Editing Kangchenjunga

{{Short description|3rd-highest mountain on Earth}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Kangchenjunga
|other_name = {{Langx|ne|कञ्चनजङ्घा|translit=Kanchanjanghā}}
{{Langx|Sip|གངས་ཆེན་མཛོད་ལྔ}} ; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''Gangs Chen mdzod lnga ''
| photo = Kangchenjunga, India.jpg
| photo_caption = Kangchenjunga from Pelling, [[Sikkim]], [[India]]
| elevation_m = 8586
| elevation_ref = <ref name="Carter1985"/><br/>{{small|[[List of highest mountains on Earth|Ranked 3rd]]}}
| prominence_m = 3922
| prominence_ref = <ref name="peaklist"/><br/>{{small|[[List of mountain peaks by prominence|Ranked 29th]]}}
| listing = {{unbulleted list | [[Eight-thousander]] | [[Seven Third Summits]] | [[List of mountains in India]] | [[List of mountains in Nepal]] | [[List of countries by highest point|Country high point (India)]] | [[Ultra-prominent peak]] }}
| location = {{unbulleted list|[[Taplejung District]] in [[Nepal]] |[[Mangan district]] in [[Sikkim]], [[India]]<ref name="peaklist"/>}}
| range = [[Himalayas]]
| map_caption = Location of Kangchenjunga
| map_image = {{OSM Himalaya|lat_d=27.7|long_d=88.1|zoom=9}}
| coordinates = {{coord|27|42|09|N|88|08|48|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = <ref name="peaklist"/>
| first_ascent = 25 May 1955 by [[Joe Brown (climber)|Joe Brown]] and [[George Band]] on the [[1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition]]<br/>(First winter ascent 11 January 1986 by [[Jerzy Kukuczka]] and [[Krzysztof Wielicki]])<ref name=KW-jk/><ref name=KW-hj/>
| easiest_route = glacier/snow/ice climb
}}

'''Kangchenjunga''' ({{ipa|sip|kaŋtɕendzoŋga|lang}}) is the [[List of highest mountains on Earth|third-highest mountain in the world]]. Its summit lies at {{cvt|8586|m}} in a section of the [[Himalayas]], the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the [[Tamur River]], in the north by the [[Lhonak River]] and [[Jongsong Peak|Jongsang La]], and in the east by the [[Teesta River]]. It lies in the border region between [[Koshi Province]] of [[Nepal]] and [[Sikkim]] state of [[India]], with the West and Kangbachen peaks located in Nepal's [[Taplejung District]] and the Main, Central and South peaks directly on the border.

Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the [[List of past presumed highest mountains|highest mountain in the world]]. However, precise calculations and meticulous measurements by the [[Great Trigonometrical Survey]] of India in 1849 showed that [[Mount Everest]], known as Peak XV at the time, is actually higher. After allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga is the third-highest mountain in the world.

Kangchenjunga is a sacred mountain in Nepal and Sikkim and was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by [[Joe Brown (climber)|Joe Brown]] and [[George Band]], who were part of the [[1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition]]. They stopped just short of the true summit, keeping a promise given to [[Tashi Namgyal]], the [[Chogyal]] of the [[Kingdom of Sikkim]], that the top of the mountain would remain inviolate. The Indian side of the mountain is off limits to climbers. In 2016, the adjoining [[Khangchendzonga National Park]] was declared a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].

==Etymology==
''Kangchenjunga'' is the official spelling adopted by [[Douglas Freshfield]], [[Alexander Mitchell Kellas]] and the [[Royal Geographical Society]], and provides the most accurate English rendition of the [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]] pronunciation. Freshfield referred to the spelling used by the Indian Government since the late 19th century.<ref name=Freshfield1903/> Alternative spellings include Kanchenjunga, Khangchendzonga and Kangchendzönga.<ref name=Band1955>{{cite magazine |author=Band, G. |year=1955 |title=Kanchenjunga Climbed |magazine=The Geographical Magazine |volume=28 |pages=422–438}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Nirash, N. |year=1982 |title=The Lepchas of Sikkim |journal=Bulletin of Tibetology |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=18–23 |url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/242791/bot_1982_02_03.pdf?sequence=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Denjongpa, A. B. |year=2002 |title=Kangchendzönga: Secular and Buddhist perceptions of the mountain deity of Sikkim among the Lhopos |journal=Bulletin of Tibetology |volume=38 |pages=5–37 |url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/242513/bot_2002_02_01.pdf?sequence=1}}</ref>

The brothers [[Hermann Schlagintweit|Hermann]], [[Adolf Schlagintweit|Adolf]] and [[Robert Schlagintweit]] explained the local name 'Kanchinjínga', meaning "the five treasures of the high snow", as originating from the [[Tibetan languages|Tibetan]] words "gangs" {{IPA|bo|kaŋ|pron}}, meaning snow and ice; "chen", {{IPA|bo|tɕen|pron}} meaning great; "mdzod", meaning treasure; and "lnga", meaning five.<ref name=Schlagintweit1863>{{cite book |author1=De Schlagintweit, H. |author2=de Schlagintweit, A. |author3=de Schlagintweit, R. |year=1863 |title=Results of a Scientific Mission to India and High Asia, undertaken between the years MDCCCLIV and MDCCCLVIII by order of the court of Directors of the Honourable East India Company |volume=III |publisher=Brockhaus, Leipzig and Trübner & Co. |location=London |chapter=IV. Names explained |page=207 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOE-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA207}}</ref>
The local Lhopo people believe that the treasures are hidden but reveal themselves to the devout when the world is in peril; the treasures comprise [[salt]], [[gold]], [[turquoise]] and [[precious stones]], sacred scriptures, invincible armor or ammunition, grain and medicine.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Scheid |first1= C. S. |year=2014 |title=Hidden land and changing landscape: Narratives about Mount Khangchendzonga among the Lepcha and the Lhopo |journal=Journal of the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=66–89}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{wide image|Panorama Kangchenjunga from Darjeeling.jpg|600px|Panorama of the Kangchenjunga massif from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling}}
The ''Kangchenjunga Himal'' section of the Himalayas lies both in Nepal and India and encompasses 16 peaks over {{cvt|7000|m}}. In the north, it is limited by the [[Lhonak River|Lhonak Chu]], Goma Chu and [[Jongsong Peak|Jongsang La]], and in the east by the Teesta River. The western limit runs from the Jongsang La down the Gingsang and Kangchenjunga glaciers and the rivers of Ghunsa and [[Tamur River|Tamur]].<ref name=Freshfield1903>{{cite book |author=Freshfield, D. W. |year=1903 |title=Round Kangchenjunga: a narrative of mountain travel and exploration |publisher=Edward Arnold |location=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/roundkangchenjun00fresrich#page/n7/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=Carter1985>{{cite journal |last=Carter |first=H. A. |year=1985 |title=Classification of the Himalaya |journal=American Alpine Journal |volume=27 |issue=59 |pages=109–141 |url=http://c498469.r69.cf2.rackcdn.com/1985/109_carter_himalaya_aaj1985.pdf}}</ref> It lies in the border region between [[Koshi Province]] of [[Nepal]] and [[Sikkim]] state of [[India]], with the peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's [[Taplejung District]],<ref name=nbrb2007>{{cite book |last1=Bhuju, U. R. |last2=Shakya, P. R. |last3=Basnet, T. B. |last4=Shrestha, S. |year=2007 |title=Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites |location=Kathmandu, Nepal |publisher=International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific |isbn=978-92-9115-033-5 |url=https://lib.icimod.org/api/files/2be35669-2f3f-48a7-8610-a4b6f35f8654/Nepal%20Biodiversity%20Resource%20Book.pdf}}</ref> and three of the five peaks, namely Main, Central and South, directly on the border.<ref>{{cite book |author=Gurung, H. |author2=Shrestha, R. K. |name-list-style=amp |year=1994 |title=Nepal Himalaya Inventory |publisher=Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation |location=Kathmandu}}</ref>

Kanchenjunga rises about {{cvt|20|km}} south of the general alignment of the Great Himalayan range, about {{cvt|125|km}} east-southeast of [[Mount Everest]] in a straight line. South of the southern face of Kanchenjunga runs the {{cvt|3000|-|3500|m}} high [[Singalila Ridge]] that separates Sikkim from Nepal and northern [[West Bengal]].<ref name=Dhar2000>{{Cite journal |last1=Dhar|first1=O. N.| last2=Nandargi| first2=S. |year=2000 |volume=55 |doi=10.1002/j.1477-8696.2000.tb04065.x |title=An appraisal of precipitation distribution around the Everest and Kanchenjunga peaks in the Himalayas |journal=Weather |issue=7| pages=223–234 |bibcode=2000Wthr...55..223D | s2cid=121273656}}</ref> Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the [[List of past presumed highest mountains|highest mountain in the world]], but calculations and measurements by the [[Great Trigonometrical Survey]] of India in 1849 showed that [[Mount Everest]], known as Peak XV at the time, is actually higher. After allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga was the third-highest mountain<ref name=Gillman1993>{{cite book |last=Gillman, P. |year=1993 |title=Everest: The Best Writing and Pictures from Seventy Years of Human Endeavour |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=Boston |isbn=978-0316904896 |page=208}}</ref> after Everest and [[K2]] of Karakoram.<ref>{{cite book |last=Searle |first=M.P. |title=Colliding Continents: A Geological Exploration of the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Tibet |publisher=OUP Oxford |series=EBL ebooks online |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-965300-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WmK-hpZtHWgC&pg=PA65 |page=65}}</ref>

Kangchenjunga and its satellite peaks form a huge mountain [[massif]].<ref name=Smythe>{{cite book |author=Smythe, F. S. |year=1930 |title=The Kangchenjunga adventure |publisher=Victor Gollancz Ltd. |place=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/KanchenjungaAdventure/kanchenjunga#page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref> The massif's five highest peaks are listed in the table at the end of this section.

The main ridge of the massif runs from north-northeast to south-southwest and forms a watershed to several rivers.<ref name=Smythe/> The main ridge intersects with other ridges running roughly from east to west to form a giant cross.<ref name=Freshfield1903/> These ridges contain a host of peaks between {{cvt|6000|and|8586|m}}. The northern section includes Yalung Kang, Kangchenjunga Central and South, Kangbachen, [[Kirat Chuli]] and [[Gimmigela Chuli]], and runs up to the Jongsang La. The eastern ridge in Sikkim includes [[Siniolchu]]. The southern section runs along the Nepal–Sikkim border and includes [[Kabru]] I to III.<ref name=Carter1985/> This ridge extends southwards to the [[Singalila Ridge]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Mason, K. |year=1932 |title=The Recent Assaults on Kangchenjunga: Review |journal=The Geographical Journal |volume=80 |issue=5 |pages=439–445|doi=10.2307/1784231 |jstor=1784231 }}</ref> The western ridge culminates in the Kumbhakarna, also known as [[Jannu]].<ref name=Carter1985/>

Four main [[glacier]]s radiate from the peak, pointing roughly to the northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest. The [[Zemu Glacier|Zemu]] glacier in the northeast and the Talung glacier in the southeast drain to the Teesta River; the Yalung glacier in the southwest and the Kangchen glacier in the northwest drain to the [[Arun River, China-Nepal|Arun]] and [[Kosi river]]s.<ref name=Freshfield1902>{{cite journal |author=Freshfield, D. W. |year=1902 |title=The Glaciers of Kangchenjunga |journal=The Geographical Journal |volume=19 |pages=453–475 |doi=10.2307/1775242 |jstor=1775242 |url=https://archive.org/stream/geographicaljou17britgoog#page/n492/mode/2up}}</ref>
The glaciers spread over the area above approximately {{cvt|5000|m}}, and the glacialized area covers about {{cvt|314|km2}} in total.<ref>{{cite report |author=Asahi, K. |year=1999 |title=Data on inventoried glaciers and its distribution in eastern part of Nepal Himalaya. Data Report 2, Basic studies for assessing the impacts of the global warming on the Himalayan cryosphere, 1994–1998 |publisher=Institute for Hydrospheric-Atmospheric Sciences, Nagoya University and Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, HMG/Nepal}}</ref> There are 120 glaciers in the Kanchenjunga Himal, of which 17 are [[Glacial debris|debris]]-covered. Between 1958 and 1992, more than half of 57 examined glaciers had retreated, possibly due to [[Global warming|rising of air temperature]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ashahi, K. |author2=Watanabe, T.|year=2000 |title=Past and recent glacier fluctuations in Kanchenjunga Himal, Nepal |journal=Journal of Nepal Geological Society |volume=22 |pages=481–490}}</ref>

Kangchenjunga Main is the highest elevation of the [[Brahmaputra River]] basin, which forms part of the [[Monsoon of South Asia|southeast Asian monsoon]] regime and is among the globally largest river basins.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bajracharya, S. R. |author2=Palash, W. |author3=Shrestha, M. S. |author4=Khadgi, V. R. |author5=Duo, C. |author6=Das, P. J. |author7=Dorji, C. |year=2015 |title=Systematic Evaluation of Satellite-Based Rainfall Products over the Brahmaputra Basin for Hydrological Applications |journal=Advances in Meteorology |page=398687}}</ref> Kangchenjunga is one of six peaks above {{cvt|8000|m}} located in the basin of the [[Kosi River]], which is among the largest tributaries of the [[Ganges]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shijin, W. |author2=Tao, Z. |year=2014 |title=Spatial change detection of glacial lakes in the Koshi River Basin, the Central Himalayas |journal=Environmental Earth Sciences |volume=72 |issue=11 |pages=4381–4391|doi=10.1007/s12665-014-3338-y }}</ref> The Kangchenjunga massif forms also part of the [[Ganges Basin]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Peakbagger.com |year=1987–2015 |url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10653 |title=Kangchenjunga, India/Nepal |access-date= 11 May 2014}}</ref>

Although it is the third highest peak in the world, Kangchenjunga is only [[List of peaks by prominence|ranked 29th]] by [[topographic prominence]], a measure of a mountain's independent stature. The key col for Kangchenjunga lies at a height of {{cvt|4664|m}}, along the watershed boundary between Arun and Brahmaputra rivers in Tibet.<ref name=pkbrkc>{{cite web |url=http://peakbagger.com/keycol.aspx?pid=10653|title= Key Col for Kangchenjunga|publisher=Peakbagger.com|access-date=3 April 2016}}</ref> It is, however, the fourth-most-prominent peak in the Himalayas, after Everest, and the western and eastern anchors of the Himalaya, [[Nanga Parbat]] and [[Namcha Barwa]], respectively.<ref name=pkbrprom>{{cite web |url=http://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=403|title= World Top 100 by Prominence|publisher=Peakbagger.com|access-date=3 April 2016}}</ref>

{{static row numbers}}{{sort under}}{{Table alignment}}{{row hover highlight}}
{|class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers static-row-header-text col1left col2center col3center col5center col6center sort-under-center hover-highlight" "style="font-size: 100%"
|-
! class="unsortable" ! rowspan=2 | Name of peak
! colspan="2" | Height
! class="unsortable" ! rowspan=2 | {{tooltip|Coordinates|Click on the link to see the approx. location, maps and aerial images of the peak, provided by global services}}
! colspan="2" | Prominence
! rowspan="2" | Nearest Higher Neighbour
! rowspan="2" |  Location
|-
! meters
! feet
! meters
! feet
|-
| Kangchenjunga Main<ref name="peaklist">{{cite web |author1=Jurgalski, E. |author2=de Ferranti, J. |author3=Maizlish, A. |year=2000–2005 |title=High Asia II – Himalaya of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and adjoining region of Tibet |publisher=Peaklist.org |url=http://peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/everest.html | access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref>
| 8,586
| 28,169
| {{coord|27|42|10.8|N|88|08|53.52|E}}
| 3,922
| 12,867
| Mount Everest&nbsp;– South Summit
| [[Mangan district]], [[Sikkim]], [[India]] / [[Taplejung District|Taplejung]], [[Koshi Province]], [[Nepal]]
|-
| [[Yalung Kang]] (Kangchenjunga West)<ref>Peakbagger.com (1987–2012). [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=28920 Yalung Kang]</ref>
| 8,505
| 27,904
| {{coord|27|42|18|N|88|08|12|E}}
| 135
| 443
| Kangchenjunga
| Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal
|-
| Kangchenjunga Central<ref>Peakbagger.com (1987–2012). [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=28922 Kanchenjunga Central]</ref>
| 8,482
| 27,828
| {{coord|27|41|46|N|88|09|04|E}}
| 32
| 105
| Kangchenjunga South
| Mangan district, Sikkim, India / Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal
|-
| [[Kangchenjunga South]]<ref>Peakbagger.com (1987–2012). [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=28921 Kanchenjunga South]</ref>
| 8,494
| 27,867
| {{coord|27|41|30|N|88|09|15|E}}
| 119
| 390
| Kangchenjunga
| Mangan district, Sikkim, India / Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal
|-
| [[Kangbachen]]<ref>Peakbagger.com (1987–2012). [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=28923 Kangbachen]</ref>
| 7,903
| 25,928
| {{coord|27|42|42|N|88|06|30|E}}
| 103
| 337
| Kangchenjunga West
| Taplejung, Koshi Province, Nepal
|}

===Protected areas===
The Kangchenjunga landscape is a complex of three distinct [[ecoregion]]s: the [[Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests|eastern Himalayan broad-leaved]] and [[Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests|coniferous forests]], the [[Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]] and the [[Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands]].<ref>{{cite book |editor=Wikramanayake, E. D.|year= 2001 |title=Ecoregion-based Conservation in the Eastern Himalaya: Identifying Important Areas for Biodiversity Conservation |publisher=World Wildlife Fund and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development |location=Kathmandu |isbn=978-9993394006}}</ref> The Kangchenjunga transboundary landscape is shared by Nepal, India, [[Bhutan]] and [[China]], and comprises 14 [[protected area]]s with a total of {{cvt|6032|km2}}:<ref name=Chettri2006>{{cite book |author1=Chettri, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Bajracharya, B. |author3=Thapa, R. |year=2008 |chapter=Feasibility Assessment for Developing Conservation Corridors in the Kangchenjunga Landscape |pages=21–30 |title=Biodiversity Conservation in the Kangchenjunga Landscape |editor1=Chettri, N. |editor2=Shakya, B. |editor3=Sharma, E. |publisher=International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development |location=Kathmandu |chapter-url=http://lib.icimod.org/record/7890/files/attachment_520.pdf}}</ref>

* Nepal: [[Kanchenjunga Conservation Area]]
* Sikkim, India: [[Khangchendzonga National Park]], [[Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary]], [[Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary]], [[Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary]] and [[Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary]]
* [[Darjeeling]], India: [[Jore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Singalila National Park]], [[Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary]] and [[Neora Valley National Park]]
* Bhutan: [[Torsa Strict Nature Reserve]]

These protected areas are habitats for many globally significant [[plant]] species such as [[rhododendron]]s and [[orchid]]s and many [[Endangered species|endangered]] flagship species such as [[snow leopard]] (''Panthera uncia''), [[Asian black bear]] (''Ursus thibetanus''), [[red panda]] (''Ailurus fulgens''), [[white-bellied musk deer]] (''Moschus leucogaster''), [[blood pheasant]] (''Ithaginis cruentus'') and [[chestnut-breasted partridge]] (''Arborophila mandellii'').<ref name=Chettri2006/>

== Climbing routes ==
[[File:Kanchenjunga-north.jpg|thumb|Kanchenjunga-north from base camp in Nepal]]

There are four climbing routes to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga, three of which are in Nepal from the southwest, northwest, and northeast, and one from northeastern Sikkim in India. To date, the northeastern route from Sikkim has been successfully used only three times. The Indian government has banned expeditions to Kanchenjunga; therefore, this route has been closed since 2000.<ref name=Harding>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/jul/13/lukeharding |title=Climbers banned from sacred peak |last=Harding|first=L.|date=2000 |work=The Guardian|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref>

==Climbing history==
[[File:Kanchenjunga summit ca. 1857.jpeg|thumb|Painting of ''Kanchinjínga'' as seen from the [[Singalila Ridge]] by [[Hermann Schlagintweit]], 1855<ref name=Schlagintweit1871/>]]

===Early reconnaissances and attempts===
* Between April 1848 and February 1849, [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]] explored parts of northern Sikkim and eastern Nepal, mainly to collect plants and study the distribution of Himalayan flora. He was based in Darjeeling, and made repeated excursions in the river valleys and into the foothills of Kangchenjunga up to an elevation of {{cvt|15620|ft}}.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hooker, J. D. |year=1854 |title=Himalayan journals; or, Notes of a naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, &c. |url=https://archive.org/stream/himalayanjournal0335hook#page/n9/mode/2up |publisher=John Murray |place=London}}</ref>
* In spring 1855, the [[Germans|German]] explorer [[Hermann von Schlagintweit]] travelled to Darjeeling but was not allowed to proceed further north due to the [[Third Nepal–Tibet War]]. In May, he explored the [[Singalila Ridge]] up to the peak of [[Tonglu, West Bengal|Tonglo]] for a meteorological survey.<ref name=Schlagintweit1871>{{cite book |author=Schlagintweit, H. v. |year=1871 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/reiseninindienu02sakgoog#page/n255/mode/2up |chapter=Die Singhalila Kette zwischen Sikkim und Nepal |title=Reisen in Indien und Hochasien. Eine Darstellung der Landschaft, der Kultur und Sitten der Bewohner, in Verbindung mit klimatischen und geologischen Verhältnissen. Zweiter Band |publisher=Hermann Costenoble |place=Jena}}</ref>
* In 1879, [[Sarat Chandra Das]] and Lama Ugyen-gyatso crossed into Tibet west of "Kanchanjinga" via eastern Nepal and the [[Tashilhunpo Monastery]] en route to [[Lhasa (prefecture-level city)|Lhasa]]. They returned along the same route in 1881.<ref name=Das1902>{{cite book |author=Das, S. C. |year=1902 |title=A Journey to Lhasa and central Tibet |location=New York, London |publisher=E. P. Dutton & Company, John Murray |url=https://archive.org/stream/journeytolhasace00dass#page/n9/mode/2up}}</ref>
* In 1883, a party of [[William Woodman Graham]] together with two [[Swiss people|Swiss]] mountaineers climbed in the area of Kangchenjunga. They were the first who ascended [[Kabru]] within {{cvt|30|-|40|ft}} below the summit. They crossed the Kang La pass and climbed a peak of nearly {{cvt|19000|ft}} from which they examined Jannu. They concluded it was too late in the year for an attempt and returned once again to Darjeeling.<ref name=Blaser2009>{{cite journal |author1=Blaser, W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Hughes, G. |year=2009 |title=Kabru 1883. A Reassessment |journal=The Alpine Journal |volume=114 |pages=219–228 |url=http://www.himalaya-info.org/Kabru%20Alpine%20Journal%202010.pdf |access-date=27 February 2013 |archive-date=12 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512104810/http://www.himalaya-info.org/Kabru%20Alpine%20Journal%202010.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Between October 1885 and January 1886, Rinzin Namgyal surveyed the unexplored north and west sides of Kangchenjunga. He was the first native surveyor to map the circuit of Kangchenjunga and provided sketches of each side of the peak and the adjoining valleys. He also defined the frontiers of Nepal, Tibet and Sikkim in this area.<ref name=Ward2001>{{cite journal |author=Ward, M. |year=2001 |title=Early Exploration of Kangchenjunga and South Tibet by the pundits Rinzin Namgyal, Sarat Chandra Das and Lama Ugyen Gyatso |journal=The Alpine Journal |volume=106 |pages=191–196 |url=http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2001_files/AJ%202001%20191-196%20Ward%20Kangchenjunga.pdf}}</ref>
* In 1899, British mountaineer Douglas Freshfield set out with his party comprising the Italian photographer [[Vittorio Sella]]. They were the first mountaineers to examine the lower and upper ramparts, and the great western face of Kangchenjunga, rising from the Kangchenjunga Glacier.<ref name="Freshfield1903"/>
* The [[1905 Kanchenjunga Expedition]] was headed by [[Aleister Crowley]] who had been part of the team attempting the 1902 ascent of [[K2]]. The team reached an estimated elevation of {{cvt|6500|m}} on the southwest side of the mountain before turning back. The exact height reached is somewhat unclear; Crowley stated that on 31 August, "We were certainly over {{cvt|21000|ft}} and possibly over {{cvt|22000|ft}}", when the team was forced to retreat to Camp 5 by the risk of avalanche. On 1 September, they evidently went further; some members of the team, Reymond, Pache and Salama, "got over the bad patch" that had forced them to return to Camp 5 the day before, and progressed "out of sight and hearing" before returning to Crowley and the men with packs, who could not cross the dangerous section unassisted with their burdens. It is not clear how far Reymond, Pache and Salama had ascended—but in summarizing, Crowley ventured "We had reached a height of approximately {{cvt|25000|ft}}." Attempting a "mutinous" late-in-the-day descent from Camp 5 to Camp 3, climber Alexis Pache who earlier that day had been one of three to ascend possibly higher than any before, and three local porters, were killed in an avalanche.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Isserman, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Weaver, S. |year=2008 |title=Fallen Giants: a history of Himalayan mountaineering from the age of empire to the age of extremes |location=Devon |publisher=Duke & Company |pages=61–63 |chapter= |chapter-url= |isbn=978-0-300-11501-7}}</ref> Despite the insistence of one of the men that "the demon of Kangchenjunga was propitiated with the sacrifice", Crowley decided the accident and its ramifications made it impossible to continue the expedition.<ref name="crowley52">{{cite book |last=Crowley |first=A. |chapter=Chapter 52 |title=[[The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]] An Autohagiography |year=1979 |place=London; Boston |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |isbn=0-7100-0175-4}}</ref>
* In 1907, two [[Norwegians]] set about climbing ''Jongri'' via the Kabru glacier to the south, an approach apparently rejected by Graham's party. Progress was very slow, partly because of problems with supplies and porters, and presumably also lack of fitness and acclimatisation. However, from a high camp at about {{cvt|22600|ft}} they were eventually able to reach a point {{cvt|50|or|60|ft|m}} below the summit before they were turned back by strong winds.<ref name=Blaser2009/>
* In 1929, German [[Paul Bauer (mountaineer)|Paul Bauer]] led an expedition team that reached {{cvt|7400|m}} on the northeast spur before being turned back by a five-day [[storm]].<ref name=Bauer>Bauer, P. (1955). ''Kangchenjunga Challenge''. William Kimber, London.</ref>
* In May 1929, the American E. F. Farmer left Darjeeling with native porters, crossed the Kang La into Nepal and climbed up towards the ''Talung Saddle''. When his porters refused to go any further, he climbed alone further upwards through drifting mists but did not return.<ref name=Smythe/>
* In 1930, [[Günter Dyhrenfurth]] led an international expedition comprising the German Uli Wieland, [[Austrians|Austrian]] {{Interlanguage link|Erwin Schneider|de|3=Erwin Schneider (Bergsteiger)}} and [[English people|Englishman]] [[Frank Smythe]] who attempted to climb Kangchenjunga. They failed because of poor weather and snow conditions.<ref name=Smythe/>
* In 1931, Paul Bauer led a second German expedition team who attempted the northeast spur before being turned back by bad weather, illnesses and deaths. The team, including [[Peter Aufschnaiter]], retreated after climbing 300 m higher than the 1929 attempt.<ref name=Bauer/>
* In 1954, [[John Kempe]] led a party comprising John W. Tucker, S. R. Jackson, G. C. Lewis, [[Trevor Braham|T. H. Braham]] and medical officer Donald Stafford Matthews. They explored the upper Yalung glacier with the intention to discover a practicable route to the great ice-shelf that runs across the southwest face of Kangchenjunga.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Braham, T. H. |date=1955–1956 |title=Kangchenjunga Reconnaissance, 1954 |journal=The Himalayan Journal |volume=19 |url=http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/kangchenjunga-reconnaissance-1954/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106041509/http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/kangchenjunga-reconnaissance-1954/}}</ref> This reconnaissance led to the route used by the successful 1955 expedition.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Braham, T. H. |year=1996 |title=Kangchenjunga: The 1954 Reconnaissance |journal=The Alpine Journal |volume=101 |pages=33–35 |url=http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1996_files/AJ%201996%2033-35%20Braham%20Kangchenjunga.pdf}}.</ref>

===First ascent===
{{main|1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition}}
[[File:Kangchenjunga Sign Board.jpg|thumb|A sign board on the last traversable road to Kangchenjunga]]
[[File:1990 reunion of the Kangchenjunga climbers.jpg|thumb|First ascent reunion of 1990–front (left to right): Neil Mather, John Angelo Jackson, Charles Evans and Joe Brown, and rear (left to right): Tony Streather, Norman Hardie, George Band and Professor John Clegg]]

In 1955, [[Joe Brown (climber)|Joe Brown]] and [[George Band (climber)|George Band]] made the first ascent on 25 May, followed by [[Norman Hardie]] and [[Tony Streather]] on 26 May.<ref name=Kapadia2001>{{cite book |last=Kapadia, H. |year=2001 |title=Across Peaks and Passes in Darjeeling and Sikkim |publisher=Indus Publishing Company |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-8173871269}}</ref> The full team also included John Clegg (team doctor), [[Charles Evans (mountaineer)|Charles Evans]] (team leader), [[John Angelo Jackson]], Neil Mather and Tom Mackinnon.<ref name=Band1955/> The team first made an attempt on the line which John Kempe's party had reconnoitered the previous year. Because of the difficulties on that line they turned to the Yalung Face, which had first been explored by Aleister Crowley's party in 1905. The route starts on the Yalung Glacier to the southwest of the peak, and climbs the Yalung Face, which is {{cvt|3000|m|-3}} high. The main feature of this face is the "Great Shelf", a large sloping plateau at around {{cvt|7500|m|-2}}, covered by a hanging glacier. The route is almost entirely on snow, [[glacier]] and one [[icefall]]; the summit ridge itself can involve a small amount of travel on rock. The first ascent expedition made six camps above their base camp, two below the Shelf, two on it, and two above it. They started on 18 April, and everyone was back to base camp by 28 May.<ref name=Evans1956>{{cite journal |author1=Evans, C. |author2=Band, G. |title=Kangchenjunga Climbed |journal=The Geographical Journal |year=1956 |volume=122 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.2307/1791469 |jstor=1791469 |bibcode=1956GeogJ.122....1E}}</ref> Other members of this expedition included John Angelo Jackson and Tom Mackinnon.<ref>{{cite news |author=Perrin, J. |year=2005 |title=Obituary: John Jackson. Key climber and trainer of British mountaineers |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=31 October 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/aug/01/guardianobituaries.sport}}</ref>

===Other notable ascents===
* 1973: Yutaka Ageta and Takeo Matsuda of the Japanese expedition summited Kangchenjunga West by climbing the southwestern ridge. Matsuda never returned to camp and his body was never found. The expedition concluded that he had fallen during descent when he was separated from Ageta.<ref name=AJ_1975>{{cite journal |author =Higuchi, H. |journal=Alpine Journal |title=The First Ascent of Yalung Kang |year=1975 |pages=17–27 |url=https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1975_files/AJ%201975%2017-27%20Higuchi%20YKang.pdf |access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>
* 1977: The second ascent of Kangchenjunga, by an Indian Army team led by [[Colonel Narendra Kumar]]. They completed the northeast spur, the difficult ridge that defeated German expeditions in 1929 and 1931.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=American Alpine Journal |title=Kangchenjunga from the East |author=Kumar, N. |year=1978 |url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197844700/Kanchenjunga-from-the-East |access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>
* 1978: {{ill|Wojciech Wróż|pl}} and {{ill|Eugeniusz Chrobak|pl}} made the first successful ascents of the summits [[Kangchenjunga South]] on 19 May; and Wojciech Brański, [[Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich]], [[Kazimierz Olech]] on 22 May on Kangchenjunga Central.<ref>{{cite book |author=Wróż, W |title=Święta góra Sikkimu. Zapiski z wyprawy na Kangchendzongę Południową |place=Warszawa |publisher=Sport i Turystyka |year=1982 |isbn=83-217-2377-2 |lang=pl |trans-title=Sacred Mountain of Sikkim. Notes from an expedition to Kangchendzonga South}}</ref>
* 1979: The third ascent on 16 May, and the first without oxygen, by [[Doug Scott]], [[Peter Boardman]] and [[Joe Tasker]], establishing a new route on the North Ridge.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Scott |first=D. K. |title=Kangchenjunga from the North |journal=American Alpine Journal |volume=22 |issue=53 |pages=437–444 |year=1980 |url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198043700/Kangchenjunga-from-the-North}}</ref>
* 1985: The first winter attempt, by a team of three led by the American Chris Chandler, from the north side. Chandler died on the unsuccessful attempt.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Asia, Nepal, Kangchenjunga Tragedy |journal=American Alpine Journal |date=1985 |volume=27 |issue=59 |pages=250–251 |url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198525002}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Living on the Edge: The Winter Ascent of Kanchenjunga |date=1987|first=C. |last=Bremer-Kamp |isbn=9780715390030 |publisher=David & Charles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RuCAAAAMAAJ&q=9780715390030}}</ref>
* 1986: The first ascent in winter, by Jerzy Kukuczka and Krzysztof Wielicki on 11 January 1986, they followed the route from the SW which was pioneered during the original first ascent.<ref name=KW-hj>{{cite journal |title=Kangchenjunga climbed in winter |journal=Himalayan Journal|date=1987|first=A. | last=Machnik |volume=43 |pages=7–9 |url=https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/43/3/kangchenjunga-climbed-in-winter/}}</ref><ref name=KW-jk>{{cite book |title=My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks |date=1992 |first=J. |last=Kukuczka |isbn=0340534850 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3ATAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>
* 1992: [[Carlos Carsolio]] made the only summit that year. It was in a solo climb without supplementary oxygen.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
* 1995: [[Benoît Chamoux]], [[Pierre Royer]] and their Sherpa guide Riku disappeared on 6 October near the summit.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Braham |first=T. |title=Forty Years after the First Ascent of Kangchenjunga |journal=The Alpine Journal |pages=57–58 |year=1996 |url=https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1996_files/AJ%201996%2057-58%20Braham%20Kangchenjunga.pdf}}</ref>
* 1998: [[Ginette Harrison]] was the first woman to climb Kangchenjunga's North Face.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.everesthistory.com/climbers/harrison.htm |title=Ginette Harrison |publisher=Everest History}}</ref>
* 2009: [[Edurne Pasaban]], a Spanish mountaineer, reached the summit, becoming the first woman to summit twelve eight-thousanders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.8000ers.com/cms/content/view/54/193/#tables |title=List of Kangchenjunga ascents |publisher=8000ers.com |date=2008 |access-date=14 June 2011}}</ref>
* In May 2009: [[Kinga Baranowska]] was the first Polish woman to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga.<ref>Mysza (2009). [http://wspinanie.pl/serwis/200905/18kinga-baranowska-kangchenjunga.php ''Kinga Baranowska zdobyła Kangchenjungę''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311025837/http://wspinanie.pl/serwis/200905/18kinga-baranowska-kangchenjunga.php |date=11 March 2013}}. wspinanie.pl, 18 May 2009.</ref>
* In 2011, [[Tunç Fındık]] became the first Turkish man to reach the peak of Kangchenjunga, his seventh eight thousander, with Swiss partner Guntis Brandts via the British 1955 SW Face route.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnnturk.com/2011/yasam/diger/05/20/tunc.findik.zirvede/617339.0/ |title=Tunç Fındık zirvede |publisher=CNN Turk |year=2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theuiaa.org/news-163-Member-spotlight-Freedom-lies-in-the-mountains-for-Turkish-climber-Tunc-Findik.html |author=UIAA |title=Member spotlight: Freedom lies in the mountains for Turkish climber Tunc Findik |publisher=International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation |year=2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008212759/http://www.theuiaa.org/news-163-Member-spotlight-Freedom-lies-in-the-mountains-for-Turkish-climber-Tunc-Findik.html |archive-date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
* In May 2011, Indian mountaineers Basanta Singha Roy and [[Debasish Biswas]] successfully scaled Kangchenjunga Main.<ref>{{cite web |date=2011 |url=http://www.mak.org.in/expeditions.php#22 |title=Expeditions |work=Mountaineers' Association |access-date=23 October 2017}}</ref>
* In May 2013, five climbers including Hungarian [[Zsolt Erőss]] and Péter Kiss reached the summit, but disappeared during the descent.<ref>{{cite news |title=5 climbers feared dead on world's 3rd highest peak |date=2013 |work=NBC News |url=http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/24/18472084-5-climbers-feared-dead-on-worlds-3rd-highest-peak?lite |access-date=14 January 2014}}</ref>
* In May 2014, Bulgarian [[Boyan Petrov]] reached the peak without the use of supplemental oxygen.<ref>{{cite news |date=2014 |website=Novinite |url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/160731/Bulgarian+Mountaineer+Boyan+Petrov+Climbs+Kangchenjunga+Summit |title=Bulgarian Mountaineer Boyan Petrov Climbs Kangchenjunga Summit |access-date=23 October 2017}}</ref>
* In May 2014, [[Chhanda Gayen]] was the first Indian woman to summit. She was killed by an avalanche on the descent.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ace mountaineers from across the country hail Gayen's effort |date=2014 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ace-mountaineers-from-across-the-country-hail-Gayens-effort/articleshow/35497291.cms |access-date=1 August 2019}}</ref>
* In May 2022, Indian Narayanan Iyer died during a summit push on the mountain.<ref>{{cite news |date=2022 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-climber-dies-nepal-hiking-official-2022-05-07/ |title=Indian climber dies in Nepal-hiking official |work=Reuters}}</ref>
 
Despite improved climbing gear the fatality rate of climbers attempting to summit Kanchenjunga is high. Since the 1990s, more than 20% of people have died while climbing Kanchenjunga's main peak.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hansen, L. |year=2012 |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/30757/5-mountains-deadlier-everest |title=5 Mountains Deadlier Than Everest |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923175946/http://mentalfloss.com/article/30757/5-mountains-deadlier-everest |archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref>

==In myth==
[[File:Five Treasures of Snow.jpg|thumb|Five Treasures of Snow]]
The area around Kangchenjunga is said to be home to a mountain deity, called ''Dzö-nga''<ref>{{cite journal |author=Balikci Denjongpa, A. |title=Kangchendzönga: Secular and Buddhist perceptions of the mountain deity of Sikkim among the Lhopos |year=2002 |journal=Bulletin of Tibetology |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=5–37 |url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/bot/pdf/bot_2002_02_01.pdf}}</ref> or "Kangchenjunga Demon", a type of [[yeti]] or [[rakshasa]]. A British geological expedition in 1925 spotted a bipedal creature which they asked the locals about, who referred to it as the "Kangchenjunga Demon".<ref name=myfoxdfw>{{cite web |date=2010 |title=The Abominable Snowman: Bear, Cat or Creature? |url=http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpps/news/weird/the-yeti-abominable-snowman-bear-cat-or-creature-monster-dpgoha-20100803-fc_8978008 |publisher=myfoxdfw.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806210517/http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpps/news/weird/the-yeti-abominable-snowman-bear-cat-or-creature-monster-dpgoha-20100803-fc_8978008 |archive-date=6 August 2010}}</ref>

For generations, there have been legends recounted by the inhabitants of the areas surrounding Kanchenjunga, both in Sikkim and in Nepal, that there is a valley of immortality hidden on its slopes. These stories are well known to both the original inhabitants of the area, the [[Lepcha people]] and [[Limbu people]], and those of the [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] cultural tradition. In Tibetan, this valley is known as [[Beyul]] Demoshong. In 1962, a [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] [[Lama]] by the name of Tulshuk Lingpa led over 300 followers into the high snow slopes of Kanchenjunga, to "open the way" to Beyul Demoshong.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Step Away from Paradise |last=Shor|first=T. |publisher=City Lion Press |year=2017 |isbn=9780999291894 |location=USA}}</ref>

==In literature==
[[File:Kangchenjunga East Face from Zemu Glacier.jpg|thumb|East face of Kangchenjunga, from near the [[Zemu Glacier]], Sikkim]]

* In ''[[The Epic of Mount Everest]]'', first published in 1926, Sir [[Francis Younghusband]]: "For natural beauty Darjiling ([[Darjeeling]]) is surely unsurpassed in the world. From all countries travellers come there to see the famous view of Kangchenjunga, {{convert|28150|ft|m}} in height, and only {{convert|40|mi|km}} distant. Darjiling (Darjeeling) itself is {{convert|7000|ft|m}} above sea-level and is set in a forest of oaks, magnolia, [[rhododendron]]s, laurels and sycamores. And through these forests, the observer looks down the steep mountain-sides to the Rangeet River only {{convert|1000|ft|m}} above sea-level, and then up and up through tier after tier of forest-clad ranges, each bathed in a haze of deeper and deeper purple, till the line of snow is reached; and then still up to the summit of Kangchenjunga, now so pure and ethereal we can scarcely believe it is part of the solid earth on which we stand; and so high it seems part of the very sky itself."
* In 1999, official [[James Bond]] author [[Raymond Benson]] published ''[[High Time to Kill]]''. In this story, a [[microdot]] containing a secret formula for aviation technology is stolen by a society called the Union. During their escape, their plane crashes on the slopes of Kangchenjunga. James Bond becomes part of a climbing expedition in order to retrieve the formula.
* ''[[The Inheritance of Loss]]'' by [[Kiran Desai]], which won the 2006 [[Booker Prize|Man Booker Prize]], is set partly in [[Kalimpong]], a [[hill station]] situated near Kangchenjunga.
* In ''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]'' by [[Yoshiki Tanaka]], which won the [[Seiun Award]] for Best Novel of the Year in 1988 and was adapted into an [[anime]] series by [[Kitty Films]], the capital and holiest temple of the Terraist Cult is on Earth beneath the rubble of Kangchenjunga.
* [[Michelle Paver]]'s 2016 ghost story novel ''Thin Air'' concerns a fictional expedition to climb Kangchenjunga in 1935, and an earlier (also fictional) expedition in 1906.
* The book ''Round Kangchenjunga: A Narrative of Mountain Travel and Exploration'' by [[Douglas Freshfield]] gives a complete account of his travel around Kangchenjunga.
* Susan Jagannath's book ''Chasing Himalayan Dreams: A trek in the Shadow of Kanchenjunga and Everest'' details her 61 km, six-day trek up and around Kangchenjunga. 
* [[Kate Bush]]'s [[Wild Man (Kate Bush song)|song "Wild Man"]]: "Well, the first verse of the song is just quickly going through some of the terms that the [[Yeti]] is known by and one of those names is the Kangchenjunga Demon. He's also known as [[Wild Man]] and Abominable Snowman. (...) I don't refer to the Yeti as a man in the song. But it is meant to be an empathetic view of a creature of great mystery really. And I suppose it's the idea really that mankind wants to grab hold of something [like the Yeti] and stick it in a cage or a box and make money out of it. And to go back to your question, I think we're very arrogant in our separation from the animal kingdom and generally as a species we are enormously arrogant and aggressive. Look at the way we treat the planet and animals and it's pretty terrible isn't it?" (John Doran, "A Demon in the Drift: Kate Bush Interviewed". ''[[The Quietus]]'', 2011.)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Doran |first1=John |title=A Demon In The Drift: Kate Bush Interviewed |url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/kate-bush-interview-2/ |website=[[The Quietus]] |date=2011}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Mountains|India|Nepal}}
* [[List of deaths on eight-thousanders#Kangchenjunga|List of deaths on Kangchenjunga]]
* [[List of elevation extremes by country]]
* [[Sacred mountains#India|Sacred mountains of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
<!-- Please maintain alphabetical order by author, or if not credited, publisher/publication. -->
* [[Paul Bauer (mountaineer)|Paul Bauer]] "The German Attack on Kangchenjunga", ''The Himalayan Journal'', 1930 Vol. II.
* [[Paul Bauer (mountaineer)|Paul Bauer]] 1937. ''Himalayan Campaign''. Blackwell is the story of Bauer's two attempts in 1929 and 1931, republished as ''Kangchenjunga Challenge'' (William Kimber, 1955).
* Paul Bauer 1931. Um Den Kantsch: der zweite deutsche Angriff auf den Kangchendzönga, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 81, No. 4 April 1933, pp.&nbsp;362–363
* Paul Bauer; Sumner Austin 1938. Himalayan Campaign: The German Attack on Kangchenjunga, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 91, No. 5: 478
* ''[[The Times Literary Supplement]]'', Thursday, 9 April 1931. "Kangchenjunga", Paul Bauer.
* Im Kampf um den Himalaja, Paul Bauer. The Kangchenjunga Adventure, [[F. S. Smythe]], Himalaya: Unsere Expedition, G. O. Dyhrenfurth. 1930
* [[Peter Boardman]] 1982. ''Sacred Summits: A Climber's Year''. Includes the 1979 ascent of Kangchenjunga with [[Joe Tasker]] and [[Doug Scott]]. Also in ''The Himalayan Journal'' Vol 36.
* An Adventure to Kangchenjunga, Hugh Boustead, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 69, No. 4 (Apr. 1927), pp.&nbsp;344–350
* Recent Heroes of Modern Adventure, T. C. Bridges; [[H. Hessell Tiltman]], ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 81, No. 6 June 1933, p.&nbsp;568
* [[Joe Brown (climber)|Joe Brown]], ''The Hard Years'', tells his version of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955.
* J. Norman Collie, F.R.S. The Geographer at High Altitudes, ''Climbing on the Himalaya and Other Mountain Ranges''. Edinburgh: David Douglas. 1902.
* Prof. [[Günther Dyhrenfurth|G. O. Dyhrenfurth]] "The International Himalayan Expedition, 1930", ''The Himalayan Journal'', April 1931, Vol. III. Details their attempt on Kangchenjunga.
* [[Charles Evans (mountaineer)|Charles Evans]] ''Kangchenjunga The Untrodden Peak'', Hodder & Stoughton, Leader of the 1955 expedition. Principal of the University College of North Wales, Bangor. Foreword by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, K.G.
* Charles Evans 1956. "Kangchenjunga: The Untrodden Peak". ''[[The Times Literary Supplement]]''.
* [[Douglas Freshfield]] "The Glaciers of Kangchenjunga". ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 19, No. 4 April 1902, pp.&nbsp;453–472
* [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]] 1855. ''Himalayan Journals''. Assistant-director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
* C. K. Howard-Bury. 1922. "The Mount Everest Expedition". ''The Geographical Journal'' 59 (2): 81–99.
* ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India''. Vol. XXVI, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 79, No. 1 January 1932, pp.&nbsp;53–56
* [[Robert Lock Graham Irving|Irving, R. L. G.]] 1940. ''Ten Great Mountains''. London, J. M. Dent & Sons
* [[John Angelo Jackson]] 1955. ''More than Mountains'' Book containing data on the 1954 Kangchenjunga reconnaissance. Jackson was also a team member of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955, also relates the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' "Abominable Snowman" or [[Yeti]] Expedition, when the first trek from [[Mount Everest|Everest]] to Kangchenjunga was accomplished * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070921031150/http://www.cabernet.demon.co.uk/JAJ/]. Relevant pages 97 onwards with two detailed maps.
* [[John Angelo Jackson]] 2005. ''Adventure Travels in the Himalaya''. Indus Publishing. Recounts in more detail the first ascent of Kangchenjunga.
* [[Narendra Kumar (mountaineer)|Colonel Narinder Kumar]] 1978. ''Kangchenjunga: First ascent from the north-east spur''. Vision books. Includes the second ever ascent of Kangchenjunga and the first from the northeast spur on the Indian side of the mountain. See also ''Himalayan Journal'' Vol. 36 and 50th Anniversary Edition
* "General Bruce's Illness a Serious handicap" ''The Times'', (British) World Copyright, Lt. R. F. Norton, 19 April 1924. Expedition in the Kangchenjunga area.
* Simon Pierse 2005. ''Kangchenjunga: Imaging a Himalayan Mountain''. University of Wales, School of Art Press, {{ISBN|978-1-899095-22-3}}. An anthology of word and image published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first ascents of Kangchenjunga. Well illustrated with reproductions of paintings, prints and photographs describing the climbing history and cultural significance of the mountain. Preface by [[George Band]].
* [[F. S. Smythe]] ''The Kangchenjunga Adventure'', 1930 to 1931. Victor Gollancz, Ltd. Smythe was the team member responsible for writing and sending the dispatches to [[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]] in Calcutta, (Mr. Alfred Watson Editor), who transmitted the dispatches to [[The Times]] (editors Deakin & Bogaerde), during the expedition of 1930 [http://www.cabernet.demon.co.uk/JAJ/data/smythe-excerpt.html example]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.
* ''[[The Times Literary Supplement]]'', Thursday, 11 December 1930. "The Kangchenjunga Adventure", [[F. S. Smythe]].
* [[Bill Tilman|H. W. Tilman]] ''The ascent of Nanda Devi'', 7 June 1937, Cambridge University Press. Relates the story of their intention to climb Kangchenjunga.
* Lieut. Col. H. W. Tobin "Exploration and Climbing in The Sikkim Himalaya", ''The Himalayan Journal'', April 1930 Vol. II. Provides the early exploration and climbing attempts on Kangchenjunga.
* "Account of a Photographic Expedition to the Southern Glaciers of Kangchenjunga in the Sikkim Himalaya", N. A. Tombazi, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 67, No. 1 January 1926, pp.&nbsp;74–76
* [[Laurence Waddell]] 1899. ''Among The Himalayas''. Travels in Sikkim. Book includes the exploration of the south of Kangchenjunga.
* Pema Wangchuk and Mita Zulca ''Khangchendzonga: Sacred Summit''. The book details the stories and legends celebrated by the communities living in the Kangchenjunga's shadow, goes over the exploits of the early explorers and mountaineers. Chapters cover what Khangchendzonga means to Buddhism, mapping, early explorers, [[Alexander Kellas]], early expeditions, the first ascent in 1955, the Indian Army ascent (1977), the second British ascent (1979), women climbers, the Tiger climbers, the yeti and more. Profusely illustrated with many period photos.
* Lou Whittaker, ''Memoirs of a Mountain Guide'', 1994

The above ''Himalayan Journal'' references were all also reproduced in the "50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Kangchenjunga" The Himalayan Club, Kolkata Section 2005.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.himalaya-info.org/Map%20kangchenjunga.htm Kangchenjunga page on Himalaya-Info.org (German)]
* [http://www.summitpost.org/kangchenjunga/150283 Kangchenjunga page on Summitpost.org]
* [http://www.k2news.com/kanghistory.htm Kangchenjunga History] for a more detailed up to date account of the mountain's history and ascents.
* [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10653 "Kāngchenjunga, India/Nepal" on Peakbagger]
* {{cite peakware|id=132|name=Kangchenjunga}} Photos.
* [http://www.asiasociety.org/onthinnerice Glacier Research Image Project] presents photos tracking 24 years of changes in glaciers at Kangchenjunga.
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190117012047/http://mtxplore.com/8000-meters/ Mtxplore Mountain Statistics]}} Statistics of Kangchenjunga.

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{{North East India}}
{{Highest points of Asia}}
{{Darjeeling}}
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[[Category:Mountain ranges of Nepal]]
[[Category:Landforms of Sikkim]]
[[Category:Eight-thousanders of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of India]]
[[Category:India–Nepal border]]
[[Category:International mountains of Asia]]
[[Category:Seven Third Summits]]
[[Category:Highest points of Indian states and union territories]]
[[Category:Tourism in Northeast India]]
[[Category:Highest points of countries]]
[[Category:Mountains of Koshi Province]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of Nepal]]
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