Ifttarakhand W
kind. The earliest inquisitive trekker was Moorecraft who inve-
stigated the interiors of Karakoram as far back as 1820. Ever-
since, multitudes of surveyors, geographers, geologists, trekkers
and mountaineers have continued to find out the secrets of the
high and holy Himalayas. In these early efforts the role play-
ed by Pd. Kishan Singh and Nain Singh of Millam is signifi-
cant for their fantastic discoveries of the unknown lands.
Modern mountaineering traces its origin from Lloyd and
'Gerard of the survey department who climbed Leo Pargyal In
Hirnachal Himalayas while surveying the neighbouring vici-
nity. In the central Himalayas which is also known as Uttara-
;khand, the pioneers were Capt. Herbert, Hodgson, Capt. R.
Stratchey, Capt. H. Stratchey and Dr. T. Thompson. After
their pioneering efforts, numerous other peaks were scaled by
the survey parties with the help of crude and improvised
mountaineering equipment. Thus by 1850, the height of most
of the peaks had been trignometrically determined. The finest
hour in the field of early mountaineering came when a party
of surveyors climbed 23000 ft. Schillapeak. This success estab-
lished a climbing record in those days when men hardly knew
anything about air pressure, lack of oxygen and living condi-
tions on such airless heights.
The stirring rod of the earth
In the year 1852, the highest peak of the world was discove-
red by an Indian named Radanath Sircar, the chief computer
of the survey department. He was following up the results of
the measurements collected by the department. One day, dur-
ing such check up, he found that the peak No. 15 stood up not
only as the highest amongest the Himalayan peaks but as thİ
highest peak of the world. This was a startling discovery, He
ran out and burst into the office of Sir Audreen Waugh and
exclaimed "Sir, we have found the greatest mountain in the
world. It is peak No. 15. It is 290,28 ft. high." Yes, it was the
highest peak of the world. It was named ML Everest by the
survey department after the name of Sir George Everest.
However, this peak was not unknown to the locals because
they called it "Sagarmatha" in Nepalese, Gauri-Shankar by