Mount K2, located in Jammu and Kashmir and also known as Godwin-Austen, is the highest peak of India.
The Himalayas range is one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world and consists of many of the highest peaks in the World. Second only to Mount Everest (Sagarmāthā in Nepalese and Chomolungma in China), Mount K2 (Godwin-Austen/Chhogori) has an elevation of 8,611 meters above sea level. K2, which is situated in the north-eastern Karakoram Range, is located in the Gilgit–Baltistan region. Thomas Montgomerie of the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India (circa 1849) made the first survey of Karakoram and sketched two most prominent peaks labeling as K1 and K2. K2 is known as the Savage Mountain as it is extremely difficult to scale the peak. It has one of the highest fatality- to summit rate – one death after every four successful summits.
Mount Kanchenjunga (also spelled as Kangchenjunga) is located at the border of Nepal and Sikkim (India). It is the third highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 8,586 meters above sea level. It is called ‘five treasures of snow’ after its five peaks. Kanchenjunga Main is one of the three peaks of Kanchenjunga located in India. Mount Kanchenjunga was considered as the highest peak of the world until 1852.
Like K2, some of the other highest peaks such as Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters), Gasherbrum I – Hidden Peak (8,080 meters), Broad Peak (8,051 meters) and Gasherbrum II (8,036 meters), are also located in Gilgit–Baltistan region. Even though Gilgit – Baltistan region is not administered by India, the area is still included under India’s international boundaries as being a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the other hand, Nanda Devi, which is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and has an elevation of 7,816, is the 23rd highest peak in the world. Nanda Devi, which is the highest peak and is located entirely within India, offers exclusive territorial access from India only.