Nilkantha (mountain)

View of Badrinath from

Name

The name of the mountain goes back to a name for the Hindu god Shiva. Nilakantha is the one with the blue throat ( nila = blue, kantha = neck, throat ). In the myth of the churning of the milk ocean Shiva had drunk the strongest poison ( Halahala ) to save the world. This poison inflicting no damage, but stained his throat blue. In addition, the water of the source rivers and glaciers of the Ganges flows around the mountain in Hindu mythology through the hair of Shiva to the earth.

Location

The Nilakantha is located on the south side of Satopanth glacier, one of the two glaciers source of Alaknanda River. This source of the river Indus flows to the east of Nilakantha further south. The town of Badrinath in the Alaknanda valley is situated about 9 kilometers east of the mountain, the difference in elevation from the valley floor to the top of Nilakantha here is almost 3500 meters. West of Nilakantha is above the Satopanth glacier of the Seven thousands Chaukhamba. From Nilakantha from beyond the Alaknanda valley of Nilgiri Parbat in the Valley of Flowers National Park and the mountains of Kamet group.

First ascent

The first ascent was an Indian expedition in 1961, after 've been seven previous expeditions unsuccessful, including Frank Smythe in 1936 and a three- rope team headed by Willi Unsoeld 1949. OP Sharma and the Sherpas Phurba Lobsang and Lhakpa Giyalbu Lama reached the summit on 13 June bad weather and had to descend in a bivouac in the open air to survive.