Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi, mountain of the western Himalayas, 7,817 m (25,646 ft) high. It is the tallest of several Himalayan peaks located in the northeastern part of Uttaranchal state, in northern India. The mountain has a notably beautiful peak, largely snow-covered and with symmetrical lines. The Hindus consider Nanda Devi holy because it is near the source of the sacred Ganges River, and it is an object of worship by many pilgrims. Access to the mountain is very difficult. The first explorers to find a way to its base were the British mountaineers Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman. In 1936 Tilman returned with an expedition (including the American doctor Charles S. Houston) that reached the summit. At the time, Nanda Devi was the highest mountain to have been climbed to the top, and it remained so until 1950, when a French expedition climbed Annapūrna.