Sonam Gyatso

Sonam Gyatso (1923–1968) was an Indian mountaineer. He was the 2nd Indian man, the 17th man in world and first person from Sikkim to summit Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. He was one of the nine summiters of the first successful Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed Mount Everest in May 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli. The first time that the oldest man at the time, Sonam Gyatso at age 42, and the youngest man Sonam Wangyal at age 23, climbed Everest together on 22 May 1965. He became the oldest person to scale the peak in 1965 and when he spent 50 minutes at the peak, he set a world record for spending the longest time at the highest point on Earth. The Government of India awarded him the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1965, for his contributions to the sport of mountaineering.

Biography Born in 1923 at Kewzing, a south Sikkimese village at the foot of Kangchenjunga in Northeast India, Sonam Gyatso started his career in 1946 as a school teacher at Lachung, in the northern part of the state. After three years of service, he joined the Frontier Constabulary Force of the Indian Air Force as a head constable in 1949 which gave him the opportunity to attend a basic mountaineering course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling in 1954. Hathi Parbat in 1963, Rathong peak and Langpo Chung in 1964. he reached the summit at the age of 42 as a member of the first all-Indian Everest expedition, thus becoming the first person from Sikkim and the oldest person among all mountaineers to summit the peak. He spent 50 minutes at the top without oxygen supply which was then a world record. The attempt also set another world record for the highest number of successful climbers in a single expedition; the team strength of nine members broke the record set earlier by an American expedition of six members. India Posts issued a postage stamp in commemoration of the achievement. Later, he also scaled the Siniolchu peak.

Kohli, who had led the 1965 Everest expedition, recruited Gyatso to join a team on a secretive mission to Nanda Devi. The joint CIA / Indian Intelligence Bureau mission involved placing a nuclear listening device on the mountain in 1965 with subsequent visits in 1966.

Gyatso was married to Kunzang Choden and the couple had five children.

After his death a biography was published 'The Sky Was His Limit: The Life and Climbs of Sonam Gyatso', the author, B.N. Mullik, was the Director of the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Awards and honors After two successful expeditions and before his second failed attempt on Everest, the Government of India awarded Gaytso the honor of the Padma Shri in 1962. He also received the Gold Medal from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), in 1960 after his first attempt on Everest. The mountaineering institute in Rathong, Sikkim where he served as the founder principal, is now known as Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute since 1968.

Notable expeditions Peak Height Year Result Additional info Nanda Devi failed first mountaineering attempt Cho Oyu successful first successful climb Everest failed reached up to 700 mt to the summit Annapurna III successful highest climb by an Indian expedition till then Kanchengyao successful leader of the expedition Everest failed reached up to 400 mt to the summit Hathi Parbat successful leader of the expedition Langpo Chung successful leader of the expedition Rathong successful pre-Everest trial Everest successful oldest person to summit the peak Siniolchu successful