The first successful attempts to summit Mount Everest by Indians were in 1960. The first Indians to reach the summit were a group led by Captain M.S. Kohli in 1965. 422 Indians made a total of 465 attempts between 1965 and 2018. These include 43 repeat attempts by 29 summiteers. There have been 81 attempts by 74 women and 7 repeat attempts by 4 female summiteers from India.
She climbed to the summit for the second time and became the first woman in the world to ever climb Mount Everest twice. Her first summit was in 1992 as part of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Expedition to Mount Everest
The first Full time Banker from India to climb the Everest
After an aborted summit attempt in 2017 - turned back from South Col because of bad weather, he returned successful the very next year. Subsequently, completed an Ironman Triathlon in Nov 2018 to become the first Indian to Summit Everest and complete an Ironman triathlon
A Chhattisgarh-based mountaineer, who summited Mount Everest on 17 May 2023 and Mount Lhotse on 18th May 2023 within 26 hrs. of time becoming the youngest woman mountaineer to summit both. She has also climbed 4/7 continents' highest peaks.
A Mountaineer, Sports woman, Japanese Language Trainer & Entrepreneur
The "First Tamil Woman" from Tamil Nadu state to climb the Everest. She has also climbed 5/7 continents highest peaks (Asia-Everest, Europe -Mt Elbrus, Africa-Mt. Kilimanjaro, South America-Aconcagua, Australia- Mt Kosciuszco ). She became the "First Tamil Woman who climbed 5 continents in this earth planet.
A decade-by-decade breakup of Indian summiteers of Mount Everest.
1960 to 1999
1960
The first Indian expedition to scale Everest was in 1960 by Indian Army led by Brigadier Gyan Singh and this was unsuccessful. Climbers Colonel Narendra Kumar, Sonam Gyatso, and Sherpa Nawang Gombu reached up to 28,300 feet (8,600 meters) but due to extremely bad weather they had to turn back.[36][37]
1962
The second Indian expedition to scale Everest was in 1962 by Indian Army led by Major John Dias and this was also unsuccessful. Climbers Captain M S Kohli, Sonam Gyatso, and Hari Dang reached up to 28,600 feet (8,700 meters) but due to extremely bad weather they also had to turn back.[38][37]
1965
In 1965, the third Indian expedition by the Indian Army, which was led by Captain M S Kohli, included 21 core members of the expedition and 50 climbing sherpas. The initial attempt was during late April and due to bad weather, they came back to base camp and waited 2 weeks for better weather. By the end of May, they succeeded by scaling the mountain in four successive attempts. Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar was the deputy leader of the team. India became the fourth country to scale Mount Everest.
It was on 20 May 1965 that Lt Col Avatar. S. Cheema, and Nawang Gombu Sherpa climbed the peak and became the first Indian to achieve this feat. This was the second time that Nawang Gombu Sherpa climbed Mount Everest. The first was with American Expedition in 1963. Tenzing Norgay, the first man to climb Mount Everest, was his uncle.
Two days later on 22 May, Sonam Gyatso and Sonam Wangyal reached the summit and became the first siblings to have climbed Mount Everest together.
On 24 May, C. P. Vohra and Ang Kami Sherpa reached the top of Mount Everest.
There were no ascents for 17 years, between 1966 and 1983.[42]
1984
In 1984, the fourth Indian expedition was led by Darshan Kumar Khullar and recorded a total of 5 ascents, including that of Bachendri Pal, the first woman summiteer from India - all from the South side (Nepal). Lieutenant Colonel Prem Chand was the deputy leader.[43][44]
On 23 May 1984, Bachendri Pal achieves history as the first Indian woman to conquer Everest.
South Col side summiteers
Phu Dorjee Sherpa - first Indian to summit without oxygen[45]
The 1992 Indo-Tibetan Border Police Expedition to Mount Everest by Indo-Tibetan Border Police was led by additional deputy superintendent Major Hukam Singh and recorded a total of 8 ascents by Indians including that of Santosh Yadav.[53] Senior medical officer Chittaranjan R. Pattanayak was the deputy leader.[54][55]
The 1993 Indo-Nepalese Everest expedition was the first all-woman expedition launched by Indian Mountaineering Foundation and funded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The 21-member team was led by Bachendri Pal. The historic expedition set up several world records at the time which included the largest number of persons (18) of a single expedition to climb Mount Everest, largest number of women (7) from a single country to climb Mount Everest.
Santosh Yadav became the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest twice while Dicky Dolma became the youngest woman (19 years old) in the world to climb the highest peak in the world. Santosh Yadav and Rita Gombu Marwah were the deputy leaders.[56][57][58] A total of 18 ascents happened - 11 of them were Indians and 7 were women.
Lobsang Tshering Bhotia, the nephew of Tenzing Norgay, participated as a member of the 1993 Australian Macedonian Everest Expedition led by Tashi Wangchuk Tenzing. He reached the top but died by falling at the time of descending.[59]
1994 to 1995
No ascents were made by Indians in the years 1994 and 1995.[60][61]
In 1998, an expedition to Mount Everest was led by Hrishikesh Yadav as part of the Indian Independence Golden Jubilee celebration. During this expedition, a total of 8 persons reached the summit - 2 of them were Indians and 6 sherpas. This was the first successful Indian civilian expedition over any 8000m peak. Amongst them, was the youngest Rock climber in their team, Abhijit Burman who climbed when he was 30.[64][65]
The 2001 Indian Army Mount Everest Expedition was led by Colonel Krishan Kumar. During this expedition, 15 people reached the summit - 7 of them were Indians and 8 were sherpas. Satish Chander Sharma was the deputy leader.[67][68][69][70]
The 2003 Indo-Nepal Army on Everest and Lhotse Expedition, led by Colonel Ashok Abbey, recorded a total of 16 persons reaching the summit - 9 of them were Indians and 7 were sherpas. Major Chandra Shekhar Manda was the deputy leader.[72][73][74]
Also, the 2003 Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Everest Expedition led by the principal of Himalayan Mountaineering InstituteColonel, Vijay Singh Thakur, recorded a total of 2 ascents by Indians. Kulwant Singh Dhami was the deputy leader.
North Col side summiteers
Kusang Dorjee Sherpa
Nadre Sherpa
2004
The first 2004 Indian Navy Mount Everest North Face Expedition by Indian Navy led by Satyabrata Dam recorded a total of 12 persons reaching the summit - 5 of them were Indians and 7 sherpas. Lieutenant Amit Pande was the deputy leader.[75][76][77]
North Col side summiteers
Satyabrata Dam
Dr Viking Bhanoo
Abhishek Kankan
Rakesh Kumar Lagwal
Vikas Kumar Mehra
2005
The 2005 Indian Army Women Everest Expedition, led by MajorSaurabh Singh Shekhawat, recorded a total of 15 persons to reach the summit - 9 of them were Indians and 6 were sherpas. The deputy leader was lieutenant colonel Anand Swaroop.[78][79][80]
The 2005 Indian Air Force Everest Expedition by Indian Air Force led by Air Force wing commander Amit Chowdhury recorded a total of 7 persons reach the summit - 3 of them were Indians and 4 were sherpas.[81][82]
The First Border Security Force (BSF) Everest Expedition 2006, led by Major Sharab Chandub Negi, recorded a total of 16 persons reaching the summit - 7 of them were Indians and 9 were sherpas,.[84][85][86][87]
Mastan Babu Malli (expedition led by Arnold Coster)
The third 2006 Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition to Mount Everest, led by Harbhajan Singh, recorded a total of 14 persons reaching the summit -12 of them were Indians and 2 were sherpas. Prem Singh was the deputy leader.[88][89]
13. Shekhar Babu Bachinepally reached the summit in a separate two-men expedition.
South Col side summiteers
Ongda Gyalzen Sherpa reached the summit as a Sherpa in the Caudweel Xtreem Everest led by Michael Patrick William (Mike) Grocott.
2008
The 2008 Indian Army Snow Lion Everest Expedition, led by Army officer Ashok Abbey, recorded a total of 18 persons reaching the summit - 9 of them were Indians and 9 were sherpas.[93][94]
South Col side summiteers
Sonam Gurmey
Pasang Tenzin Lektso
Dechen Lhamo
Thupten Lobsang
Jigmey Namgyal
Tashi Phuntsok
Tenzin Rigden
Kumchok Tenpa
Champa Younten
The 2008 Gyamtsho Tshering Bhutia Everest Expedition recorded a total of 22 persons reaching the summit - 10 of them were Indians and 12 were Sherpa.[94]
South Col side summiteers
Dawa Dhendup Bhutia
Kunzang Gyatso Bhutia
Atul Karwal
Yaduram Sharma
Nima Wangchuk Sherpa
Yangdi Sherpa
Ashish Kumar Singh
N. Suraj Singh
Ram Singh
Phul Maya Tamang
With he help of 3 sherpas, Kalpana Dash, an Indian lawyer and mountaineer, reached the top. She had attempted to climb Mount Everest twice before, once in 2004 and once in 2006, but failed due to bad weather and health conditions.
2009
The 2009 Nehru Institute of Mountaineering Everest Expedition, led by Brig. Mangal Murti Masur, VSM, recorded a total of 17 persons reaching the summit - 10 of them were Indians and 7 were sherpas.[95]
On 21 May 2009, Krushnaa Patil climbs the summit and became the youngest woman (16 years and 7 months years old) in the world to climb the highest peak in the world.[96] Gaurav Sharma and Tapi Mra also reached the summit as part of two separate expeditions.
2010 - 2019
2010
2010 recorded a total of 4 ascents by Indians through separate excursions - all from the South side (Nepal).[97]
On 22 May 2010, Arjun Vajpai became the youngest Indian to reach the summit at the age of 16 years, 11 months, and 18 days.
Premlata Agarwal (became the oldest Indian woman to have scaled Mount Everest)
Sushma Kaushik
Vikas Kaushik
Narinder Singh
Pawan Grewal
2011 Indian Air Force Women Everest Expedition
The 2011 Indian Air Force Women Everest Expedition led by Lt. Colonel Narender Kumar Dahiya recorded a total of 19 persons reaching the summit, 7 of them were Indians and 12 sherpas.[99][100][101]
In 2013 Wansuk Myrthong the first Women from the state of Meghalaya-India climbed the Mt. Everest Summit on 18 May 2013.
2012
2012 recorded a total of 52 ascents by Indians, 10 of them was women - 7 from the North side (China/ Tibet) and 45 from South side (Nepal).[102]
2012 Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition to Mount Everest
The fourth 2012 Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition to Mount Everest led by Prem Singh recorded a total of eight persons reach on the summit, seven of them were Indian and one was a sherpa.[103][104]
North Col side summiteers
Krishna Prasad Gurung
Pradeep Kumar Negi
Pasang Tenzing Sherpa (2nd time of 2)
Devendra Singh
Virender Singh
Ratan Singh Sonal
Mingma Dorchi Sherpa
2012 Indian Army Women Everest Expedition
The 2012 Indian Army Women Everest Expedition led by Lt. ColonelAjay Kothiyal recorded a total of 28 persons reach on the summit, 15 of them was Indians and 13 sherpas,[105][106]
Neikhrietuonuo Linyu (1st Naga to Summit Mt Everest)
Sherab Palden
Deepika Rathore (first time of 2)
Namrata Rathore
Poonam Sangwan
Sudhir Singh (first time of 2)
Tejpal Singh Negi (2nd time of 2)
Praveen Thapa
2012 Indian Army Snow lion Everest Expedition
The 2012 Indian Army Snow lion Everest Expedition led by Lt. Colonel Bhupesh Hada recorded a total of 11 persons reach on the summit, seven of them were Indian and four were sherpas.
South Col side summiteers
Bhupesh Hada
Chokyi
Chomphel
Thupten Lobsang (2nd time of 2)
(first Indian army to scale mounteverest summit without supplementary oxygen on 5 May 2012)
Tenpa Tashi
Thakpa Tenzing
Tamding Tsewang
2012 Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Everest Expedition
The 2012 Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Everest Expedition by Himalayan Mountaineering Institute on 2012 led by Lt. Colonel Neeraj Rana recorded a total of 10 persons reach on the summit, 6 of them was Indians and 4 sherpas.
2013 recorded a total of 67 ascents by Indians. 11 of them were women - all from the South side (Nepal).[110]
Ravindra Kumar, the only IAS officer to have climbed the Everest, a native of begusarai
On 19 May 2013, Ravindra Kumar became the first Indian Administrative Officer to climb the Mt. Everest.[111]
On 23 May 2019, Kumar became the first Indian Administrative Officer to climb the Mt. Everest twice.[112]
Ravindra Kumar
Arunima Sinha - first female amputee
On 21 May 2013, Arunima Sinha became the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest.
Arunima Sinha
Tashi and Nungshi Malik - first siblings and first twins
The 2013 Indo Nepal Joint Army Everest Expedition led by ColonelRanveer Singh Jamwal recorded a total of 43 persons reach on the summit, 11 of them was Indians and 32 sherpas.[113]
The 2013 National Cadet Corps NCC Everest Expedition led by Satish Chander Sharma recorded a total of 25 persons reach on the summit, 11 of them was Indians and 14 sherpas.[114]
2013 Special Service Bureau (SSB) Everest Expedition
The 2013 Special Service Bureau (SSB) Everest Expedition by Sashastra Seema Bal led by Somit Joshi recorded a total of 11 persons reach on the summit, 5 of them was Indians and 6 sherpas,.[115][116]
South Col side summiteers
Somit Joshi
Tame (Man) Bagang
Subodh Kumar Chandola
Vinod Singh Negi
Rahul Kumar Tyagi
2013 North East India Everest Expedition
The 2013 North East India Everest Expedition led by Surjit Singh Leishangthem recorded a total of 21 persons reach on the summit, 11 of them was Indians and 10 sherpas.[117][118][119]
2013 The Lawrence School, Sanawar Everest Expedition
The Lawrence School, Sanawar Everest Expedition led by Neeraj Rana recorded a total of 13 persons reach on the summit, 7 of them was Indians and 6 sherpas,[120][121]
2014 recorded a total of 5 ascents by Indians and one of them woman - all from the North side (China/ Tibet).[122]
Malavath Poorna - youngest girl to conquer Mount Everest
The 2014 Transcend Adventures Everest Expedition led by Shekhar Babu Bachinepally created a new history, Malavath Poorna On 25 May 2014, at the age of 13 years and 11 months, became the youngest girl in the world to have reached the summit.[123][124][125]
North Col side summiteers
Malavath Poorna (Youngest girl in the world to climb Mount Everest )
2016 recorded a total of 50 ascents by Indians, 15 of them women. One died. Six were from the north side (China/ Tibet) and 44 from south side (Nepal).[127]
2016 Transcend Adventures Everest Expedition
The 2016 Transcend Adventures Everest Expedition led by Shekhar Babu Bachinepally recorded a total of 13 persons reach on the summit, 5 of them was Indians and 8 sherpas,.[128][129]
The 2016 Indian Army Everest Massif Expedition led by Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal recorded a total of 27 persons reach on the summit, 10 of them was Indians and 17 sherpas,.[130][131]
2016 National Cadet Corp (NCC) Girls Everest Expedition
The 2016 National Cadet Corps (NCC) Girls Everest Expedition led by Guarav Karki recorded a total of 28 persons reach on the summit, 14 of them was Indians and 14 sherpas,[133][134]
South Col side summiteers
Guarav Karki
Rigzen Dolker
Lalrintluangi
Tashi Laskit
Pooja Mehra
Deepika Rathore (2nd time of 2)
Balkar Singh
Sulaxchana Tamang
Tsering Angmo
Trishala Gurung
Stanzin Laskit
Vishal Ahlawat
Dolyne Kharbhih
Kumari Nutan
2016 Satori Adventurous International Everest Expedition
2016 Satori Adventurous International Everest Expedition led by Jitesh Popatial Mody recorded a total of 16 persons reach on the summit, 6 of them was Indians and 10 sherpas.
2017 recorded a total of 49 ascents by 48 Indians (double ascent Anshu Jamsenpa), 7 accents by 6 women- One die - 18 from the North side (China/ Tibet) and 31 from South side (Nepal).[135]
Anshu Jamsenpa - fastest double summit, most times (5) by Indian woman
Anshu Jamsenpa created a new history. The first woman in the world to scale the summit of Mount Everest twice in a season (and the first to do so within 5 days). It is also the fastest double ascents of the tallest crest by a woman. This was her fifth summit and thus she became the most time climbed Indian woman.
The 2017 Transcend Adventures Everest Expedition led by Shekhar Babu Bachinepally recorded a total of 37 persons reach on the summit, 16 of them was Indians and 21 sherpas.[136]
North Col side summiteers
Bharath Thammineni
Suresh Babu Gullamarusu
Nagaraju Sundarana
Satya Rao Kare
Krishna Rao Vooyaka
Durga Rao Kunja
Sagar Bodla
Chenna Rao Gajavelli
Dharma Teja Mothukuri
Eswaraiah Seelam
Hari Prasad Ganugapenta
Sunda Raju Repalle
Rani Boddu
Asha Singh
Sandhya Bai Vadithe
Aparna Arvind Prabhudesai
North Col side summtiters
Anita Devi (2nd time of 2) Become the first Indian woman to climb the peak from the both side, She climb the peak from South side in 2013.[137]
2017 Indian Navy Everest-Lhotse Expedition
The 2017 Indian Navy Everest-Lhotse Expedition by Indian Navy led by Lieutenant Commander Sanjay K. Kulkarni recorded a total of 20 persons reach on the summit, 9 of them was Indians and 11 sherpas. Lieutenant Commander Vinit Doshi was the deputy leader.[138][139]
South Col side summiteers
Shashank Tewari
Chandraveer Singh Yadav
Anant Kukreti
Bikas Maharana
Avinash Kalyan Bawane, NM
Hari Om
Nagarajan Hari Prasath
Ashish Gupta
Sandeep Singh
2017 Indian Army Snow Lion Everest Expedition
The 2017 Indian Army Snow Lion Everest Expedition led by Vishal Dubey recorded a total of 13 persons reach on the summit, 7 of them was Indians and 6 sherpas.[140][141]
South Col side summiteers
Karma Zopa
Kalden Panjur
Sonam Phuntsok
Urgen Topgye
Kunchok Tenpa (2nd time of 2)
Ngawang Gelek
Kelsang Dorjee Bhutia
2017 Asian Trekking ONGC Eco Everest Expedition
The 2017 Asian Trekking ONGC Eco Everest Expedition by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation led by Satendra K. Sangwan recorded a total of 16 persons reach on the summit, 7 of them was Indians and 9 sherpas.[142]
2018 recorded a total of 69 ascents by Indians - 8 of them women - 18 from the North Col and 51 from South Col.[143]Ajeet Bajaj and Dia Susanna Bajaj, a father-daughter duo from Delhi, made history by conquering Mount Everest on 16 May. Sangeeta Sindhi Bahl became the oldest Indian woman to have scaled the world's tallest peak at the age of 53 years.
The 2018 Uttarakhand State Police Everest Expedition led by Sanjay Kumar Gunjyal recorded a total of 16 persons reaching the summit - 8 of them was Indians and 8 sherpas.[149][150]
The 2018 Force Motors Everest Expedition led by Sauraj Jhingan recorded a total of 4 persons reaching the summit - 2 of them were Indians and 2 were sherpas.[154][155]
South Col side summiteers
Sauraj Jhingan
Samir Nicholas Patham
18 other people reached the summit as part of different expeditions. They were:
The 2018 Transcend Adventurous Everest Expedition led by Shekhar Babu Bachinepally recorded a total of 40 persons reaching the summit - 18 of them were Indians and 22 were sherpas.[158]
Sidharth Routray from Odisha Indian on 15 May 2022
Praveen Rana from Uttarkashi Uttarakhand summited on 21 May 2022, also climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt Elbrus, Mt Kosciusko and became first person of the world who climbed four continents highest peak on a specified day. This record has been recorded in India Book of Records
Prakriti Varshney summited in May 2022
2023
1. Yaashi Jain[174]
She has completed the Basic Mountaineering Course and Advanced Mountaineering Course. She is a Chhattisgarh-based mountaineer, who summited Mount Everest on 17 May 2023 and Mount Lhotse on 18th May within 26 hrs. of time span becoming the youngest woman mountaineer to summit both. She has also climbed 4/7 continents' highest peaks.
2. Santosh Dagade[175][1] On 17th may 2023, made him the first mountaineer from Raigad district to conquer Mount Everest.[176]
Ashish Singh is a certified mountaineer from Madhya Pradesh, India. He successfully summited Mount Everest on his first attempt on May 23, 2023. He completed both the Basic and Advanced Mountaineering Courses at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) in Manali.
In addition to his achievements in mountaineering, Ashish Singh holds a BTech in Mechanical Engineering and has eight years of experience in the field. He has delivered over 150 lectures at various educational institutions. Furthermore, he has completed certificate courses in the designing and manufacturing of vehicles and solar technology.
A Pune-based Marathon runner and mountaineer, who summited Mount Everest on 17 May 2023. She is the only women mountaineer from Maharashtra who has taken the traditional (Nauwari Saree) to this feet.
A Tamil Nadu based ,34 years old, a mother of two daughters is the First Tamil Woman to scale the world’s highest peak Mount Everest (2023) and as a First Tamil Woman to scale Five Summits,the Five highest continental peaks of the world within short duration within 267 days (May 2023~March 2024). She has received the prestigious "Kalpana Chawla - 2023" Tamil Nadu government state award for successfully done the Mt. Everest summit. Also, she has received the popular media Aval Vikatan's award "Singappen 2023".