Bachendri Pal owns an exceptional place in the history of mountaineering in India as the first Indian woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, the World’s highest mountain peak. An intrepid person with a fascination for adventure, she has been considered an icon for mountain climbers across the World.
She has been working at the forefront of planning, organising, and leading groundbreaking expeditions for women. Her contributions through working as an active guide and leader for adventure expeditions are an upshot of her sheer determination and hard work.
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Early Life of Bachendri Pal
- Bachendri Pal was born on May 24, 1954, in Naukri Village of Uttarkashi district, in Uttarakhand. Born to Kishan Singh Pal, a border tradesman, and Hansa Devi, she started mountaineering at a young age. During the initial years, she climbed a distance of 3,999.9 m, with a good start in mountaineering. A genuine interest in adventure and passion for climbing prompted her to choose scaling as her profession. Amidst a lack of interest from her family and acquaintances, she decided to pursue climbing with zeal and enthusiasm.
- She completed her Post Graduation in arts and Bachelor of Education from D.A.V Post Graduate College, Dehradun. She decided to switch her career and joined the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. During the course, she became the first female in India to climb Gangotri, with a height of 23,419 ft, and Mount Rudragaria, with an elevation of 19,091 ft, in 1982. Following that, she started her career as an instructor at National Adventure Foundation (NAF), where they set up an adventure school to facilitate training for women to master mountain climbing.
- Her decision to pursue climbing was proven right with her success in the challenging profession she decided to track. She completed summiting several small peaks and was selected to join the first mixed-gender team from India to pursue an expedition to Mount Everest in 1984. The expedition was titled “Everest ’84”.
The scale of Mount Everest
- Bachendri Pal got the opportunity to be a part of the fourth expedition team for India’s Mount Everest Mission. Her team commenced their journey in May 1984. However, an unexpected landslide at the Lhotse glacier left the team members injured.
- More than half of her teammates were injured and abandoned their mission. However, with their undeterred spirit and unwavering determination, Bachendri and the remaining members continued their expedition. A few climbers joined them, and they reached the South Col to spend a night at ‘Camp 4’, at a height of 26,000 ft.
- They continued their journey on 23 May 1984 through the ice, cold winds, and extreme temperatures. At the end of the expedition, they reached the summit on 23rd May 1984 at 1:07 pm. Thus, she overcame every trouble and toil to become the first woman from India to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
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Other expeditions
After climbing Mount Everest, she rose to fame and continued with her expeditions:
- She led the ‘Indo-Nepalese Women’s Mount Everest Expedition, and 18 people managed to reach the summit, which included 7 women.
- She led a team of women on their first successful journey in the Ganges from Haridwar to Calcutta through a distance of 2,155 km in 39 days. The Great Indian Women’s Rafting Voyage of 1994 comprised a team of women rafters.
- The first “Indian Women Trans-Himalayan Expedition of 1997” was an initiative by 8 women who undertook a journey from Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern part of the Himalayas to the Western part of the Himalayas in Siachen Glacier and finally arrived at the Northernmost tip of India – the Indira Col at an altitude of 20,100 ft. Bachendri Pal led this expedition covering a distance of 4500 km through more than 40 mountain passes.
The Longitudinal Division of the Himalayas is an important part of the IAS Geography syllabus for UPSC.
Awards and Accolades
- Bachendri Pal has bagged several awards and for her remarkable contributions to mountaineering.
- In 1984, she received a gold medal for excellence in mountaineering from the Indian Mountaineering Association (IMA).In the same year, she received the fourth-highest civilian award in India, Padma Shri.
- She received a Gold Medal from the education department of Uttar Pradesh in 1985.
- In 1986, she received the Arjuna award, the second-highest sporting honour in India.
- Her name got listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first woman to conquer Mount Everest. She was also honoured with the National Adventure Award by the Government of India in 1994. She is also a recipient of the Virangana Lakshmibai Rashtriya Samman instituted by the Ministry of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
- In 2019, she received the third highest civilian honour of the country, Padma Bhushan, for her commitment to the development of women and youth in India.
Social Services
- Apart from being a successful adventurer and inspiration to a large number of people, she actively took part in social services for noble causes. She, along with Premlatha Agarwal(the first Indian woman to reach seven summits), and a team of mountaineers was at the forefront of the rescue operations during the calamitous floods in North India. People stuck in the remotest villages, having difficult hilly terrain, were rescued by her team.
- Since 1984, she has been working with Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. In 2019, she retired from her job and started working for the empowerment of women and mountaineering.
- She started initiatives like FIT@50’ for a group of 12 people above the age of 50 for a five-month Himalayan journey.
- National Book Trust, Delhi, has published her autobiography titled “Everest – My Journey to the Top”.
- Her determination and willpower to pursue a career in mountaineering are a source of inspiration for women to take up a path as challenging as it is. She shattered the glass ceiling and travelled through a road not taken.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bachendri Pal
Why is Bachendri Pal famous?
Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak in the World. She worked as a mountaineering expert before the expedition to Mount Everest.
What are the important adventures of Bachendri Pal apart from the historic expedition to Mount Everest?
In 1985, she led an all-woman expedition that reached the summit of Mount Everest. She also led a rafting expedition down the waters of the Ganges in 1994, covering a distance of 2500 km. She led an all-woman team for a distance of 4000 km through the Himalayan mountains, from Arunachal Pradesh to Siachen Glacier.
Who is the first woman to climb Mount Everest in India?
Bachendri Pal is the first woman to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak in the World. She reached the summit on May 23, 1984, with a team of 8-9 members around 1:07 p.m.She spent 43 minutes on Mount Everest.
How many times did Bachendri Pal climb Mount Everest?
She climbed Mount Everest twice. The historic expedition, ‘Everest 84’, reached the summit on May 23, 1984. Secondly, she led an all-women expedition to Mount Everest in 1993, with 7 women reaching the summit.
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