Mount Khangchendzonga

• 31 May 2025

Source: TH 

Sikkim has urged the Union Government to consider restricting mountaineering activities on Mt. Khangchendzonga, acknowledging its profound religious significance to the indigenous communities of the state. 

• About Mt. Khangchendzonga: It is India’s highest peak  (8,568 meters) and the world’s third-highest, located on the Sikkim-Nepal border. 
  • It is sacred to Sikkim’s indigenous people, revered as the abode of the guardian deity Dzoe-Nga (Pho-lha). 
  • Dzoe-Nga is recognized as guardians of the land by Ugyen Guru Rinpoche (Guru Padmasambhava), Sikkim’s Patron Saint. 
    • The indigenous Lepcha community traditionally followed the Mun faith, led by priests called Bongthings, and have a rich oral tradition of poetry, songs, and myths. 
  • Climbing is prohibited on the Sikkim side but permitted from the Nepal side. The mountain was first successfully climbed in 1955 by Charles Band and Joe Brown. 

 

• About Khangchendzonga National Park: It  is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2016) and a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (2018). 
  • It is India’s first Mixed World Heritage Site, renowned for its diverse ecosystem comprising plains, valleys, mountains, glaciers, lakes, and forests.  
  • It is part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and the Dzongu Valley in North Sikkim is especially rich in medicinal plants. 
  • Fauna: Blood Pheasant (State Bird of Sikkim), Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer etc. 

Read More: Khangchendzonga To Be Included In The World Network of Biosphere Reserves