Misplaced Pages

#831168

18-718: Mana Pass is located within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve , 47 km north of the town of Mana, India and 52 km north of the Hindu pilgrimage town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand . It is the source of the Saraswati River, the longest stem of one of the longest Ganges tributaries, the Alaknanda River . That river trickles through several scenic small ponds between the pass and Lake Deo Tal three km southwest of

36-480: A national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7816 m) in Chamoli Garhwal district of Uttarakhand , in northern India . The entire park lies at an elevation of more than 3,500 m (11,500 ft) above mean sea level. The national park was inscribed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. It was later expanded and renamed as Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks in 2005. Within

54-453: A minor trade route until its closure in 1951 by the Chinese. On April 29, 1954, China and India signed an agreement granting pilgrims and indigenous travelers the right to travel between the two countries through Mana Pass. The pass is reached from the south by an extension of India National Highway 7 (NH-7, old number NH-58) that connects Fazilka with Badrinath , though beyond Badrinath

72-422: A nuclear powered listening device on top of the peak of Nanda Devi. A joint team of CIA hired US mountaineers together with Indian contingent from the defense forces were detailed to carry out the secret mission. By that time the mountaineering season was concluding and the mission met with adverse climatic conditions. They left behind the plutonium fueled device with the intention of renewing their attempt during

90-570: Is encompassed in the 5,148.57 km (1,987.87 sq mi) buffer zone around the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks UNESCO site. The best time to visit Nanda Devi National Park is from May to October. The first recorded attempt to explore the sanctuary was in 1883 by W. W. Graham, who could proceed only up to Rishi Ganga. Other attempts by explorers in 1870, (T. G. Longstaff) 1926, 1927 and 1932 (Hugh Ruttledge) did not fetch fruitful results. Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman entered

108-541: The National Park can be divided into two parts, Inner and Outer. Together, they are surrounded by the main sanctuary wall, which forms a roughly square outline, with high, continuous ridges on the north, east and south sides. On the west side, less high but still imposing ridges drop from the north and south toward the Rishi Ganga Gorge, which drains the sanctuary towards the west. The Inner Sanctuary occupies roughly

126-526: The clandestine intelligence gathering relied on ground based sensors. The Chinese missile testing facility was north of the Himalayan range, which was a big hurdle in detecting missile telemetry signals. CIA was looking for a Himalayan peak high enough to secure a direct line of sight to the Chinese missile testing zone. Together with the Intelligence Bureau of India, they planned a secret mission to install

144-730: The eastern two-thirds of the total area, and contains Nanda Devi itself and the two major glaciers flanking the peak, the UttariRishi Glacier and the Dakshini Rishi Glacier. These are fed by the smaller Uttari Nanda Devi and Dakshini Nanda Devi Glaciers respectively. The first recorded entry of the British into the Inner Sanctuary was by Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman in 1934, via the Rishi Gorge. The Outer Sanctuary occupies

162-467: The graded road is subject to landslides. Groups of enthusiast motorcycle riders can often be seen on this road. Free Souls Rider Motorcycle Club were the first non-military citizens to scale the heights of Mana Pass and hold the record in The Limca Book Of Records. Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve , established in 1982 is

180-476: The inner sanctuary through Rishi Ganga in 1934 , thus opening the extensive exploration in the sanctuary. In 1939, the area was declared as a game sanctuary. At approximately 10:45 a.m. IST on 7 February 2021, a flooding disaster occurred all along the Rishiganga river and its valley following a landslide, avalanche or glacial lake outburst flood of the Nanda Devi glacier . The Nanda Devi Sanctuary within

198-610: The main flora. Vegetation is scarce In the inner sanctuary due to the dryness of the conditions. One will not find vegetation near Nanda Devi Glacier. Ramani, alpine, prone mosses and lichens are other notable floral species found in Nanda Devi National Park. Apart from Nanda Devi, the following peaks lie on These peaks are listed in clockwise order, starting from just north of the Rishi Gorge. Some of them are relatively minor summits and have small topographic prominence , while others are independent peaks. The following are

SECTION 10

#1732858783832

216-448: The most notable peaks which are adjacent to the wall; they are all connected to the wall by high passes. They lie just outside the boundaries of the park. During the cold war era when Chinese carried out their first nuclear test in 1964 and followed it up with missile testing, the US and India actively collaborated to spy on China's nuclear capabilities. Before the advent of spy satellites much of

234-483: The next year's climbing season. The follow-up Indian expedition during the next season found the device missing from where it was anchored. It probably fell down due to rock fall and slid towards the glaciers carrying its plutonium with it. All the follow-up secret expeditions launched to retrieve the device met with failure. In 2018 it was reported that the Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand State Mr. Satpal Maharaj met

252-459: The outside (though requiring the crossing of a 4,000 m (13,000 ft) pass). The first serious climbing expedition to pass through the Outer Sanctuary was that of T. G. Longstaff , who climbed Trisul I in 1907 via the eponymous glacier. Common larger mammals are Himalayan musk deer , mainland serow and Himalayan tahr . Himalayan goral are not found within, but in the vicinity of

270-514: The park lies the Nanda Devi Sanctuary , a glacial basin surrounded by a ring of peaks between 6,000 metres (19,700 ft) and 7,500 m (24,600 ft) high, and drained by the Rishi Ganga through the Rishi Ganga Gorge, a steep, almost impassable, defile . The national park is embedded in the 2,236.74 km (863.61 sq mi) Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve , which, in turn,

288-506: The park. Carnivores are represented by snow leopard , Himalayan black bear and perhaps also Himalayan brown bear . Langurs are found within the park, whereas rhesus macaque are known to occur in the neighboring areas of the park. In a scientific expedition in 1993, a total of 114 bird species was recognized. Nanda Devi National Park is home to a wide variety of flora. Some 312 floral species that include 17 rare species have been found here. Fir , birch , rhododendron and juniper are

306-528: The pass. Mana pass is also the key col for climbing Chaukhamba peak. Mana as a name derives from "Manibhadra Ashram", the ancient name of the town of Mana. Mana Pass was an ancient trade route between Uttarakhand and Tibet. Mana Pass led from Badrinath to the kingdom, now province, of Guge in Tibet. The Portuguese Jesuits António de Andrade and Manuel Marques became the first known Europeans to enter Tibet across Mana Pass in 1624. The pass continued as

324-576: The western third of the total sanctuary, and is separated from the Inner Sanctuary by high ridges, through which flows the Rishi Ganga. It is split in two by the Rishi Ganga; on the north side lies the Ramani Glacier, flowing down from the slopes of Dunagiri and Changabang , and on the south lies the Trisul Glacier, flowing from the peak of the same name. This portion of the sanctuary is accessible to

#831168