Deep within the Garhwal Himalayas rises Nanda Devi, at 7,816 metres the highest point lying entirely within Indian territory. Its name means "Goddess of Bliss" in the language of the local people, and in the villages of Uttarakhand it is worshipped not as a mountain but as a protecting mother goddess. The true magic of the summit lies in its solitude: it is ringed all around by glacial walls rising hundreds of metres, and this inner basin, known as the "Nanda Devi Sanctuary," is one of the hardest amphitheatres on earth to reach. It was not until 1934 that the first human crossed these walls and entered the basin, and the first ascent of the summit came in 1936; today the core zone is entirely closed to visitors as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to protect its fragile ecosystem.
For the traveller, Nanda Devi is a horizon that cannot be touched yet enchants from afar. Seen from the pine and oak forests of Auli, from the trail of the Kuari Pass or from the open meadows of Bedni Bugyal, the sharp twin summits rise as if to pierce the sky. At sunrise and sunset the snow walls catch fire with a pink-and-gold blaze called alpenglow; the first light of morning touches the highest point first, then slides down the slopes. Together with the three-pronged silhouette of its neighbour Trishul, the panorama they form sums up the soul of Garhwal. In the valleys below, meadow flowers bloom while ice and rock reign above; this contrast tells of the goddess's nature, at once generous and unreachable.