Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world, with an elevation of 8,586 metres (28,169 feet).
It is a mountain in the Himalayan range and lies partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim, India.
The mountain was first climbed on May 25, 1955, by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of a British expedition. The climbers stopped 20 feet short of the summit out of respect for the religious significance of the mountain in Sikkim, to its east.
Every climber or climbing group that has reached the summit has followed this tradition. Other members of this expedition included John Angelo Jackson and Tom Mackinon.
Kangchenjunga is more challenging and deadlier than Mount Everest. Many attempts to climb it have resulted in deaths in this avalanche-prone area that is hazardous and has no direct route to the summit. The death rate on this mountain has is estimated to be around 22% since 1990.
There are four climbing routes to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga, three of which are in Nepal from the southwest, northwest and northeast. The fourth one is from northeastern Sikkim.
However, the Indian government has banned expeditions to the mountain since 2000 as the people of Sikkim strongly revere it as a sacred mountain.
Its five peaks symbolise the five treasures like gold, silver, gems, food grains and religious texts. The mountain is so worshipped that even today the peak is not scaled by mountaineers, respecting local sentiments.
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