Nanda Devi (7,816 m): Facts, History & Climbing Status
India's own giant. Closed since 1983.
Nanda Devi is the highest mountain standing entirely inside India and its second-highest overall. The main summit and the sanctuary around it have been closed to climbers since 1983. Here are the facts, the twin summits, the history from 1936 to the 2021 flood, the dated status, and the peaks you can climb instead.
- 7,816 m summit (25,643 ft)
- Status closed since 1983
- 1936 first ascent, Tilman & Odell
- Open twin Nanda Devi East 7,434 m
Mountains of India › Uttarakhand › Nanda Devi
Last verified 20 Oct 2026
How high is Nanda Devi, and can you climb it?
Nanda Devi is 7,816 m (25,643 ft) high and stands in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. It is India’s second-highest peak after Kangchenjunga and the highest wholly inside India. You cannot climb it: the main summit and its sanctuary have been closed since 1983. Only its lower twin, Nanda Devi East (7,434 m), is open. See more 7,000 m peaks in India.
Status, checked 20 October 2026: closed. The main summit and the inner Nanda Devi Sanctuary have been closed to climbers since 1983. On 17 July 2025 Uttarakhand tourism officials and the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) met in Dehradun on an IMF proposal to reopen the peak; it was described as under careful evaluation, and no reopening order has been found since. Blogs that say “Nanda Devi has reopened” are ahead of the facts.
What is open. On 4 February 2026 Uttarakhand opened 83 peaks between 5,700 and 7,756 m. The list names Nanda Devi East, the lower twin, not the main summit. Nanda Devi East is approached from Munsiyari and the Milam valley, outside the closed sanctuary.
Why it matters. Until Sikkim became an Indian state in 1975, Nanda Devi was India’s highest peak. It is revered as the patron goddess of Garhwal and Kumaon, and its name is often translated as “Bliss-Giving Goddess”. It sits at the heart of our mountains of India guide and near the top of the list of India’s highest peaks.
How hard is Nanda Devi?
Our dataset grades Nanda Devi extreme. The mountain is guarded by the Rishi Gorge and the sanctuary wall, and the 1936 line, the south ridge known as the Coxcomb, is technical rock, snow and ice. In 1976 an Indo-American team climbed a different line, the north-west buttress.
Reliable camp altitudes for these routes are not published, so we do not show a camp table. The route is history only: the peak has been closed since 1983. Nanda Devi East is graded technical too, on its south ridge via Longstaff Col.
Nanda Devi's neighbours, and what you can climb instead
In the Garhwal neighbourhood, Nanda Devi East (7,434 m) is the one legal option inside the massif, and Trisul I (7,120 m), first climbed in 1907, was the first 7,000 m summit ever reached. Both are information here: Suzu arranges climbs in Himachal only.
For a big Himalayan expedition you can book with us, look west to Himachal. Reo Purgyil (6,816 m), the state’s highest, is a full expedition for experienced climbers. Deo Tibba (6,001 m) and Yunam (6,111 m) are the natural first 6,000ers; we pair you with a registered Himachal outfitter and certified guides.
Showing 9 of 9 peaks
| # | State | Range | Status | Grade | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nanda DeviHighest peak entirely within India; 1936 ascent was the highest summit climbed until 1950. | 7,816 m25,643 ft | Uttarakhand | Garhwal Himalaya (Nanda Devi group) | 1936 | Closed | Extreme |
| 2 | KametFirst peak over 25,000 ft ever climbed (1931). | 7,756 m25,446 ft | Uttarakhand | Garhwal Himalaya (Zanskar/Kamet group) | 1931 | Climbed | Technical |
| 3 | Nanda Devi EastThe lower twin of Nanda Devi. | 7,434 m24,390 ft | Uttarakhand | Garhwal/Kumaon Himalaya (Nanda Devi group) | 1939 | Climbed | Technical |
| 4 | Trisul IFirst 7,000 m summit ever climbed (1907). | 7,120 m23,360 ft | Uttarakhand | Kumaon/Garhwal Himalaya (Nanda Devi group) | 1907 | Climbed | Moderate |
| 5 | DunagiriLinked in legend with the Sanjeevani herb of the Ramayana. | 7,066 m23,182 ft | Uttarakhand | Garhwal Himalaya (Nanda Devi group) | 1939 | Climbed | Technical |
| 6 | Changabang'Shining mountain'; the 1976 Boardman–Tasker West Wall is a classic of Himalayan alpinism. | 6,864 m22,520 ft | Uttarakhand | Garhwal Himalaya (Nanda Devi group) | 1974 | Climbed | Extreme |
| 7 | Reo PurgyilHighest peak of Himachal Pradesh. Twin of Leo Pargial (6,791 m), about 2 km to the north; Nako village is the trekking base. | 6,816 m22,362 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Western Himalaya (Zanskar range, southern end) | 1971 | Climbed | Technical |
| 8 | Mount YunamClimbed from the Bharatpur tent camp on the Manali–Leh highway; summit day is a long single push. No documented first ascent found. | 6,111 m20,049 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Great Himalaya (Lahaul, Baralacha) | — | Climbed | Trekking peak |
| 9 | Deo TibbaFirst climbed in 1952 by J. de V. Graaff's party via the Duhangan col between Deo Tibba and Indrasan. Wikipedia names Clare Graaff and Pasang Dawa Lama; the Himalayan… | 6,001 m19,688 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Pir Panjal | 1952 | Climbed | Moderate |
Permits: why you cannot get one for Nanda Devi
No permit is issued for the main summit or the inner sanctuary. The 2025 reopening proposal had no decision as of October 2026, so any trip sold as a “Nanda Devi expedition” to the main peak has no legal basis.
Nanda Devi East goes through Uttarakhand’s UKMPS portal. Indian climbers pay no state or government fees under the 2026 waiver. Foreign teams need IMF permission: for peaks above 7,000 m the IMF base fee is US$1,000 for a team of two, plus US$500 liaison-officer equipment hire, and per-member charges apply (IMF peak-fee page, as of 1 Oct 2026). Read our IMF permit and peak fees guide and mountaineering in India for foreign climbers.
History of Nanda Devi: 1934 to today
1934: Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman find a way through the Rishi Gorge into the sanctuary.
29 August 1936: Bill Tilman and Noel Odell reach the summit by the south (Coxcomb) ridge on a British-American expedition. It stayed the highest summit ever climbed until Annapurna in 1950, and Shipton called it “the finest mountaineering achievement ever performed in the Himalaya”. Nanda Devi East followed in 1939, climbed by a Polish team.
1964: an Indian team led by N. Kumar makes the second ascent, on the Coxcomb route.
October 1965: a joint CIA and Indian Intelligence Bureau team leaves a plutonium-powered (SNAP-19C) sensor near Camp IV in a blizzard. It was not found in 1966, and the story became public in 1978.
1976: an Indo-American team climbs the north-west buttress, and three Americans reach the summit on 1 September. Nanda Devi Unsoeld, daughter of co-leader Willi Unsoeld, died on the mountain after illness at high altitude.
1983: the sanctuary is closed, over environmental damage and the mountain’s religious significance. 1993: an Army Corps of Engineers clean-up expedition of 40 members under Lt Col V.K. Bhatt puts five climbers on top, a one-off exception.
2025–26: the IMF’s reopening proposal is reviewed in July 2025, with no decision. The 12-yearly Nanda Devi Raj Jat pilgrimage, due in August–September 2026, was postponed to 2027 by its committee on 18 January 2026.
Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East: the twin summits
Nanda Devi is a two-peaked massif joined by a ridge about 2 km long, running east to west. The west summit is the main one, at 7,816 m. The east summit, Nanda Devi East (7,434 m / 24,390 ft), is known locally as Sunanda Devi.
| Nanda Devi (main) | Nanda Devi East | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 7,816 m / 25,643 ft | 7,434 m / 24,390 ft |
| First ascent | 1936, Tilman & Odell | 1939, Jakub Bujak & Janusz Klarner (Polish) |
| Approach | Rishi Gorge into the sanctuary (closed) | Munsiyari → Milam valley (Lawan Gad) |
| Status 2026 | Closed since 1983 | On Uttarakhand’s Feb 2026 open list |
| Foreign teams | No | Yes, with IMF permission |
Watch the name. Open-peak lists that say “Nanda Devi” mean Nanda Devi East. The main summit is not on any 2026 list.
The Nanda Devi Sanctuary and national park
Nanda Devi rises from a basin ringed by peaks, twelve of them over 6,400 m. For decades the only way in was the Rishi Gorge, and it was this barrier that kept climbers out until 1934.
The area became the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in 1982, and Nanda Devi National Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Its core zone was opened in 2003 for limited eco-tourism, not for climbing.
On 7 February 2021 part of a glacier in the Nanda Devi area broke away, and floods on the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers destroyed one dam and damaged another.
Other Uttarakhand peaks of a similar height
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Uttarakhand7,756 m25,446 ft
Kamet
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Uttarakhand7,434 m24,390 ft
Nanda Devi East
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Uttarakhand7,355 m24,131 ft
Abi Gamin
-
Uttarakhand7,272 m23,858 ft
Mana Peak
Nanda Devi: questions people ask
What is the height of Nanda Devi?
7,816 m (25,643 ft). Some sources, including Wikipedia, give 7,817 m.
Is Nanda Devi the highest peak in India?
It is the highest peak wholly inside India and India’s second-highest after Kangchenjunga, which sits on the Sikkim–Nepal border. Until Sikkim joined India in 1975 it was India’s highest.
Can you climb Nanda Devi?
No. The main peak and the inner sanctuary have been closed since 1983. A reopening proposal was discussed in July 2025, but no decision had been found as of October 2026. Nanda Devi East (7,434 m) is open through Uttarakhand’s UKMPS portal and, for foreigners, the IMF.
Who first climbed Nanda Devi?
Bill Tilman and Noel Odell, on 29 August 1936, by the south (Coxcomb) ridge.
Why is Nanda Devi closed?
The sanctuary was closed in 1983 over environmental damage and the mountain’s religious significance. Nanda Devi National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1988).
What is the Nanda Devi plutonium story?
In October 1965 a CIA and Indian Intelligence Bureau team left a plutonium-powered sensor near Camp IV in a blizzard. It was never recovered, and the mission became public in 1978.
What happened to Nanda Devi Unsoeld?
She died on the 1976 Indo-American expedition after illness at high altitude. Her father, Willi Unsoeld, was the expedition’s co-leader.
Where is Nanda Devi?
In Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, in the Garhwal Himalaya. Nanda Devi East is reached from Munsiyari and the Milam valley.
Dreaming of Nanda Devi? Start with a Himachal expedition
Nanda Devi is closed, but the big-mountain experience is not. Tell us your dates, team size and experience, and we will suggest a Himachal peak that fits: Deo Tibba, Yunam or Reo Purgyil. We pair you with a registered Himachal outfitter and certified guides. Price: Get Quote.
Keep exploring
Sources
- Wikipedia — Nanda Devi
- American Alpine Journal (1937) — The Ascent of Nanda Devi
- Wikipedia — Nanda Devi Plutonium Mission
- Wikipedia — Sunanda Devi (Nanda Devi East)
- ETV Bharat (Feb 2026) — Uttarakhand opens 83 Himalayan peaks
- Travel and Tour World (Jul 2025) — Uttarakhand in talks to reopen Nanda Devi
- ThePrint (Jan 2026) — Nanda Devi Raj Jat yatra postponed to 2027
- Indian Mountaineering Foundation — peak fees for foreign expeditions
