| Neelkanth | |
|---|---|
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,500 m (21,300 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,200 m (3,900 ft)[1][2] |
| Coordinates | 30°43′12″N 79°24′00″E / 30.72000°N 79.40000°E |
| Geography | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:India_relief_location_map.jpg)  Neelkanth | |
| Parent range | Garhwal Himalayas |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 3 June 1974 by Sonam Pulzor, Kanhiya Lal, Dilip Singh, Nima Dorje |
Nilkantha (or Neelakant, Neelkanth, Nilkanth, Nilkanta) is a major peak of the Garhwal division of the Himalayas, in the Uttarakhand region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Although substantially lower than the highest peaks of the region, it towers dramatically over the valley of the Alaknanda River and rises 3,474 metres (11,398 ft) above the Hindu pilgrimage site of Badrinath, only 9 km (6 mi) to the east.[2] Frank Smythe described the peak as "second only to Siniolchu in Himalayan beauty."[3]
The Satopanth Glacier lies on the northwest side of Nilkantha, below a 2,500 m (8,200 ft) face of the peak. The Panpatia Glacier lies to the southwest, and feeds the Khirao Ganga, a stream running under the south side of the peak. Further away, to the west of the peak, lies the well-known Gangotri Glacier and its associated peaks. Across the Alaknanda valley lie the Kamet and Nanda Devi groups.
- ^ Corrected SRTM data, available at Viewfinder Panoramas
- ^ a b Garhwal-Himalaya-Ost, 1:150,000 scale topographic map, prepared in 1992 by Ernst Huber for the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, based on maps of the Survey of India.
- ^ American Alpine Journal, 1956, p. 77