Namjagbarwa Peak
Posted on Jun 12,2008 09:21



Namjagbarwa Peak - Paradise in the Clouds


Namjagbarwa Peak is in Nyingchi Region of Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas have been hailed as humankind's last land of mystery, and even regarded as the "golden key" that can open the gate of the earth. The most mysterious thing is that at each end of the Himalayas two peaks stand on the mysterious tectonic knots: at the eastern end stands Namjagbarwa (7,782 meters) and at the western end Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters), the worlds' ninth highest peak. They not only attach the magnificent length of the Himalayan chain to the southern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but also fix the Eurasian plate to the India Plate.
"One of the ten most beautiful mountains" ranked by China National Geography Magazine, and regarded as "Paradise in the Clouds".
The blue river water reflects the snow capped peaks, and the crystal-clear glacier winds through the green primal forests. The brightly-colored Tibetan villages, the graceful and healthy girls, herbs of cattle and sheep on the pastures, and wild flowers of every color in full bloom, form a picturesque landscape unfolding before the eyes of every traveler who, too long fettered by the bustle of city life, yearns for the beauty of a natural paradise. 
Stand surrounded by the magnificent Tibetan scenery on the Serkhyim La Mountain, gazing at wave after wave of towering mountains. The white clouds surged like tides, casting down shadow after shadow from the snow-capped mountains. A bank of cloud attaching itself to the mountain was carelessly driven off by a gust of wind, and this was the sharply defined triangular peak of the Namjagbarwa exposed to view.
But almost immediately, the rolling clouds veiled the mountain once more. When you tried for a second glance, the sky was clouded again and the mountain shyly hidden.
The Namjagbarwa area is a sea of clouds all year round. Some foreign explorers came here via India in the early 20th century in the hope of seeing its scenery and taking pictures, but they waited for a month in vain; the mountain was heavily shrouded in thick clouds, and they had to leave amidst sighs and regrets. Even local people can see its true appearance only on a few days each year.
Tibetans regards Namjagbarwa as the road to Heaven, a holy place which ordinary people must absolutely not disturb. They describe it as "a burning fire of snow and lightening" and "piercing the blue sky like a long-handled spear." And they have endowed it with many outstanding titles too: god of heroism, the spoiled and beloved son of the extraordinary beauty and valor of the Nyanqentanglha Mountain, the brutal brother who cut off the head of his kinsman in a fright, and the self-respecting husband not allowing others to see his grief at being separated from his wife.
Namjagbarwa has existed for over 700 million years. The first piece of land in the Himalayan region to emerge from the sea, it deserves its title of Number One among the eastern Himalayan Mountains. The changes it has experienced are beyond the reach of our current knowledge.
Even today, we still know very little about Namjagbarwa. This is not because we do not admire its outstanding beauty; rather, because the mountain has deliberately made a curtain of the clouds and mists, made a protective screen of the canyon and torrents, thus preventing any alien creature from disturbing the solitude and silence that it has enjoyed for hundreds of millions of years.
Those who have been close to it all know that once you have taken the routes to Namjagbarwa, no others really deserve to be called "dangerous". The first human conquest of Namjagbarwa did not happen until 1992. Over 10 years have passed, and sophisticated mountaineering equipment means "everything is possible" today, but no one else has tackled it again.
Looking at the mountain from afar, all you can see are floating clouds. Looking at it from nearby, over 5,000 meters above you, it is almost invisible. It stands in the world, but every few people can see it. It is hidden in the clouds, but connected with the world we all inhabit.

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