Ever felt the clouds touching your feet? No, I am not talking about the feeling of being on 'Cloud Nine' but a feeling you get when you are at 7816 Metres above sea level & experiencing Nanda Devi ("She who gives bliss") - The highest mountain in the Indian Himalayas outside of Sikkim.
Nanda Devi National Park is situated in Chamoli district of Uttaranchal. The spectacular panoramas of peaks encircling the National Park are Trishul (7120 m) Dunagiri (7066 m) Nanda Devi (7817 m) Nanda Devi East (7430 m) Bethartoli (6352 m) etc.. The beautiful surroundings with abundant flora and fauna like Brahma-Kamal and Bharal (blue mountain goat) make this a sanctuary of nature.
In 1982 access to trekkers into the Nanda Devi National Park was banned to protect its biodiversity. However,organised treks are permitted.The Nanda Devi National Park, which has been declared a world heritage site, has been partially opened recently for restricted number of tourist.
In 1982 access to trekkers into the Nanda Devi National Park was banned to protect its biodiversity. However,organised treks are permitted.The Nanda Devi National Park, which has been declared a world heritage site, has been partially opened recently for restricted number of tourist.
High mountains surround it from three sides while the western side is bounded by an inaccessible gorge. It remains under snow for about six months and June to August is the season of heavy rainfalls. So, the best time to visit the area is from April to June. The vegetation consists mainly of fir, birch, rhododendron, and juniper trees, while there is almost no vegetation near the Nanda Devi Glacier in the interiors. 312 floral species have been found and identified here including 17 rare ones. Himalayan animal species such as Bharals, Himalayan tahrs, serows, gorals, snow leopards, Himalayan black and brown bears, leopards, common langurs, and Himalayan musk deers can be seen here frequently while the bird life mainly consists of 80 species including warblers, gresbreaks, rose finches and ruby throats.Sir Edmund Hillary, in his autobiography, has described that the “Nanda Devi Sanctuary is God-gifted wilderness-India’s-training ground for adventure”……
The Legend - Legend has it that the hand of Nanda Devi ("She who gives bliss"), daughter of a local king, was demanded in marriage by a marauding prince. War ensued, her father was killed & she fled, eventually finding refuge on top of the mountain, now bearing her name. She is protected by a ring of mountains 112 km in circumference containing 12 peaks over 6,400, in height & in only one place is this defensive ring lower than 5,500 m, at the Rishi Gorge, one of the deepest in the world. It is the place for sages (rishi).
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