Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world and the highest in India. It rises to an elevation of 8,586 m (28.169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas called Kanchenjunga Himal in the Eastern Himalayas. The Kanchenjunga Himal is located in eastern Nepal and Sikkim, India. Kanchenjunga was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of a British expedition. They stopped short of the summit as per the promise given to the Chogyal King of Sikkim that the top of the mountain would remain inviolate. Every climber or climbing group that has reached the summit has followed this tradition.
The Kanchenjunga landscape comprises 14 protected areas which are habitats for many globally significant plant species such as rhododendrons and orchids and many endangered flagship species such as snow leopard, Asian black bear, red panda, white-bellied musk deer, blood pheasant and chestnut-breasted partridge.
Photo: Ashinpt