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Nanda Devi: Exploration and Ascent
'When a man is conscious of the urge to explore, not all the arduous journeyings, the troubles that will beset him and the lack of material gains from his investigations will stop him. ' Nanda Devi is one of the most inaccessible mountains in the Himalaya . It is surrounded by a huge ring of peaks, among them some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalaya. For fifty years the finest mountaineers of the early twentieth century had repeatedly tried and failed to reach the foot of the mountain. Then, in 1934, Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman found a way in. Their 1934 expedition is regarded as the epitome of adventurous mountain exploration. With their three tough and enthusiastic Sherpa companions Angtharkay, Kusang and Pasang, they solved the problem of access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. They crossed difficult cols, made first ascents and explored remote, uninhabited valleys, all of which is recounted in Shipton's wonderfully vivid Nanda Devi - a true evocation of Shipton's enduring spirit of adventure and one of the most inspirational travel books ever written.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
47 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Eric Shipton
26 books7 followersEric Earle Shipton, CBE (1 August 1907 – 28 March 1977), was an English Himalayan mountaineer.
Shipton was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. When he was eight, his mother brought him to London for his education. When he failed the entrance exam to Harrow School, his mother sent him to Pyt House School in Wiltshire. His first encounter with mountains was at 15 when he visited the Pyrenees with his family. The next summer he spent travelling in Norway with a school friend and within a year he had begun climbing seriously.
Shipton, Eric. Nanda Devi. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1936.
Shipton, Eric. Blank on the map. Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1938.
Shipton, Eric. Upon That Mountain. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1943.
Shipton, Eric. The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition 1951. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1952.
Shipton, Eric. Mountains of Tartary. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1953.
Shipton, Eric. Land of Tempest. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1963.
Shipton, Eric. That Untravelled World. Charles Scribner and Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-340-04330-X (Hodder & Stoughton (1969))
Shipton, Eric. Tierra del Fuego: the Fatal Lodestone. Charles Knight & Co., London, 1973 ISBN 0-85314-194-0
Shipton, Eric. The Six Mountain-Travel Books. Mountaineers' Books, 1997. ISBN 0-89886-539-5 (A collection of the first six books listed – That Untravelled World duplicated much of the previous content.)
Shipton was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. When he was eight, his mother brought him to London for his education. When he failed the entrance exam to Harrow School, his mother sent him to Pyt House School in Wiltshire. His first encounter with mountains was at 15 when he visited the Pyrenees with his family. The next summer he spent travelling in Norway with a school friend and within a year he had begun climbing seriously.
Shipton, Eric. Nanda Devi. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1936.
Shipton, Eric. Blank on the map. Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1938.
Shipton, Eric. Upon That Mountain. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1943.
Shipton, Eric. The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition 1951. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1952.
Shipton, Eric. Mountains of Tartary. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1953.
Shipton, Eric. Land of Tempest. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1963.
Shipton, Eric. That Untravelled World. Charles Scribner and Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-340-04330-X (Hodder & Stoughton (1969))
Shipton, Eric. Tierra del Fuego: the Fatal Lodestone. Charles Knight & Co., London, 1973 ISBN 0-85314-194-0
Shipton, Eric. The Six Mountain-Travel Books. Mountaineers' Books, 1997. ISBN 0-89886-539-5 (A collection of the first six books listed – That Untravelled World duplicated much of the previous content.)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 5, 2018
The first time I came to know about Eric Shipton was during a hike up Mount Kenya a couple of decades ago. I camped overnight at an altitude of 13800 feet before leaving for Point Lenana (16355 feet) at 2.30 am. This campsite was called Shipton’s Camp after Eric Shipton. Since then, I came to learn that Shipton had done great exploration in the Indian Himalayas and in Patagonia. This book, written in 1939, is about one of his pioneering expeditions in the Indian Himalayas in 1934. Apart from minute details of the climb and exploration, it has observations on the Garhwal countryside and its people. There are notes on the flora and fauna as well as forays into the spiritualism of Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Special mention is made on the splendid character of the sherpas who assist them. Even the introductions and forewords to the book by Stephen Venables, Jim Perrin and Hugh Ruttledge are a great read, giving the history of the previous climbs in the region and commenting on the persona of Eric Shipton himself.
The Nanda Devi peak, at 25643 ft, was the highest mountain in British India in the 1930s. Kanchenjunga, which is higher, was in the independent kingdom of Sikkim at that time. Many attempts earlier to get into the Nanda Devi sanctuary had failed due to the peak being encircled by a huge mountain amphitheatre. In Shipton’s words, “....this seventy-mile ring of mountains had repulsed all assaults and the sanctuary of the inner Nanda Devi basin had remained inviolate….”. I had started reading the book with the mistaken assumption that it was about the successful ascent of the Nanda Devi peak by Tilman and Shipton. Part of the way into the book showed me that this was actually the attempt by the duo along with their three sherpas in finding a climbing route into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary via the Rishi Ganga gorge. Eric Shipton’s expedition was a small one in terms of food, supplies, transport and attention to detail when compared to other major mountaineering expeditions of that time. His logic was that if anything goes wrong, his team had to ‘just tie it up with a string’ and carry on. In large expeditions, in contrast, things simply come apart due to over-dependence on any one aspect of the expedition.
The narrative covers three major explorations by Shipton, Tilman and their three sherpa comrades, namely Ang Tharkay, Pasang and Kusang around the monsoon time in 1934. The first one was into the Nanda Devi sanctuary, the second in the Badrinath-Kedarnath watershed and third was back into the sanctuary to find a route to the summit. All three were pioneering first time climbs. It was the final week of May 1934. Since the Nanda Devi sanctuary is bound by mountains with all the cols being above 18000 feet, they try the only possible route up the narrow and deadly Rishi Ganga gorge. After a week’s effort from Joshimath, they set up camp halfway up the gorge at the confluence of the Rhamani and Rishi Ganga rivers. They see that the next 3-4 kms of the gorge was a forbidding canyon with rock faces rising a massive 10000 feet on either side. They accomplish the stunning task of carrying their more than 200 kg of supplies up the slopes over the next week, only to find a seemingly impassable deadend on their side of the canyon. But the indomitable spirits of Tilman and Ang Tharkay explore the region and eventually find a path beyond the deadend to enter the sanctuary successfully.
The next adventure takes them to Badrinath. The area between Badrinath and Kedarnath is drained by the three main sources of the Ganges - Mandakini, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. The region is highly mountainous and the watershed had hitherto never been successfuly traversed. The team heads to the Bhagirath Kharak glacier in mid-July but gets stuck as they could not find a pass over any of the glaciers nearby. They climb north along the Arwa river and eventually come down the X glacier (known as the Chaturangi glacier now), thereby crossing the watershed to reach Gaumukh. Then they proceed to climb to the Satopanth glacier to find a route to the Gangotri glacier. This turns out to be a tough and challenging task, involving climbing steep cliffs and rock faces, with ice caps and crevasses. They lose their way and find that they are heading for the Kedarnath valley rather than the Gangotri glacier. Shipton and Tilman give up and decide to turn back and retrace the way to Badrinath. But the resourceful sherpas were determined to make a success of it and Ang Tharkay finds a challenging route to get to the Kedarnath valley. But it turns out a lot tougher than even Ang Tharkay had imagined. They had to slash through thick forests and jungles on the slopes, camping close to mountain bears which inhabited these slopes. Rivers needed to be croseed in steep gorges where a slip meant hundreds of feet down the slopes to certain death. After a week’s ordeal, they successfully reach Kedarnath thereby establishing the first traverse of the Badrinath-Kedarnath watershed.
The final adventure starts on 30th August again up the Rishi Ganga gorge into the Nanda Devi sanctuary. They explore a ridge to the south of Nanda Devi and find that it can be used to launch a subsequent assault on the summit itself, provided the expedition was well organized and prepared. The whole exploration comes to a successful end when Ang Tharkay, yet again, finds a route to come down the 6000 feet icefall from Ruttledge’s col down the Sunderdhunga glacier and reach river Pindar.
One of the things I enjoyed most in reading this book was the use of modern technology aids in reliving the team’s ascent. Using Google Earth, I was able to have a spectacular 3D aerial view of the entire Nanda Devi peaks, the sanctuary as well as the stunning amphitheater of mountains that Shipton talks about. Any amount of descriptions in words cannot convey what this image conveys to the average reader. I was also able to get close-ups of the many glaciers and its surroundings that the book talks about. More than 2D maps, the 3D images with their 360 degrees rotation, bring a more fulfilling way of reading books such as this. The narrative consists of a lot of detail on the climb and the mountain terrain. Hence, it is slow reading without much suspenseful action for the most part .
Overall, the book will be of great interest to people who are keen on mountaineering and adventure. If one has trekked a bit in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas, like me, that can also help in orienting oneself in the region. This always helps much more in enjoying such books.
The Nanda Devi peak, at 25643 ft, was the highest mountain in British India in the 1930s. Kanchenjunga, which is higher, was in the independent kingdom of Sikkim at that time. Many attempts earlier to get into the Nanda Devi sanctuary had failed due to the peak being encircled by a huge mountain amphitheatre. In Shipton’s words, “....this seventy-mile ring of mountains had repulsed all assaults and the sanctuary of the inner Nanda Devi basin had remained inviolate….”. I had started reading the book with the mistaken assumption that it was about the successful ascent of the Nanda Devi peak by Tilman and Shipton. Part of the way into the book showed me that this was actually the attempt by the duo along with their three sherpas in finding a climbing route into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary via the Rishi Ganga gorge. Eric Shipton’s expedition was a small one in terms of food, supplies, transport and attention to detail when compared to other major mountaineering expeditions of that time. His logic was that if anything goes wrong, his team had to ‘just tie it up with a string’ and carry on. In large expeditions, in contrast, things simply come apart due to over-dependence on any one aspect of the expedition.
The narrative covers three major explorations by Shipton, Tilman and their three sherpa comrades, namely Ang Tharkay, Pasang and Kusang around the monsoon time in 1934. The first one was into the Nanda Devi sanctuary, the second in the Badrinath-Kedarnath watershed and third was back into the sanctuary to find a route to the summit. All three were pioneering first time climbs. It was the final week of May 1934. Since the Nanda Devi sanctuary is bound by mountains with all the cols being above 18000 feet, they try the only possible route up the narrow and deadly Rishi Ganga gorge. After a week’s effort from Joshimath, they set up camp halfway up the gorge at the confluence of the Rhamani and Rishi Ganga rivers. They see that the next 3-4 kms of the gorge was a forbidding canyon with rock faces rising a massive 10000 feet on either side. They accomplish the stunning task of carrying their more than 200 kg of supplies up the slopes over the next week, only to find a seemingly impassable deadend on their side of the canyon. But the indomitable spirits of Tilman and Ang Tharkay explore the region and eventually find a path beyond the deadend to enter the sanctuary successfully.
The next adventure takes them to Badrinath. The area between Badrinath and Kedarnath is drained by the three main sources of the Ganges - Mandakini, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. The region is highly mountainous and the watershed had hitherto never been successfuly traversed. The team heads to the Bhagirath Kharak glacier in mid-July but gets stuck as they could not find a pass over any of the glaciers nearby. They climb north along the Arwa river and eventually come down the X glacier (known as the Chaturangi glacier now), thereby crossing the watershed to reach Gaumukh. Then they proceed to climb to the Satopanth glacier to find a route to the Gangotri glacier. This turns out to be a tough and challenging task, involving climbing steep cliffs and rock faces, with ice caps and crevasses. They lose their way and find that they are heading for the Kedarnath valley rather than the Gangotri glacier. Shipton and Tilman give up and decide to turn back and retrace the way to Badrinath. But the resourceful sherpas were determined to make a success of it and Ang Tharkay finds a challenging route to get to the Kedarnath valley. But it turns out a lot tougher than even Ang Tharkay had imagined. They had to slash through thick forests and jungles on the slopes, camping close to mountain bears which inhabited these slopes. Rivers needed to be croseed in steep gorges where a slip meant hundreds of feet down the slopes to certain death. After a week’s ordeal, they successfully reach Kedarnath thereby establishing the first traverse of the Badrinath-Kedarnath watershed.
The final adventure starts on 30th August again up the Rishi Ganga gorge into the Nanda Devi sanctuary. They explore a ridge to the south of Nanda Devi and find that it can be used to launch a subsequent assault on the summit itself, provided the expedition was well organized and prepared. The whole exploration comes to a successful end when Ang Tharkay, yet again, finds a route to come down the 6000 feet icefall from Ruttledge’s col down the Sunderdhunga glacier and reach river Pindar.
One of the things I enjoyed most in reading this book was the use of modern technology aids in reliving the team’s ascent. Using Google Earth, I was able to have a spectacular 3D aerial view of the entire Nanda Devi peaks, the sanctuary as well as the stunning amphitheater of mountains that Shipton talks about. Any amount of descriptions in words cannot convey what this image conveys to the average reader. I was also able to get close-ups of the many glaciers and its surroundings that the book talks about. More than 2D maps, the 3D images with their 360 degrees rotation, bring a more fulfilling way of reading books such as this. The narrative consists of a lot of detail on the climb and the mountain terrain. Hence, it is slow reading without much suspenseful action for the most part .
Overall, the book will be of great interest to people who are keen on mountaineering and adventure. If one has trekked a bit in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas, like me, that can also help in orienting oneself in the region. This always helps much more in enjoying such books.
May 31, 2024
A riveting diary of the complete exploration of the Nanda Devi Basin. At times, opinionated, but then, it is meant to be a personal diary of sorts.
February 6, 2017
This is one of the early mountaineering book. This book written in the own style by one of the ask time great Alpinist and mountain explorer Eric Shipton in his own style. This is my second read and thoroughly enjoyed the same. This book is more of an exploration around the Nanda Devi basin and sanctuary and more of a tribute the Goddess Nanda of Kumaoon Folklore. I cannot stop myself from quoting lines from the text.
After reaching the summit of Kuary Pass Shipton writes, "As we raised our heads above the top of the pass a gigantic sweep of icy peaks confronted us, and it was difficult to refrain from gasping at the vastness of the scene. The serrated line of the Kedarnath and Badrinath peaks, Kamet, Hathi Parbat, and the great cleft of the Dhauli Valley were easily recognised, but the glittering array of snowy peaks of all shapes and sizes which filled the gaps were easier to admire and wonder at than to identify. South of the Dhauli towered the graceful Dunagiri, but a sight of Nanda Devi, so soon to be our lodestone, was denied us."
..........
"On reaching the summit of Lata past a little hamlet named Lata the breathtaking view the author expressed as, " A glance at the view changed our gloomy outlook on life to one of thrilling exultation. The afternoon was clear and still. All round us were scenes of grandeur, the scale of which was too vast for human conception. To the north, across the Dhaoli Valley, rose the grim turrets and delicate spires of the Hathi Parbat group, so complex in structure that we could not begin to understand its tangled topography. Eastwards was the lovely cone of Dunagiri, displaying to full advantage its beautifully proportioned curves. West of us was the Trisul range, its vast ice plateau dazzlingly white in the torrid rays of the afternoon sun. And to the south Nanda Devi, queen of them all, held aloft her proud shapely head, her slender shoulders draped with snow-white braid."
In another occasion the author picturized the panorama that unfolded before the eyes as, "Towards sunset the rain cleared off and, as we sat round our juniper fire , we witnessed a heavenly unveiling of the great peaks of the basin. First appeared the majestic head of Nanda Devi herself, frowning down upon us from an incredible height, utterly detached from the earth. One by one the white giants of the un-named ranges to the north followed suit; until at last it seemed as if the entire mountain realm stood before us bathed in the splendour of the dying sun, paying homage to the majesty of their peerless queen."
The final tribute to the source of the Ganges River is superb. " Drab though the scene was, like the tongue of any glacier, it was impossible to be unmoved at sight of the turbid flood rushing from a black ice cave under the towering wall of ice which marked the end of the Gangotri Glacier, and to reflect that here, where it was a bare thirty feet wide, the Ganges began a journey of fifteen hundred miles to the Bay of Bengal into which it poured through many mouths, one alone full twenty miles wide. When one further reflected that from sea to source it was regarded with veneration by more than two hundred million human beings who, in life, believe that to bathe in it is to be cleansed from sin, and at death ask no more but that their ashes may be cast upon its waters , one had a combination of stupendous spiritual and physical marvels which could hardly be equalled elsewhere in the world."
It's a long time I thoroughly enjoyed reading and so taking the time to post a few lines as is from the book.
After reaching the summit of Kuary Pass Shipton writes, "As we raised our heads above the top of the pass a gigantic sweep of icy peaks confronted us, and it was difficult to refrain from gasping at the vastness of the scene. The serrated line of the Kedarnath and Badrinath peaks, Kamet, Hathi Parbat, and the great cleft of the Dhauli Valley were easily recognised, but the glittering array of snowy peaks of all shapes and sizes which filled the gaps were easier to admire and wonder at than to identify. South of the Dhauli towered the graceful Dunagiri, but a sight of Nanda Devi, so soon to be our lodestone, was denied us."
..........
"On reaching the summit of Lata past a little hamlet named Lata the breathtaking view the author expressed as, " A glance at the view changed our gloomy outlook on life to one of thrilling exultation. The afternoon was clear and still. All round us were scenes of grandeur, the scale of which was too vast for human conception. To the north, across the Dhaoli Valley, rose the grim turrets and delicate spires of the Hathi Parbat group, so complex in structure that we could not begin to understand its tangled topography. Eastwards was the lovely cone of Dunagiri, displaying to full advantage its beautifully proportioned curves. West of us was the Trisul range, its vast ice plateau dazzlingly white in the torrid rays of the afternoon sun. And to the south Nanda Devi, queen of them all, held aloft her proud shapely head, her slender shoulders draped with snow-white braid."
In another occasion the author picturized the panorama that unfolded before the eyes as, "Towards sunset the rain cleared off and, as we sat round our juniper fire , we witnessed a heavenly unveiling of the great peaks of the basin. First appeared the majestic head of Nanda Devi herself, frowning down upon us from an incredible height, utterly detached from the earth. One by one the white giants of the un-named ranges to the north followed suit; until at last it seemed as if the entire mountain realm stood before us bathed in the splendour of the dying sun, paying homage to the majesty of their peerless queen."
The final tribute to the source of the Ganges River is superb. " Drab though the scene was, like the tongue of any glacier, it was impossible to be unmoved at sight of the turbid flood rushing from a black ice cave under the towering wall of ice which marked the end of the Gangotri Glacier, and to reflect that here, where it was a bare thirty feet wide, the Ganges began a journey of fifteen hundred miles to the Bay of Bengal into which it poured through many mouths, one alone full twenty miles wide. When one further reflected that from sea to source it was regarded with veneration by more than two hundred million human beings who, in life, believe that to bathe in it is to be cleansed from sin, and at death ask no more but that their ashes may be cast upon its waters , one had a combination of stupendous spiritual and physical marvels which could hardly be equalled elsewhere in the world."
It's a long time I thoroughly enjoyed reading and so taking the time to post a few lines as is from the book.
April 18, 2016
One mountaineering classic written dates back in the early stages of Himalayan Mountaineering.
Nanda Devi, The Sacred Shrine is based on the author's journey to explore the inner gorge of the sacred mountain which was surrounded by deep ravines, mountains and glaciers. The exploration and adventure is portraited like a moving picture of pilgrimage and touches the heart. I can not but stop myself quoting the last few lines.
"The day, begun with the sight of a dawn fair beyond description and crowded with so much vivid life, closed with us stretched luxuriously on our ledge, perched high up amongst the precipitous glaciers of one of the grandest of mountain cirques. Lightning flickered somewhere to the east; the distant thunder was almost indistinguishable from the growl of the avalanches.Mists floated stealthily in and out of the corries about us, forming and dissolving as if at will. Far to the south the placid sea of monsoon cloud still stretched over the plains, and the silvery light of a full moon lent to the scene an appearance of infinite depth. "
Nanda Devi, The Sacred Shrine is based on the author's journey to explore the inner gorge of the sacred mountain which was surrounded by deep ravines, mountains and glaciers. The exploration and adventure is portraited like a moving picture of pilgrimage and touches the heart. I can not but stop myself quoting the last few lines.
"The day, begun with the sight of a dawn fair beyond description and crowded with so much vivid life, closed with us stretched luxuriously on our ledge, perched high up amongst the precipitous glaciers of one of the grandest of mountain cirques. Lightning flickered somewhere to the east; the distant thunder was almost indistinguishable from the growl of the avalanches.Mists floated stealthily in and out of the corries about us, forming and dissolving as if at will. Far to the south the placid sea of monsoon cloud still stretched over the plains, and the silvery light of a full moon lent to the scene an appearance of infinite depth. "
July 27, 2021
I've enjoyed anything of Shipton's that I've read- his understated, dry descriptions of truly remarkable feats are a blessed relief in comparison to many modern hyberbolic accounts of much less impressive undertakings. This slim volume, however, takes things to a new level. His tale of the first cracking of the puzzle of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 1934 with Bill Tillman is simply sublime. Not only that but the Vertebrae Press edition includes essays on Shipton by Stephen Venebales and Jim Perrin which are worth the cover price alone.
April 26, 2025
This book was the backbone of my thesis, and I got to know every page very well alongside Shipton’s archives. As a casual reader it may be worth 3 stars, and only then for occasionally compelling imagery and historical value.
It is generally quite repetitive and uninteresting if you have no ulterior motives for reading it, but holds lots of value as a piece of mountaineering and environmental history, as well as the history of science and technology.
It is generally quite repetitive and uninteresting if you have no ulterior motives for reading it, but holds lots of value as a piece of mountaineering and environmental history, as well as the history of science and technology.
December 25, 2023
Just beautiful
April 4, 2021
An epic of Himalayan exploration which made me retrace his steps into the sanctuary of the 'Bliss Giving' goddess at least to some extent . A classic of mountain literature which inspired a generation of mountaineers and continues to do so even now.
March 21, 2023
Eric Shipton's book "Nanda Devi" is basically a couple hundred pages of description of the landscape surrounding the Himalayan peak Nanda Devi. While the book relates a couple of stories of interest, it was mostly fairly dull description of glaciers and raging rivers.
May 21, 2015
nice book
A good book and very well written. Interesting read about he nanda Devi as well as the badrinath and kedarnath route.
A good book and very well written. Interesting read about he nanda Devi as well as the badrinath and kedarnath route.
July 5, 2017
differently written
July 18, 2021
Must read for trekkers and mountaineers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews