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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indian Politician Wants to Ban Climbing on Sacred Kangchenjunga
Authorities in Sikkim, India, are demanding that Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest peak, be banned to climbers out of respect for local deities. When British pioneers Joe Brown and George Band climbed 8,586m Kangchenjunga for the first time 70 years ago, they stopped some meters short of the highest point out of respect for the religious beliefs of the local communities in Sikkim. For them, the protective deity Dzoe-Nga, also worshipped as Pho-lha, lives on its white slopes. For years, subsequent expeditions followed that tradition, but this sign of respect was eventually abandoned. Nowadays, climbers focus instead on ensuring that they reach the true summit of Kangchenjunga, which is easy to mistake for other points on its jagged ridge. Kangchenjunga lies in the northeastern corner of Nepal on the border with Sikkim (India) and is also very close to Tibet. The peak has four main climbing routes. Three are in Nepal, and only the eastern one goes up from Sikkim. The Sikkim route has only been climbed three times. The most straightforward route, up the Southwest Face in Nepal, was the chosen line for several early attempts, and the one where the expedition led by Charles Evans succeeded for the first time in 1955. For decades, there were attempts and summits from the north side of the mountain, also in Nepalese territory, but the Southwest Face soon became the normal route and the one offered to commercial teams. Last week, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, asked India's Home Minister, Amit Shah, to ensure that the footprints of climbers no longer deface the slopes of Kangchenjunga. Climbing Kangchenjunga from the Sikkim route has not been an option since 2000, when all ascents from Sikkim were officially banned. This is the first time that Sikkim authorities raised their voices about the matter since then. The problem is, Tamang wants the ban to extend to the entire mountain, including the routes in Nepal, not just from Sikkim. While the measure is unlikely to succeed, it does highlight the sensitivities around the mountain. "Scaling this sacred peak is not only a matter of serious concern but also a violation of both the prevailing legal provisions and the deeply held religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim,' Tamang said. He bases his demands on the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, which prohibits expeditions to sacred sites, as well as Sikkim Government Notification No. 70/HOME/2001, which reaffirmed the state's limited ban on summiting Kangchenjunga, reported. Ironically, the call for a ban was prompted by a climb launched by the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) of Arunachal Pradesh. On that Indian expedition, five members summited via the normal route in Nepal on May 18, together with their Nepalese guides. Other Indian climbers were also on the mountain, including those with a joint Nepali-Indian army expedition. This year, about 30 climbers summited Kangchenjunga despite unstable weather. Others had to retreat due to harsh conditions. There were also some rescues, and one climber died while attempting to reach the top. Nepal's Department of Tourism has no restrictions on the number of climbers on any mountain. In the case of Kangchenjunga, 78 permits were granted to foreigners this season. All climbers were supported by local guides and usually took advantage of brief periods of calm. Kangchenjunga has become increasingly popular among commercial high-altitude climbers. Virtually all expeditions take the normal, Southwest Face route from Nepal. India cannot legislate on the part of the mountain beyond its borders, and it is unlikely that Nepal will do so. Nepal also has sacred peaks banned to expeditions. The best known is Machhapuchhre (6,993m) in the Annapurna region, considered sacred for the Gurung people and never climbed, as far as we know. Sherpas revere mountains, and while they agree to climb them, they always perform puja (offering) ceremonies to ask permission for passage from the mountain gods. Similar cases of sacred mountains in nearby countries forbidden for climbers include Tibet's striking Mt. Kailash and Gangkhar Puensum in Bhutan. At 7,570m, the latter is the highest unclimbed peak in the world, and it should continue to remain so for many years. According to some sources, the silhouette of Kangchenjunga's summit points resemble the shape of a sleeping Buddha, especially when seen from the southwest. In his letter, Chief Minister Tamang recalled that the name of the mountain means the Five Treasures of the High Snow. It refers to five hidden virtues that will only be revealed to devotees if the world is in serious danger. In his extensive report about the Kangchenjunga summit area for Rodolphe Popier ends up with the following words: The magnetic attraction of Kangchenjunga will keep attracting mountain lovers from all over the world, maybe for something more than climbing and/or peak-bagging? As Doug Scott recalled it in his last book, [Kangchenjunga] is the 8,000m summit with the greatest religious significance.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Whose mountain is it, anyway?
On May 18, five people from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) scaled Mt Khangchendzonga from the Nepal side, prompting expressions of concern and protest by civil society groups and Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang. Sikkim's native population holds the mountain sacred and the State government disallows attempts to climb it or scale its peak from the Indian side. One side of Mt Khangchendzonga faces Nepal, a country that hasn't instituted a similar ban and which the NIMAS team took advantage of. Also Read | Mt. Khangchendzonga ascent hurtful to indigenous communities: Sikkim CM to Amit Shah Tensions over mountains There has been a resurgence of the assertion of spiritual beliefs over mountains of late. Mountains are important sources of water, which is increasingly becoming a strategic resource. They straddle geo-dynamic features we need to know to understand the land we live on. But in a world grappling with the effects of climate change, mountain ecosystems worldwide also rank among the most vulnerable. This renders the stewardship provided by indigenous communities important, especially in the form of indigenous knowledge that allowed people to coexist sustainably with their environs for centuries. Of course, there are other reasons to respect indigenous communities' beliefs, including building resilient societies and redressing historical injustice. In parallel, there is still a need to understand mountains from scientific and military points of view, and physical access often yields the best data. The resulting tensions have become more pronounced in the last two decades or so. As the recent incident illustrates, the key has always been stakeholder involvement and scientists and military personnel being okay with hearing the word 'no'. This is why work on the Thirty-Meter Telescope (of which India is a government-level member) was stalled from 2014 after the Kānaka Maoli community protested its construction on their sacred Mauna Kea. Native Hawaiians have also opposed the U.S. Space Forces AMOS-STAR project on the Haleakalā shield volcano on similar grounds. Atacameño communities in Chile have warned of 'spiritual' loss over the construction of telescopes in Cerro Armazones and Cerro Paranal. In many instances, governments presume scientific and defence needs should override indigenous rights. Surveys to assess eco-spiritual rights are often conducted after indigenous groups have mounted large protests, and not before the project is commissioned. The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) faced similar opposition over locals' inability to access a temple located near the planned project site thanks to the presence of police personnel. While the INO scientists have said the police shouldn't have been present, much less denying access to the area, the incident only illustrates the sort of heavy-handedness large and expensive projects open the door to while denying indigenous communities their rights. Also Read | Indian team scales world's third-highest peak Sharper legal instruments Fortunately, however, thanks to the initiative of civil society groups led by youth, the election of indigenous individuals to government positions, technological advances, and the pressures of climate adaptation and sustainability, the legal instruments available to assert indigenous rights are becoming sharper. The UN principle of 'free prior and informed consent' of indigenous peoples is bolstered by its Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation. Sikkim's notifications consecrating Mt Khangchendzonga were under the Places of Worship Act, 1991. Overall, it is becoming cheaper both in monetary and extra-monetary ways (including the risk of reputational harm) to consult first than to litigate later. Heavy-handedness still prevails but there is progress, and governments need to be part of it, including in the arena of military action. As Article 30 of the UNDRIP says, 'States shall undertake effective consultations with the indigenous peoples concerned... prior to using their lands... for military activities.' Consultative actions that account for political variables can also ensure neither indigenous groups nor governments resort to heavy-handedness of their own. For example, a volcanology programme in 2014 involved the governments of North Korea, China, and the U.K. to study the revered Paektu mountain on the North Korea-China border to understand when it might erupt next. On the flip side, after protests in Bhutan over foreign expeditions to the Gangkhar Puensum peak, the government banned attempts to climb more than 6,000 m above sea level in 1994 and altogether banned mountaineering in 2003. NIMAS is an autonomous institute under India's Ministry of Defence. The NIMAS team's endeavour on May 18 was part of the Indian Army's 'Har Shikhar Tiranga' campaign to plant the Indian flag on the highest point of each State. Even if this wasn't explicit military action, its purpose was to stoke national pride and build support for India's war rhetoric. By sidestepping local support for its ascent and planting the Indian flag on the mountain from the Nepal side, the NIMAS team has cheapened the struggles of native peoples to lower the cost of consulting them. If it had consulted them and they had refused access, the NIMAS team could still have achieved its goal by planting the flag at another spot. National integrity is also important for national security.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mt. Khangchendzonga ascent hurtful to indigenous communities: Sikkim CM to Amit Shah
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has urged the Centre to ensure that Mt. Khangchendzonga, the world's third-highest peak, regarded as sacred by the people of the State, is made out of bounds for mountaineers. In a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, the Chief Minister said the recent ascent of the peak by a five-member team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) from the Nepal side on May 18 hurt Sikkim's indigenous communities. India's tallest peak, at 8,568 metres above sea level, Mt. Khangchendzonga straddles the Sikkim-Nepal border and is considered one of the most difficult Himalayan mountains to ascend. Climbing activities are banned in Sikkim, where the mountain is worshipped as a guardian deity, but are allowed from the Nepal side. The mountain was scaled for the first time in 1954 after several mountaineers made futile attempts for more than half a century, some losing their lives. 'The letter comes amid rising local sentiment that the sanctity of Mt. Khangchendzonga must not be compromised in the name of adventure or tourism, regardless of which side the expedition originates from,' Mt. Tamang wrote on May 24. 'It is with deep reverence and concern that we bring to your kind attention the recent reports regarding the scaling of Mt. Khangchendzonga from the Nepal side,' he said. The Chief Minister said the act of scaling the 'sacred' peak by the team from NIMAS based in Arunachal Pradesh's Dirang was 'a violation of both the prevailing legal provisions and the deeply held religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim'. Living deity Mr. Tamang said Mt. Khangchendzonga – the name translated into 'five treasures of the high snows' – holds profound spiritual and religious significance for the people of Sikkim. According to the Sikkimese belief system, he explained, these divine treasures remain hidden and would be revealed to the devout when the world is in grave peril. 'The mountain is revered as the abode of the principal guardian and protector-deity of Sikkim, known as Dzoe-Nga. This sacred being is worshipped as the Pho-lha, or the chief of the entire assemblage of supernatural entities of Sikkim. These deities were recognised and anointed as the guardian deities of the land by Ugyen Guru Rinpoche, also known as Guru Padmasambhava, the Patron Saint of Sikkim,' the Chief Minister said. He pointed out that the Sikkim government banned all climbing activities on Mt. Khangchendzonga through notifications in 1998 and 2001 under the Sacred Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. Nudge Nepal Mr. Tamang urged Mr. Shah to diplomatically dissuade the Nepal government from allowing mountaineers to scale Mt. Khangchendzonga in deference to the deeply held spiritual values of the indigenous communities of Sikkim. Organisations such as the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee have been pursuing a complete ban on scaling Mt. Khangchendzonga, specifically from Nepal.
The Print
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Sikkim CM writes to Amit Shah expressing concern over scaling of Mt Khangchendzonga
The Sikkim CM in his letter dated May 24 said that the mountain, known locally as 'Dzoe-Nga', holds immense religious and cultural significance for the people of Sikkim, symbolising the sacred 'Five Treasures of the High Snows'. Tamang stated that the act of scaling the peak is not only a matter of serious concern but also a violation of both the prevailing legal provisions and the deeply held religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim. Gangtok, May 27 (PTI) Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressing deep concern over recent scaling of Mount Khangchendzonga from the Nepal side by a team from National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), based in Arunachal Pradesh. He underscored that climbing the peak is strictly prohibited under the Sacred Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, and reaffirmed by official notifications issued in 1998 and 2001. He said that in recognition of its religious sanctity, the Government of Sikkim has imposed a complete ban on any attempts to scale Mt Khangchendzonga. 'In view of the above, we earnestly urge that this matter be treated with the utmost sensitivity and respect,' the CM said. Tamang requested Shah to take up the matter with Nepal to prevent further violations. He thanked the Home Minister for his continued support in protecting Sikkimese heritage. PTI COR RG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
India Gazette
22-05-2025
- India Gazette
NIMAS successfully summits Mt Kangchenjunga, concludes 'Har Shikhar Tiranga' mission
New Delhi [India], May 22 (ANI): A team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) has successfully summited Mt Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), the third-highest peak in the world and the highest in India, on May 18. The expedition, led by renowned mountaineer Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, marked the culmination of the landmark 'Har Shikhar Tiranga' campaign -- a patriotic mission to hoist the Indian national flag atop the highest peak of each of India's 28 states, a release said. This mission, conceptualised to celebrate the spirit of unity and national pride through adventure, has now achieved its final milestone with the ascent of Kangchenjunga, the highest point in the state of Sikkim and the campaign's symbolic crown. Notably, the NIMAS team is the only Indian expedition to achieve a 100 per cent summit success rate on Mt Kangchenjunga this season, a testament to the team's rigorous preparation, discipline, and unyielding spirit, the release said. In a season marked by extreme conditions and high attrition, every climber from the NIMAS team who attempted the summit made it -- an extraordinary accomplishment on one of the most formidable mountains in the world. 'This wasn't just an expedition. It was a tribute to every corner of India. From the dense forests of the northeast to the icy ramparts of Kangchenjunga, our Tiranga has now flown atop every state's highest point,' said Col Jamwal. 'I'm proud of the team and honored to lead a mission that reflects the unity and diversity of our great nation.' The success of the 'Har Shikhar Tiranga' mission through the Kangchenjunga ascent underscores NIMAS's growing legacy in adventure leadership and national service. As the Tiranga waved proudly from the summit, it carried with it not just the dreams of climbers, but the spirit of an entire nation. Earlier on March 26, Minister of State (MoS) Defence, Sanjay Seth, had flagged off the expedition to Mount Kangchenjunga, led by Col Jamwal, Director, NIMAS, Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh. The team comprised five highly skilled climbers and three support staff. (ANI)
