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About
Shivling |
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Shivling is a mountain in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the
western Garhwal Himalaya, near the snout of the Gangotri
Glacier. It lies in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand,
6 kms south of the Hindu holy site of Gaumukh (the source of
the Bhagirathi River). Its name refers to its status as a
sacred symbol of the God - Lord Shiva's Shiva Linga. It was
called "Matterhorn Peak" by early European visitors because of
its similarity in appearance to that Alpine peak. While not of
locally great elevation, it is a dramatic rock peak, and most
visually striking peak seen from Gaumukh; that and the
difficulty of the climb make it a famed prize for
mountaineers. |
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The mountain and its setting |
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Shivling forms the western gateway for the lower Gangotri
Glacier, opposite the triple-peaked Bhagirathi massif. It lies
on a spur projecting out from the main ridge that forms the
southwest side of the Gangotri Glacier basin; this ridge
contains other famous peaks such as Thalay Sagar, Meru and
Bhrigupanth.
It was also called Mahadeo Ka Linga or Mahadev Ka Linga.
Appearing as a single pyramid when seen from Gaumukh, Shivling
is actually a twin-summitted mountain, with the northeast summit
being slightly higher than the southwest summit, 6,501 m.
Between Gaumukh and Shivling lies the Tapovan meadow, a popular
pilgrimage site due to its inspiring view of the
mountain. Shivling is well-defended on all sides by steep rock
faces; only the west flank has a moderate enough slope for snow
accumulation. |
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Location of Shivaling Mountain |
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Shivling mountain is located in the Northern part of India and
it is part of the Himalaya Mountains Range. It is 6549 m high or
21.329 feet. The name of the mountain comes from the God Shiva
in Hindu religion, literally meaning ‘the phallus of Shiva’.
This mountain has steep sides and it is considered one of the
most stunning peaks of the Garhwal region. On 1974 this mountain
was conquered by Laxman Singh and his team. |
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Climbing History of Shivling |
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After British exploration of the Gangotri Glacier in 1933,
a German expedition led by R. Schwarzgruber climbed nearby
peaks and did a exploration of Shivling in 1938. They
reported "no feasible route" on the mountain due to its
steepness and the threat of falling séracs.
Shivling was first climbed on June 3, 1974 via the west
ridge, by a team from theIndo-Tibetan Border Police, led
by Hukam Singh. The ridge is the lowest-angle feature on
the mountain, but still involves serious mixed climbing,
and is threatened by the sérac barrier noted by the
Germans. The ridge leads to the col between the two
summits; a steep snow/ice ridge then leads to the main
summit.
Since the first ascent, at least ten other routes have
been climbed on the peak, ascending all major ridges and
most major faces of the mountain. All routes are extremely
serious undertakings.
In 2004 Shirshendu Mukherjee became the youngest person in
the world to have climbed the mountain at the age of 19 as
a part of an Indian expedition.
In 2005, Basanta Singha Roy and Debashis Biswas, both
climbers from Mountaineers Association of Krishnanagar (MAK),
West Bengal, India, were the first successful summiters of
India, as a part of a total civilian effort i.e. without
any army support. |
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