News: Sikkim Chief Minister 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.
About Mt. Khangchendzonga
- It lies in the eastern Himalayas, straddling the India–Nepal border, located between Sikkim (India) and Taplejung District (Nepal).
- Kangchenjunga is India’s highest (8,568 metres) and only 8,000+ meter peak.
- It is world’s third highest peak after Mt. Everest and K2.
- Meaning: Kanchenjunga or Kangchenzonga means “The Five Treasures of the Great Snow” in Sikkim because the mountain has five prominent peaks.
- They are Kanchenjunga Main (8,586m), Yalongkang (8,505m), Kanchenjunga West (8,420m) and Twin Peaks (both 8,476m).
- Unlike most other Himalayan peaks, this mountain runs from north to south, where the Kanchenjunga Glacier joins the Tamur River, a tributary of Koshi.
- Numerous lakes and glaciers, including the 26 km long Zemu Glacier, dot the barren high altitudes.
- World Heritage site: The Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP), Sikkim has been inscribed as India’s first “Mixed World Heritage Site” on UNESCO World Heritage List.
As a living deity
- 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.
Climbing ban in Sikkim
- 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.
- Sikkim’s ban on Mount Kangchenjunga’s summits aligns with Article 371F of the Indian Constitution, which safeguards Sikkim’s cultural and religious laws after it merged with India in 1975.
- In 1955, mountaineers Charles Band and Joe Brown became the first people to scale the peak but they stopped a few feet short of the Summit in honour of the Sikkimese belief.
