Mount Everest or Qomolangma or Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा) or
Chomolungma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ) pronounced as (Jongmalunga) is the
highest mountain on
Earth, as
measured by the height of its
summit above
sea level.
The mountain, which is part of the
Himalaya
range in High Asia, is located on the border between
Nepal and
Tibet,
China. As of the end of the 2006 climbing season, there have been 3,050
ascents to the summit, by 2,062 individuals, and 203 people have died on the
mountain. The conditions on the mountain are so difficult that most of the
corpses have been left where they fell; some of them are easily visible from
the standard climbing routes.
Climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal; they range
from experienced
mountaineers to relative
novices who
count on their paid guides to get them to the top. The Nepalese government
also requires a permit from all prospective climbers; this carries a heavy
fee, often more than $25,000 (USD)
per person.
Naming
The
Tibetan name for Mount Everest is Chomolungma or Qomolangma
(ཇོ་མོ་གླིང་མ, translated as "Mother of the Universe" or "Goddess Mother of
the Snows"), and the related[citation
needed]
Chinese name is Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng (Simplified
Chinese: 珠穆朗玛峰;
Traditional Chinese: 珠穆朗瑪峰)
or Shèngmǔ Fēng (Simplified
Chinese: 圣母峰;
Traditional Chinese: 聖母峰).
According to English accounts of the mid-19th century, the local name in
Darjeeling for Mount Everest was Deodungha, or "Holy Mountain."[1].
In the 1960s, the Government of Nepal gave the mountain an official
Nepali name: Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा), meaning "Head of the Sky".
In the early 1960s, the
Nepalese government
realized that Mount Everest had no
Nepalese name. This was because the mountain was not known and named in
ethnic Nepal (that is, the
Kathmandu valley and surrounding areas). The government set out to find a
name for the mountain (the
Sherpa/Tibetan
name Chomolangma was not acceptable, as it would have been against the
idea of unification (Nepalization) of the country. The name Sagarmatha
(सगरमाथा) was thus invented by
Baburam Acharya.
In 2002, the Chinese
People's Daily newspaper published an article making a case against
the continued use of the English name for the mountain in the
Western world, insisting that it should be referred to by its Tibetan
name. The newspaper argued that the Chinese (in nature a Tibetan) name
preceded the English one, as Mount Qomolangma was marked on a Chinese map more
than 280 years ago.[6]
Aerial view of Mount Everest from the south
Measurement
Another aerial view of Mount Everest from the south, with Lhotse in
front and Nuptse on the left
Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor from
Bengal, was
the first to identify Everest as the world's highest peak in 1852, using
trigonometric calculations based on measurements of "Peak XV" (as it was
then known) made with
theodolites from 240 km (150 miles) away in India. Measurement could not
be made from closer due to a lack of access to Nepal. "Peak XV" was found to
be exactly 29,000 feet (8,839 m) high, but was publicly declared to be
29,002 feet (8,840 m). The arbitrary addition of 2 feet (0.6 m) was to avoid
the impression that an exact height of 29,000 feet was nothing more than a
rounded estimate.
More recently, the mountain has been found to be 8,848 m (29,028
feet) high, although there is some variation in the measurements. The
mountain K2 comes in
second at 8,611 m (28,251 ft) high. On
May 22,
2005, the
People's Republic of China's Everest Expedition Team ascended to the top of
the mountain. After several months' complicated measurement and calculation,
on October
9, 2005, the
PRC's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping officially announced the height of
Everest as 8,844.43 m ± 0.21 m (29,017.16 ± 0.69
ft). They claimed it was the most accurate measurement to date.[7]
But this new height is based on the actual highest point of rock and not on
the snow and ice that sits on top of that rock on the summit, so, in keeping
with the practice used on
Mont
Blanc and
Khan Tangiri Shyngy, it is not shown here. The Chinese also measured a
snow/ice depth of 3.5 m,[8]
which implies agreement with a net elevation of 8,848 m. But in reality the
snow and ice thickness varies, making a definitive height of the snow cap, and
hence the precise height attained by summiteers without sophisticated GPS,
impossible to determine.
The elevation of 8,848 m (29,029 ft)
was first determined by an Indian survey in 1955, made closer to the mountain,
also using
theodolites. It was subsequently reaffirmed by a 1975 Chinese measurement.[9]
In both cases the snow cap, not the rock head, was measured. In May 1999 an
American Everest Expedition, directed by
Bradford Washburn, anchored a
GPS unit into the highest bedrock. A rock head elevation of 8,850 m
(29,035 ft), and a snow/ice elevation 1 m (3 ft) higher, were obtained via
this device.[10]
Although it has not been officially recognized by Nepal,[11]
this figure is widely quoted.
Geoid
uncertainty casts doubt upon the accuracy claimed by both the 1999 and 2005
surveys.
Climbing routes
View from space showing South Col route and North Col/Ridge route
Mt. Everest has two main climbing routes, the southeast ridge from Nepal
and the northeast ridge from
Tibet, as well
as
many other less frequently climbed routes. Of the two main routes, the
southeast ridge is technically easier and is the more frequently-used route.
It was the route used by
Edmund Hillary and
Tenzing Norgay in 1953 and the first recognised of fifteen routes to the
top by 1996. This was, however, a route decision dictated more by politics
than by design as the Chinese border was closed to foreigners in 1949.
Reinhold Messner (Italy) summited the mountain solo for the first time,
without supplementary oxygen or support, on the more difficult Northwest route
via the North Col to the North Face and the Great Couloir, on
August 20
1980. He climbed for three days entirely alone from his base camp at 6500
meters. This route has been noted as the 8th climbing route to the summit.
Southeast ridge
The ascent via the southeast ridge begins with a trek to
Base Camp at 5,380 m (17,600 ft) on the south side of Everest in Nepal.
Expeditions usually fly into
Lukla (2,860 m)
from
Kathmandu and pass through
Namche Bazaar. Climbers then hike to Base Camp, which usually takes six to
eight days, allowing for proper altitude acclimatization in order to prevent
altitude sickness. Climbing equipment and supplies are carried by
yaks,
dzopkyos (yak
hybrids) and human
porters to Base Camp on the
Khumbu Glacier. When Hillary and Tenzing climbed Everest in 1953, they
started from Kathmandu Valley, as there were no roads further east at that
time.
view of Everest southeast ridge
base camp. The
Khumbu Icefall can be seen in the left. In the center are the
remains of a helicopter that crashed in 2003.
Climbers will spend a couple of weeks in Base Camp, acclimatizing to the
altitude. During that time,
Sherpas and some expedition climbers will set up ropes and ladders in the
treacherous
Khumbu Icefall.
Seracs, crevasses and shifting blocks of ice make the icefall one of the
most dangerous sections of the route. Many climbers and Sherpas have been
killed in this section. To reduce the hazard, climbers will usually begin
their ascent well before dawn when the freezing temperatures glue ice blocks
in place. Above the icefall is Camp I at 6,065 m (19,900 ft)
Northeast ridge
The northeast ridge route begins from the north side of Everest in Tibet.
Expeditions trek to the
Rongbuk Glacier, setting up
Base Camp at 5,180 m (17,000 ft) on a gravel plain just below the glacier.
To reach Camp II, climbers ascend the medial moraine of the east Rongbuk
Glacier up to the base of
Changtse
at around 6,100 m (20,000 ft). Camp III (ABC - Advanced Base Camp) is situated
below the
North Col at 6,500 m (21,300 ft). To reach Camp IV on the north col,
climbers ascend the glacier to the foot of the col where fixed ropes are used
to reach the North Col at 7,010 m (23,000 ft). From the North Col, climbers
ascend the rocky north ridge to set up Camp V at around 7,775 m (25,500 ft).
The route goes up the north face through a series of gullies and steepens into
downsloping slabby terrain before reaching the site of Camp VI at 8,230 m
(27,000 ft). From Camp VI, climbers will make their final summit push.
Climbers must first make their way through three rock bands known as First
Step: 27,890 feet - 28,000 feet, Second Step: 28,140 feet - 28,300 feet, and
Third Step: 28,510 feet - 28,870 feet. Once above these steps, the final
summit slopes (50 to 60 degrees) to the top.
Ascents
First successful ascent by Tenzing and Hillary
In 1953, a ninth British expedition, led by
John Hunt, returned to Nepal. Hunt selected two climbing pairs to attempt
to reach the summit. The first pair (Tom
Bourdillon and
Charles Evans) came within 300 feet of the summit on
26 May, but
turned back after becoming exhausted. The next day, the expedition made its
second and final assault on the summit with its second climbing pair. The
summit was eventually reached at 11:30 a.m. local time on
May 29,
1953 by the
New
Zealander
Edmund Hillary and
Sherpa
Tenzing Norgay from Nepal climbing the South Col Route. At the time, both
acknowledged it as a team effort by the whole expedition, but Tenzing revealed
a few years later that Hillary had put his foot on the summit first.[20]
They paused at the summit to take photographs and buried a few sweets and a
small cross in
the snow before descending. News of the expedition's success reached
London on the
morning of Queen
Elizabeth II's
coronation. Returning to
Kathmandu
a few days later, Hillary and Hunt discovered that they had been promptly
knighted
for their efforts.
Kathmandu
.
Kathmandu (Nepali:
काठमाडौं, काठमान्डु,
Nepal Bhasa: यें) is the
capital city of
Nepal and it
is also the largest city in Nepal. The original inhabitants of Kathmandu are
called Newars,
who speak
Nepal
Bhasa, which is the language of communication between
Newars, and
is spoken by other ethnic communities residing in Kathmandu. It stands at an
elevation of approximately 1,300m (4,265 ft). It is an urban and suburban
area of about 1.5 million inhabitants in the tri-city area in the
Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal, along the
Bagmati River.
The two other cities are
Lalitpur (Patan)
and
Bhaktapur. Kathmandu is located at
27°43′N,
85°22′E (27.71667, 85.36667).
History
The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as
900 BC, but
the oldest known objects in the valley date to a few hundred years BC. The
earliest known inscription is dated 185 AD. The oldest firmly dated building
in the earthquake-prone valley is almost 1,000 years old. It is said that
the
Buddha and his disciples spent some time in the area of present-day
Patan in the
6th century BC, although there is no evidence for this. Four
stupas around
the city of Patan said to have been erected by Charumati, daughter of
Ashoka the Great, a
Mauryan
king, in the
3rd century BC attest to the ancient history present within
the valley. As with the tales of the Buddha's visit, there is no evidence
supporting Ashoka's visit, but the stupas probably do date to that century.
The Kirats
are the first documented rulers of the Kathmandu Valley, the remains of
their palace are said to be in Patan near
Hiranyavarna Mahavihara (called "Patukodon"). The
Licchavi
Dynasty whose earliest inscriptions date back to
464 AD were the
next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the
Gupta Dynasty of
India. The
Malla Dynasty consisted of
Newar rulers,
who ruled Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding area from the
12th
century till the
17th
century when the
Shah Dynasty under
Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the valley as he created present-day
Nepal. Most of ancient
Nepalese architecture present in
Nepal today
is from the Malla/Newar
era.
Present
The Kathmandu Valley consists of three primary cities: Kathmandu itself,
Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Lalitpur and Kathmandu run up right against each
other (again, separated only by the Bagmati river), while Bhaktapur is set
off much closer to the eastern foothills.
Kathmandu itself is home to most of the government offices, embassies,
corporate houses, and the palace. The King's Palace stands right next to
Thamel -
the tourist hub of the country. Thamel consists of two parallel streets just
to the west of the palace. It is home to different hotels, ranging from
different stars. The palace is at the head of Durbar Marg, a street lined
with various shops.
Most of the streets in Kathmandu are named from
Nepal
Bhasa, owing its origin to the rich Newari Culture and heritage.
The "old" city is noted for its many
Buddhist
and Hindu
temples and palaces, most dating to the 17th century. Many of
these landmarks have been damaged by
earthquakes and pollution. This valley hosts an
UNESCO
World Heritage Sites composed by seven different Monument Zones: The
centers of the three primary cities, Kathmandu Hanuman Dhoka, Patan and
Bhaktapur, the two most important Buddhist stupas,
Swayambhunath and
Boudhanath and two famous Hindu shrines,
Pashupatinath temple and
Changu Narayan. Since
2003 the site
has been inscribed in the
World Heritage List as being "in danger" out of concern for the ongoing
loss of authenticity and the outstanding universal value of the cultural
property.
Gallery
The palace in the Kathmandu Durbar Square.
|
|
A view of Kathmandu Durbar Square from
1920.
Bhairava in the background.
|
 ame
as the picture to 2007,
shot for comparison.
|
|
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Stone carving in Kathmandu street
|
|
|
|
|
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Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal
|
Pedicab driver in Kathmandu near Durbar Square
|
See also
Footnotes
View of Pokhara looking north from the nearby World Peace Stupa.
Geography
Phewa Lake and Lakeside view from Sarangkot
Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley, which
is a widening of the Seti Gandaki
valley The
Seti River and its
tributaries
have dug impressive
canyons into
the valley floor, which are only visible from higher viewpoints or from the
air. To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of
Lekhnath,
another town in the valley.
In no other place the mountains rise so quickly, within 30 km, from 1000 m
to over 8000 m. The Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu ranges, each with peaks
over 8000 m, can be seen from Pokhara and there is a lake named Phewa Lake,
two caves (Mahendra and Gupteswar) and an impressive falls(Patale Chhango or
Devi /David's Falls) where the water from the Phewa Lake thunders into a hole
and disappears. Due to this sharp rise in altitude the area of Pokhara has one
of the highest precipitation rates of the country (over 4000 mm/year). Even
within the city there is a noticeable difference in the amount of rain between
the south of the city by the lake and the north at the foot of the
mountains.The climate is sub-tropical but due to the elevation the
temperatures are moderate: the summers usually have a bearable 30 - 35°C;
the winters average around 15°C and have no frost.In the south the city
borders on Phewa Tal (a
lake, 4.4 km²,
about 800 m
above sea
level), in the north at around 1000 m it touches the base of the
Annapurna
mountain range. From the southern fringes of the city one has an
exceptional view of the
Himalaya
with 3 eight-thousanders (Dhaulagiri,
Annapurna,
Manaslu)
and, in the middle of the Annapurna range the wonderful
Machapuchare ('Fishtail') with close to 7000 m. This beautiful mountain
dominates the northern horizon of the city and its name derives from its twin
peaks, not visible from the south.
History
Prior to the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Pokhara was an important trading
post on the route between Tibet and
India. Until
the end of the
1960s the little town could only be reached by foot and it was even more a
mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was finished in
1968 after which
tourism boomed and the city grew rapidly. Gradually, the area long the
Phewa Lake developed in to a major tourism hub of
Nepal. Men are
recruited at the British Gurkha camp in Pokhara. About 370 are selected
annually in December out of a pool of over 20,000 applications, with about 140
eventually joining the
Gurkha Contingent while the rest will go to the British Army.
Structure
Pokhara spans 8 km from north to south and 6 km from east to west but,
unlike Kathmandu, it is quite loosely built up and still has much green space.
The Seti Gandaki flowing through the city from north to south divides the city
roughly in two halves with the down-town area of Chipledunga in the middle,
the old town centre of Bagar in the north and the tourist district of Lakeside
(Baidam) in the south all lying on the western side of the river. The gorge
through which the river flows is crossed at five points, the major ones are
(from north to south): K.I. Singh Pul, Mahendra Pul and Prithvi Highway Pul.
The eastern side of town is mainly residential.
The eastern Pokhara Valley receives irrigation water through a canal
running from a reservoir by the Seti in the north of the city.
Phewa Lake is also used for commercial fishing. The tourist area is along
the north shore of the lake (Lake Side and Dam Side). It is mainly made up of
little shops, little hotels, restaurants and
bars. The larger hotels can be found on the southern and south-eastern
fringes of the city, from where the view of the mountains, mainly
Mt. Fishtail is seen best. To the east of the valley are few smaller and
few bigger lakes, the largest being Begnas Tal and Rupakot Tal. Begnas Tal is
also known for its fishery projects. There are no beaches in the valley, but
one can rent boats Phewa and Begnas Tal.
Tourism
Pokhara is a major tourist hub of Nepal offering a combinatin of nature and
culture with a distinct tourist district in the subdivisions of Baidam,
Lakeside and Damside. It is mostly known as starting and ending point for
Annapurna
treks.Pokhara is quite a modern city with only few
touristic
attractions in the town itself. Most interesting is the old centre in the
north of the city (purano bazar) where still many old shops and warehouses in
the Newari style can be found. Mule
caravans still arrive there from Mustang.
On a hill overlooking Phewa Tal from the south is the World Peace Stupa (at
1,113 m)
QTVR built in 1996 with a view of the lake, across the city and of the
snow peaked mountain range consisting of namely, Fishtail, Annapurna and
Dhaulagiri Himals (mountains).
Temples worth visiting in the older part of town are
Bindhyabasini Mandir and Bhimsen Mandir, the latter with erotic carvings;
another temple, Barahi Mandir, is located on a tiny island on Phewa Tal. Not
accessible and only visible from the lake is the royal summer residence
(called Ratna Mandir) at the lake in Lakeside.The best viewpoint of Pokhara is
Sarangkot (1600 m) to the west of the city. Paths and a road lead to the top
from where one can enjoy spectacular views of the Annapurna range,
Manaslu,
Dhaulagiri and the city itself.
The modern commercial city centre at Chiple Dhunga and Mahendrapul (now
called Bhimsen Chowk, named after a Shahid(Martyr) in Jana-aandolan II, April,
2006) is halfway between the lake and Purano Bazar, the old centre. Apart from
this there are several subcentres in other parts of town: in the north in
Bagar, in the south between Prithvi Chok and Srijana Chok (mainly hardware
stores), and in the east, on the other side of the Seti, in Ram Bazar.
The shortage of touristic sites in Pokhara is made up by its scenic views
in and around town. Most of them are not mentioned in any guide or map. The
Seti Gandaki (White Gandaki) and its tributaries have created spectacular
gorges in and around the whole city. The Seti gorge runs through the whole
city from north to south. At places it is only a few metres wide, but 100 m
deep with a water depth of 20 m.
Bindhyabasini Temple in the evening
In the middle of the city, the gorge widens to a canyon looking like a
crater. In the north and south, just outside town, there are awesome canyons,
in some places 100 m deep. These canyons extend through the whole Pokhara
Valley. Impressive views are possible from the Prithvi Narayan Campus and from
the other side at the foot of Kahu Danda (conjunction of several rivers and
canyons). Behind the INF-Compound one can see the Seti River disappear into a
slit in an almost 100 m wall, especially impressive in monsoon.
Places to Visit
Pokhara is known as a major tourist attraction in whole Nepal. Some
important places to visit are:
- Lakeside and Tal Barahi
- Devi's Falls and Gupteshwor Cave
- World Peace Pagoda
- Sarangkot
- Bindabasini Temple and the old market place below the temple
- Seti river
- Mahendra Cave, Bat Cave and the Kali river
- Kahun Danda (hill located at north-east of the city)
- Armala Village
- Nau danda, Kande, Lumle -(situated in the outskirts of Pokhara)
- Begnas Taal
- Tamang Basti and Pamae Villag
Machapuch
Machapuchare or Machhaphuchhare is a
mountain
in the
Annapurna Himal of north central
Nepal. It
is revered as particularly sacred by the local population, and hence is
off limits to climbing.
Location
Machapuchare is at the end of a long spur ridge, coming south out of
the main backbone of the Annapurna Himal, that forms the eastern boundary
of the Annapurna Sanctuary. (The Sanctuary is a favorite trekking
destination, and the site of the base camps for the South Face of
Annapurna and for numerous smaller objectives.) The peak is about 25km
north of
Pokhara, the main town of the region.
Notable Features
Due to its southern position in the range, and the particularly low
terrain that lies south of the Annapurna Himal, Machapuchare commands
tremendous vertical relief in a short horizontal distance. This, combined
with its steep, pointed profile, make it a particularly striking peak,
despite a lower elevation than some of its neighbors. Its double summit
resembles the tail of a fish, hence the name "Fish's Tail." It is also
nicknamed the "Matterhorn
of Nepal".
Climbing History
Machapuchare has never been climbed to its summit. The first, and only
known, attempt was in
1957 by a
British team led by Jimmy Roberts. They climbed to within 50m of the
summit via the North Ridge, but did not complete the ascent; they had
promised not to set foot on the actual summit. Since then, the mountain
has been declared sacred, and it is now forbidden to climbers.
Machapuchare from Sharangkot, Pokhara
