Kanchendjanga

Kanchenjunga - a mountain on the border between Nepal and India, is the third highest peak in the world. Its name from Nepalese or Hindi means "5 Treasures of the Great Snows". After all, the mountain range consists of 5 snow-capped peaks. It is interesting that from above it resembles a huge cross with peaks directed in all directions of the world. The height of the mountain is really impressive, in this indicator it is second only to Everest and Chogri, and until the middle of the 19th century it was considered the highest in the world.

Sacred Mountain

In the Limbu dialect, the name of the mountain sounds like "the mountain we worship". This means that its summit has the status of a sacred place. And climbers who make the ascent have no right to climb to the very top.

According to the mythology of the Lepcha people, the mountain was the ancestral home of the first Himalayans, people were created from glaciers located on the peaks. This is where the souls of the dead go. According to legend, ancient people next to the mountain wanted to build their analogue of the Tower of Babel out of pottery. But when she surpassed the sacred mountain Kanchenjunga in height, the gods became very angry and ruined the work of human hands.

Rebellious Kanchenjunga

Mount Kanchenjunga shows its obstinate disposition not only in myths. Few climbers have been lucky enough to reach its summit. Moreover, many of them failed to return back.

The first attempt to conquer was made in 1905. However, the athletes managed to climb only up to 6500 m, and then had to turn back due to the threat of an avalanche. Only half a century later, after six more unsuccessful attempts, it was possible to conquer the mountain. At the request of the King of Nepal, climbers should not reach the highest point for several steps, so as not to disturb the peace of the sacred mountain. This rule is unshakably followed by all the conquerors of Mount Kanchenjunga.

Climber Slayer

According to the Nepalese legend, Kanchenjunga has a very unpleasant female character. In an effort to eliminate her rivals, for a long time she destroyed all the climbers trying to climb her top. The first of the women who climbed the obstinate mountain was the English athlete Ginnet Harrison. She was able to fulfill her dream only in 1998. After that, only three women managed to conquer the peak.

The summit, which has not been fully explored, is also harsh in relation to the stronger floor. In 2013, under unclear circumstances, five climbers disappeared at once. By the number of tragic cases, the mountain still remains in the first place. Climbing it is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.

Kangchenjunga in the artist's paintings

The Kanchenjunga mountain range was depicted in his paintings by the famous Russian and Indian artist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich, who believed that it was in the Himalayan spurs among the five peaks of Kanchenjunga that the entrance to the sacred country of Shambhala was located. In search of a magical land and its wisdom, the thinker, humanist and philosopher spent a significant part of his life in India.