sacrilege but also an infringement of the special protections granted to Sikkim under Article 371F of the Indian Constitution. The state government thus faces a twofold responsibility: to safeguard the indigenous worldview of its people and to uphold the autonomy enshrined in its constitutional status.
On one hand, the Bhutia-Lepcha cosmo-vision is being undermined. On the other hand, Sikkim's political and constitutional autonomy, hard-won and historically negotiated, must be defended against external decisions that bypass the state's authority and its cultural sensibilities.
If Sikkim does not make its voice heard now, it risks losing its unique identity to India's broader and increasingly homogenised national narrative. The government must demand accountability for this violation, reaffirm the inviolability of its sacred landscapes and amplify indigenous voices before they are silenced forever.
Jiwan Rai is a social and political commentator from Sikkim. He can be reached at [e-mail].
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