Which Is the Highest Peak in India?

Key facts about Kangchenjunga:

• Height: 8,586 m (28,169 ft) • Location: On the border of Sikkim (India) and Nepal • World rank: 3rd highest mountain in the world (after Everest and K2) • Name meaning: 'Five Treasures of Snow' in Tibetan/Nepali (referring to its five peaks, each with a summit) • First ascent: 25 May 1955 by George Band and Joe Brown (British expedition) • The summit was left unstepped (unclimbed) by the first team as a mark of respect to the local belief that the mountain is sacred

The five summits of Kangchenjunga:

1. Main summit: 8,586 m
2. West summit (Yalung Kang): 8,505 m
3. Central summit: 8,482 m
4. South summit: 8,476 m
5. Kangbachen (Zemu Gap Peak): 7,903 m

State: Sikkim (India) — also shared with Nepal Biosphere: The Kangchenjunga Conservation Area is a protected zone.

Key facts about Nanda Devi:

• Height: 7,816 m (25,643 ft) • Location: Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India • Entirely within India (unlike Kangchenjunga which is on the border) • Second highest mountain in India (after Kangchenjunga) • UNESCO World Heritage Site: Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (declared in 1988) • First ascent: 1936 by Noel Odell and H.W. Tilman (British team) • Climbing restricted since 1982 due to environmental concerns

Name meaning: Nanda Devi is a goddess in Hinduism — the presiding deity of Uttarakhand.

Note on K2: • K2: 8,611 m — world's second highest peak • Located in the Karakoram range in Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan-administered Kashmir) • India claims the region, but K2 is not under Indian administration — not counted as highest peak in India for exam purposes

Rank | Peak | Height (m) | State/Location 1 | Kangchenjunga | 8,586 | Sikkim-Nepal border 2 | Nanda Devi | 7,816 | Uttarakhand 3 | Kamet | 7,756 | Uttarakhand 4 | Saltoro Kangri | 7,742 | Jammu & Kashmir (Ladakh) 5 | Saser Kangri I | 7,672 | Jammu & Kashmir (Ladakh) 6 | Mamostong Kangri | 7,516 | Jammu & Kashmir (Ladakh) 7 | Rimo I | 7,385 | Jammu & Kashmir (Ladakh) 8 | Hardeol | 7,151 | Uttarakhand 9 | Chaukhamba I | 7,138 | Uttarakhand 10 | Trisul I | 7,120 | Uttarakhand

Note: Peaks 4–7 are in the Karakoram range in Ladakh (J&K); peaks 2, 3, 8–10 are in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.