Mount Kanchenjunga is the third-highest mountain in the world. It stands tall at the height of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) above sea level. The mountain in the Himalayan range is delineated in the north by Jongsang La and the Nepal-China border and in the west by the Tamur River. In the Taplejung district of India, Kanchenjunga Main straddles the border of Phaktanglung and Sirijanga rural municipalities.
Kanchenjunga Main is located 0.8 km to the north-northwest of Kanchenjunga Central and 1.1 km to the east-southeast of Yalung Khang. There had been many arguments and confusions in the minds of many regarding the height of Mount Kanchenjunga in the past. In this article, we will discuss how tall is Mount Kanchenjunga and more. Stay tuned till the end to know more!
How tall is Mount Kanchenjunga?
Kanchenjunga stands tall at the height of 8586m above sea level, making it the third tallest mountain in the world. This peak had been called the first tallest mountain in the world, but the doubts were cleared after 1849 when the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India announced that Mount Everest was the highest mountain in the world, surpassing the height of Mount Kanchenjunga. At that time, Mount Everest was known as Peak XV.
In 1856, erasing any further confusion, Mount Kanchenjunga was announced as the third-highest peak in the world with verified calculations. The mountain, with its mighty height and topography, has gained several names throughout the years, like Kangchenjunga or Kinchinjunga, Nepali Kumbhkaran Lungur, and Kanchanjunga. Sixteen peaks in the Himalayas are above 7,000 meters (23,000 feet), and the Kangchenjunga Himal region encompasses both Nepal and India.
Kanchenjunga rises 125 kilometers (78 miles) east-southeast of Mount Everest, or roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the general alignment of the Great Himalayan range. The Singalila Ridge, which separates Sikkim from Nepal and northern West Bengal, is 3,000–3,500 meters (9,800–11,500 feet) and runs south of Kanchenjunga’s southern slope.
Kanchenjunga Massifs
Mount Kanchenjunga includes five massifs. They are explained below:
1. Kanchenjunga Main
The Brahmaputra River basin, one of the largest in the world and a component of the Southeast Asian monsoon regime has its reach their highest elevation at Kangchenjunga Main. The peak is at a height of 8,586 m(28,169 ft) with a prominence of 3,922 m(12,867 ft). The nearest tall mountain besides Kanchenjunga main is Mount Everest in the south. The massif is located in Sikkim, India’s Mangan district, and Taplejung, Nepal’s Koshi Province.
2. Kanchenjunga West (Yalung Kang)
Kanchenjunga West(Yalung Kang) lies at a height of 8,505 m(27,904 ft) above sea level with a prominence of 135 m(443 ft). The nearest tall mountain of the Kanchenjunga West is Kanchenjunga itself. It is situated in Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal.
3. Kangchenjunga Central
Kanchenjunga Central is located in the center at 8,482 m(27,828 ft) above sea level. This massif lies at the prominence of 32m(105 ft). And its nearest neighbor is Kanchenjunga South. Kanchenjunga Central is located in Mangan district, Sikkim, India / Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal.
4. Kangchenjunga South
Kanchenjunga South is 8,494m(27,867 ft) tall at a prominence of 119m(390 ft). Its neighboring mountain is Kanchenjunga. It is located in Mangan district, Sikkim, India / Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal.
5. Kangbachen
Kangbachen lies at a height of 7,903m(25,928 ft) above sea level at a prominence of 103 m (337ft). It is located in Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal, with the neighboring mountain Kangchenjunga West.
Kanchenjunga Climbing Routes
There are a total of four routes to Kanchenjunga. Three are situated in Nepal, and only one is in the northeastern part of India. The Nepalese routes include southwest, northwest, and northeast routes, and the Sikkimese, Indian routes include only the northeastern route. The latter route has only been taken three times throughout the years. The Chogyal, or the king, of Sikkim, had restricted the first two expeditors to summit Kanchenjunga, and they climbed the mountain while also keeping the promise to not summit. And, no one has ever gone against what even the first two British mountaineers didn’t. In 2000, however, the Indian government restricted expeditions to Kanchenjunga, and the Sikkimese route has been untouched for any summit or climb ever since.
Regardless of the restrictions from the Indian side of Kanchenjunga, ascents have been made for years from the Nepalese side of the mountain, and all three routes are being used to this day. Hence, in order to climb Kanchenjunga, mountaineers always start from Taplejung, Nepal.
History of Kanchenjunga
The third-highest peak in the world, Kanchenjunga, has a whole lot of interesting history related to it. It gets its name from the Tibetan words Kang-chen-dzo-nga or Yang-chhen-dzö-nga, which translates to “Five Treasuries of the Great Snow.”
There is a religious significance of Kanchenjunga in history. It is believed to have been the home of Kanchenjunga yeti, otherwise known as, Dzonga or the Kanchenjunga Demon. The stories of this immortal being have been known to people from both Sikkim and Nepal. The Lepcha, Tibetan, and Limbu residents around the Kanchenjunga area believe that there is an existence of yeti somewhere deep in the mountains, which still remains a mystery to the outer world. While many consider it a myth, yeti has been one of the most popular legends of the mountain.
This being also holds great significance in the Buddhist religion. A story of the expedition of Tulshuk Lingpa with 300 other climbers in 1962 with an ambition to open the path for Beyol Demoshong has been recalled in the 2011 book A Step Away from Paradise.
Is Kanchenjunga in India or Nepal?
Along with the question of how tall Mount Kanchenjunga is, many have also wondered whether the mountain is in India or Nepal. Mount Kanchenjunga is located on the border and stretches to both India and Nepal. Kanchenjunga extends from Nepal’s Taplejung District, to India’s Mangan District, and Sikkim.
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