Nepal Himalaya in World Philately

Nepal Himalaya in World Philately
- Binod K. Shrestha1
In the North is situated in its divinity, the king of mountains
named Himalaya, which by entering into the waters into the east,
as well as the west, stands like the pivot of the earth.
Kumarasambhava
Through the world of stamps, this article chronicles achievements
of some of the legends of mountaineering i.e. Tenzing Norgay,
Edmund Hillary, Jerzy Kukuczka, Jaime Vinals, Maxime Chaya,
Valdas Vitkauskas, Anatoli Boukreev, etc. Others are heroes
from many countries who for the first time flew their national flag
on the Top of the World. And, as a philatelist, this is a small
attempt to narrate the mountaineering history of Nepal Himalaya
during this Visit Nepal Year 2011 through postage stamps.
The Himalayas is a 2,400 km mountain range in Asia separating the Indian subcontinent from the
Tibetan Plateau. One-third of the Himalayan range lies in Nepal. Of the world’s 14 highest peaks,
eight lie in Nepal Himalaya. Of the 31 Himalayan peaks over 7,600m 22 are in Nepal. To comprehend
the enormous scale of this mountain range, consider that Aconcagua, in the Andes, at 6,962 meters
(22,841 ft) is the highest peak outside Asia, whereas the Himalayan system includes over 1,310
mountains exceeding 6,000m.2
Radhakrishna Sikdar (right) is credited to have actually
calculated the height of Mt. Everest and thereby
discovered the highest mountain in the world. Nain
Singh (left) entered Tibet in a guise of lama and in 21
months he surveyed 2,000 km trade route.
The Himalaya has impressed men and
women by its majesty and mystery. In 1809 10 William Webb established the height of
Dhaulagiri from the plains. In 1856, the
Great Trigonometric Survey of India
established the first published height of
Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 29,002
ft (8,840 m). In 1865, Everest was given its
official English name by the Royal
Geographical Society. In 1885, Clinton
Thomas Dent, president of the Alpine Club,
suggested that climbing Mount Everest was
possible in his book Above the Snow Line.
George Mallory discovered the northern
approach to the mountain on the first expedition in 1921.
Nepal Himalaya peaks remained to be seen and sighted from afar and
never trodden upon. Negotiation to access Everest in 1908 and
subsequently other peaks through Nepal did not materialize. Everest
was approached from the North and Kanchenjunga from the east.
On 3 April 1933 two planes flew over
the summit of Everest taking off from
Purnea, India.
“Blue Label” of 1924 Everest
Expedition. This was the third
expedition from the north.
1933 Flight Over Everest
1
Binod K Shrestha is a member of the Nepal Philatelic Society, Nepal and Tibet Philatelic Study Circle, American
Philatelic Society (217443), American Topical Association (56028) and International Fellowship of Rotary on
Stamps. His philatelic interests are on Nepal Himalaya, Nepal on World Philately, Buddhism through Philately
and Rotary on Stamps.
2
Gurung, Harkha (1982). Peaks and Pinnacles: Mountaineering in Nepal, Nepal Mountaineering Association
(page 134)
Although Joseph Hooker explored parts of eastern Nepal as early as 1848/49,
exploration of Nepal Himalaya truly started in 1949 when the country was
opened to foreigners. That year American naturalist Dillon Ripley visited
Rekcha (west Nepal) and Chainpur (east Nepal). Same year Swiss geologist
Arnold Heim made an aerial flight over Dhaulagiri. Another Swiss expedition
led by Sutter-Lohner explored Kanchenjunga region from Darjeeling. In
summer H. W. Tilman explored Langtang and Ganesh Himal region.
The first of the eight-thousander, Annapurna 1, was climbed by Maurice Herzog
and Louis Lachenal, of a French expedition on 3 June 1950. First exploration of
50th Anniversary
Mount Everest region from the south (Nepal) side was made that year by an Anglo-American
teamof
the First Ascent of
when Tilman and Charles Houston explored the western cwm.
Annapurna – I by
French
These were the beginning of the exploration and mountaineering in Nepal Himalaya.
Restexpedition.
is history.
Expeditions to Nepal Himalaya
INDIA
2 October 1953
These 2 and 14 annas stamps are said to
be the first stamps to depict an actual
Himalayan peak. The stamps marks the
first “Conquest of Everest” on “29-5-53”.
Within months of the first successful
ascent India issued these stamps. The
photo was taken by the Indian Liberator aircraft which flew around Everest the week before the
mountain was climbed.
15 August 1965
26 January 1955
This 15 paisa stamp shows Indians raising the flag
This Re
on the summit. A 21-member expedition led by Lt
1 annas
Commander Kohli put the first Indians (A S
8 stamp
Cheema and Nawang Gombu ) on summit of
shows
Everest on 20 May 1965. India became the 4th
“plane
country to scale Everest. Nine climbers reached
over Kanchenjunga Mountains”.
the summit in four teams. Nawang Gombu
became the first person to climb Everest twice. He had earlier
reached the summit on 1 May 1963 with the American expedition.
15 May 1973
15 January 2002
This 20 paisa was issued on This Rs 4 stamp
the 15th anniversary of the
commemorates Indian
Indian Mountaineering
Army 2001
Foundation (and 20th of the
Mountaineering Everest
first ascent). Although not
Expedition. Seven Indian
so named, the major peak at nationals reached the
the left is obviously
summit on 23 May 2001
Everest.
19 May 1978
Kanchenjunga is the third
highest mountain in the
world and the second highest
in Nepal. The second ascent
of main peak of
Kangchenjunga, was
achieved by an Indian Army
team led by Colonel Narinder Kumar. Major Premchand and
Nayek Nima Dorji reached the summit via the northeast spur, the
difficult ridge, on 31 May 1977.
19 May 1988
This Rs
2 stamp
depicting
Kanchen
junga is
one of
the four stamps of Himalayan
Peak series.
29 May 2003
This stamp was issued to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of
Ascent of Mount Everest. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime
Minster of India inaugurated the golden jubilee celebrations of
the First Ascent of Mount Everest, on 20 May 2003 in New
Delhi. On this occasion the Prime Minster also unveiled the
design of the stamp commemorating the golden jubilee
celebrations of the First Ascent of Mount Everest. This
ceremonial unveiling of design before the issue date is a first for
India Post.
CHINA
26 September 1975
Chinese expedition in 1975 was led by Shih Chanchun, leader of the 1960
Chinese ascent. A team of nine climbers - eight Tibetan and one Chinese
- reached the summit on 27 May 1975 including the Tibetan woman,
Phatong (first woman from the north side). She became the second
woman to summit Everest, losing the honor to Junko Tabei by only a
few days. This expedition was organised by a “Party Committee” that
included Wang Fu-chou, one of the 1960 summiteers. A military-style
expedition that used soldiers to carry supplies to the north col and siege tactics to progressively
reposition camps higher and higher up the mountains. A final assault camp was established between
the First and Second Steps at 8,680 m. An aluminum ladder was placed at the Second Step to
overcome the final vertical headwall pitch.
25 May 1965
1 April 1983
The set of five stamps records
This 70
mountaineering development in China and its fen stamp
extraordinary achievements. The 8 fen stamp shows Mt
depict a climbing party on its way to Everest. Qomolan
A Chinese team under Shih Chan-chun
gma
claimed to have reached the summit on 25
(Everest).
May 1960, from the Tibet side. Sheh ChanThis is
chun’s party did summit in 1975.
one of
the 17 stamps issued in this series.
18 October 2005
This is a commemorative pre-stamped
envelope to mark the elevation of Mount
Qomolangma. In 2005, the State Bureau
of Surveying and Mapping of China
undertook the elevation measurement of
the peak. 24 members reached the peak on May 22 to anchor
surveying equipment for the re-measurement of summit height.
Several methods were used to assess snow and ice thickness for
the new measurement and to compare it with historical data. With
the approval of the State Council, the elevation of Mount
Qomolangma was declared to be 8844.43.
1 October 2004
The Landscapes of Chinese
Borderlands series consists of 12
stamps including a 80 fen stamp of
Mount Qomolangma (Everest).
2005
The Olympic flame of Bejing 2008 22nd Olympic
Games successfully reached the top of Qomalangma
(Everest). That set a record in the history of Olympics,
as it was the first time that the torch was lit on the
top of the world, representing human’s brave challenge
of their capability. The success symbolized the
Olympic spirit of “faster, higher and stronger”. To
commemorate this significant moment, China National
Philatelic Corporation issued a commemorative stamp.
JAPAN
3 November 1956
A Japanese team led by Yuko Maki made the first ascent of
Manaslu (8th highest peak in the world) from the North. Toshio
Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa aka Gyalzen Norbu reached the
Summit on 10 May 1956. On 11 May, Kiichiro Kato and Minoru
Higeta reached the summit via the same route. This was after four
unsuccessful attempts since 1950 (all by Japanese) and the peak was
not climbed again till 1971.
NEW ZEALAND
4 October 1954 and 29 May 2003
These two semi-postal stamps depict a young hiker looking past Mt
Aspiring at a peak labeled Everest. The design symbolizes the
thoughts and aspirations of many New Zealanders, at the same time
paying tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary's conquest of Mount Everest
the previous year.
In New Zealand Hillary’s native
country, powerful images of
Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are
included on two eye-catching 50th
Anniversary, Conquest of
Everest stamps (40c). The cover
shows the ice axe used by Sir
Edmund Hillary.
SOUTH KOREA
This 20 won stamp depicts Korean flag and
Mount Everest commemorating the first ascent
by Koreans on 15 September 1977, Ko SangDon scaled Mt. Everest, becoming the first
Korean to reach the summit with Sherpa
Pemba Norbu. He also climbed Mt. Annapurna
and Mt Makalu - all without oxygen.
10 November 1977
RUSSIA
20 December 1983
This miniature sheet depicts climbers and Everest commemorating the
“First Soviet Everest Expedition, 1982” led by Evgeny Tamm. The first
acknowledged Soviet expedition climbed a new route on the
Southwest Face to the left of the Central Gully. Eleven climbers reached
the summit, and the route was recognized as technically the hardest route
yet climbed on Everest
POLAND
22 May 1980 & 17 August 1988
This is a set of 6 stamps issued in Poland in 1980 to document some
Polish scientific expeditions undertaken during the time of communist
rule. The series included: climbing Kanchenjunga in 1978. Polish
teams made the first successful ascents of the summits Kangchenjunga
South (Wojciech Wróż and Eugeniusz Chrobak, 19 May) and
Kangchenjunga Central (Wojciech Brański, Zygmunt Andrzej
Heinrich, Kazimierz Olech, 22 May)
This semi-postal stamp of 70+10 zloty, depicts Jerzy
Kukuczka who was awarded Olympic medal for his
Himalayan climbs, including Everest. On 18
September 1987, he became the second climber, after
Reinhold Messner, to climb all 8,000 meter peaks of
the Himalayan and Karakorum Mountain Ranges. He
ascended all fourteen peaks in eight years, faster than
anybody else. In the process, Kukuczka established ten
new routes and climbed four summits during the
winter. What makes this even more amazing is the fact
that all early climbs were done from the communist
Poland with very poor equipment and no sponsors.
Jerzy Kukuczka died attempting the South Face of Lhotse in Nepal on 24 October 1989 at an altitude
of about 8200 meters.
BULGARIA
31 May 1984
This 5 stotinki stamp commemorates the Bulgarian West Ridge Everest
Expedition under Avron Avramov. Hrusto Ivanov Prodanov was the first
Bulgarian to reach the summit but perished on 20 April during descent. Two
more summited on 8 May and two on 9 May. These four claimed the first
complete traverse of Everest. Prodanov (Bulgaria) – made the first ever ascent
of the West Ridge Direct without oxygen (he also did it solo, which makes it
the first and solo ascent of the ridge).
AUSTRALIA
1988
The Australian Bicentennial Everest Expedition was
a contribution by Australian mountaineers to
Australia’s bicentenary celebrations. Twenty
climbers attempted the first double traverse of the
West Ridge and the South Col of Mt. Everest and
place the Australian flag on the top of the world.
The stamp shows Australian climbers on a practice
climb on the West Ridge while the illustration area
features Mt Everest from Pumori showing the region
of the climb. Paul Bayne, Pat Cullinan and Jon Muir reached the summit on 25 May 1988 from the
South East Ridge. The first Australians to reach the summit were however Tim McCartney Snape and
Greg Mortimer who reached the summit on 3 October 1984 from North Face to Norton coulier without
bottled oxygen. This was also first ascent by this route. Tim McCartney Snape also climbed Everest
on 11 May 1990.
YUGOSLAVIA
Mt. Lhotse (8516m.) is the fourth highest mountain in the world. This
stamp was issued to commemorate the solo ascent by Tomo Cesen from
Slovenia. Tomo Cesen said that he climbed the wall via Yugoslavian
route. The climb caused much controversy because many climbers didn't
believe this. He later changed his mind claiming that he didn't reach the top
but the summit ridge. The south face was finally climbed in 1990 by
Russian expedition few months after Cesen's climb. They describe the wall
as impossible to be climbed by a single person.
LITHUANIA
24 April 1991
20 August 1991 & 25 February 1997
These 20 and 70 kopecks stamps depict expedition to Everest with flag
and ice axe. This set was dedicated to an intended Lithuanian alpinists’
climb to the top of Everest. World Lithuanian team (12 climbers from
Lithuania with 3 women among them, an American Lithuanian and 3
cameramen of Lithuanian film studio) was intending to go on a
reconnaissance expedition on 24 September 1991. The plan was to
climb Everest in 1992 which unfortunately did not take place.
This 4.80 litas souvenir sheet depicts expeditions to highest peak
on each continent including Mount Everest, with Lithuanian flag
on the summit. Two Lithuanians reached the summit of Everest:
Vladas Vitkauskas in 1993 and Saulius Vilius in 2003. Alpinist
Vladas Vitkauskas has conquered the seven highest peaks of
the world and raised a Lithuanian flag on each of them. In 1993,
though fatigued by an exhausting climbing and with frost-bitten
toes on both feet after the ascent to Mount Everest and the return
to the base camp, he once again ascended – this time to assist
others in taking down the body of a dead Nepalese alpinist. For
this heroic act he received an award from the CIFP (International Fair Play Committee).
KYRGYSTAN
29 December 1995
This 350 tyiyn stamps depicts Mount Everest with 2 climbers.
There were eight stamps in this series showing various natural
wonders of the world including the Nile River, Kilimanjaro,
Sahara Desert, Nigara Falls, Grand Cayon, Amazon River and
Victoria Falls.
KAZAKHSTAN
This 100 tenge souvenir sheet shows Mount Everest in the
background and a single stamp insert depicting a climber. On 20
May 1997 eleven Kazaks reached the summit of Everest. One of
the summiteers was Anatoli Nikoliavich Boukreev, a Russian
(USSR/Kazakhstan) climber who made seven ascents of 8,000m
peaks without supplemental oxygen. In total he made 18 successful
ascents on peaks above 8,000m. Boukreev was killed under an
avalanche on Annapurna. He wrote the book The Climb, a
chronicle of the 1996 tragic spring climbing season on Mt `Everest.
29 July 1998
BOLIVIA
25 May 1999 & 26 May 2009
On 25 May 1998 Bernardo
Guarachi fulfilled a lifetime
dream of reaching the highest
point on earth. When he
reached the summit of Mount
Everest at 6 that morning, he
became the first Bolivian and
the first Native South American Indian to do so. Earlier on 29 April 1994
Guarachi had reached the summit of Makalu.
INDONESIA
The two stamp set shows Indonesian Flag over Ama Dablam in
the Himalayas and Mount Puncak Jaya. Puncak Jaya is the
highest mountain in Indonesia. It is also the highest point
between the Himalayas and the Andes and the highest island peak
in the world. At 15.30, 26 April 1997, First Corporal Asmujiono
shouted “Allahu Akbar“ and planted the Indonesian flag on top
of the world, followed by his colleague, First Corporal Misrin.
They are the Southeast Asia’s first Everest Summiteers.
28 October 1998 & 5 June 2003
Written in the center of the sheet is “50
tahun keberhasilan pendakian puncak
Everest 29 May 1953” i.e. 50th year of
successful ascent of Mount Everest 29 May
1953.
MALAYSIA
On May 1997, two Malaysians, M. Magendren
and N. Mohandas reached the submit of
Everest. Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir
Mohamad originally initiated the Everest
project to encourage Malaysians to achieve
greater heights. The climbers practiced
climbing the Himachal Pradesh mountains in
India, Mount Cho Oyu (8,130m) and Mount
Kamet (7,436m) in the Himalayas. The other
two stamps in the sheet shows Malaysians
reaching the North Pole and para jumping.
ECUADOR
GUATEMALA
26 February 2000
23 May 2000
This 8000 sucres stamp depicts Ivan Vallejo Ricuarte holding an
Ecuadorian flag on the summit of Everest. The inscription in
Spanish reads, “Ecuadorian Climbers of Andeas Mountains Who
Conquered Mt Everest”. Iavn reached the summit of Everest on 26
May 1999. Ivan Vallejo again reached the Summit of Everest
without use of bottled oxygen from the South Side on 23 May 2001.
He has also reached the summit of Broad Peak in 1998, Manaslu in
1997 and Cho Oyu .
22 November 2002
Jaime Viñals had climbed all the other peaks of the Seven Summits
challenge, including the ones listed on alternate definitions of the summit
list, but still had not reached the peak of Everest. He reached the summit
of the Everest on 23 May 2001. Viñals became the third Latin American to
climb Everest and to complete the ascent to the Seven Summits. This
stamp was issued to celebrate this first ascent.
MONGOLIA
On 30 May 2005 a Mongolian team led by
Bayarnyam, became the First Mongolian team to
summit Everest. The summiteers were Gotovdirj
Usukhbayar, Mongolian climber, Uman Gurung,
sardar, Jangby Sherpa, and Pasang Sherpa.
Mongolian mountaineers have made about ten
attempts to climb Mount Everest in the last 50
years.
1 April 2001
BOSNIA SERBIA
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first
ascent of Mt Everest, this two-stamp sheetlet
depicts Mt Everest and climbers climbing. Bosnian
Serb Administration located in Banja Luca issued
the stamp.
16 April 2003
PHILIPPINES
23 November 2006
The Philippine Postal Corporation and the First
Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition Team launched
the Conquest of Mt. Everest Stamps featuring the
first Filipinos who have made it to the top of the
world’s highest mountain. Heracleo "Leo" Oracion
became the first Filipino to reach the summit on 17
May 2006. Erwin “Pastor” Emata and Romeo
Garduce Emata followed him. However, according
to Mount Everest chronicler Elizabeth Hawley
another Filipino climber, Dale Abenojar, was the
first to summit on May 15, two days before Leo
Oracion.
LEBANON
Lebanon's foremost sportsman and climber,
Maxime Chaya was the first person from his
country to hoist its flag atop Everest. Maxime has
also climbed all the highest mountain on every
continent - the Seven Summits - and also skied to
the North and South Poles. This stamp was to
commemorate Maxime Chaya’s first ascent of
Mount Everest on 15 May 2006. The title of the
stamp is written in French and Arabic, reads as
follows: “Maxime Chaya raises the Lebanese flag
on the summit of Mount Everest, 15 May 2006.”
2 July 2007
Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) and Sir Edmund
Hillary (1919-2008)
Tenzing and Hillary reached Sagarmatha / Everest's 29,028 ft (8,848 m)
summit, the highest point on earth, at 11:30 a.m. on 29 May 1953. One of
the most memorable images in climbing history is the photo of Tenzing
Norgay silhouetted against the sky, unrecognizable behind his oxygen
mask, holding aloft an ice ax with the flags of the United Nations, Great
Britain, India and Nepal.
!
!
Tenzing Norgay was born Namgyal
Wangdi in the village of Moyey in Tibet,
raised in Nepal, and a resident of India for
most of his life. He went to Everest as a
high-altitude porter on the 1935, 1936, and
1938 expeditions. In 1947 he became a
sirdar of a Swiss expedition for the first time. In 1952, he was a climbing
member of the Swiss expedition's attempt.
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer
and philanthropist. Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 20
July 1919. Hillary was part of a British reconnaissance expedition to
Everest in 1951 led by Eric Shipton before joining the successful British
attempt of 1953. In 1952 Hillary and George Lowe were part of the
British team led by Eric Shipton that attempted Cho Oyu. After that
attempt failed, Hillary and Lowe crossed the Nup La into Tibet and
reached the old Camp II, on the northern side of Everest.
TIME magazine recognized Tenzing and Hillary among the 100 most influential people of the century.
!
!
Hillary, 33 and Tenzing, 39 high up on the south-east ridge
on 28 May 1953, day before they reached the summit.
Photographer Alf Gregory
!
!
!
!
Hillary in the lead and Tenzing following
at 27,500ft on south-east ridge.
!
!
Sir Edmund Hillary
!
!
Conquest of the World
!
During his lifetime Hillary actively worked to help the Sherpa Community
International Year of the
Mountains
In the light of rapidly growing awareness
of the importance of mountain areas and
based on an initiative from Kyrgyzstan,
the United Nations General Assembly
declared 2002 the International Year of
Mountains (IYM) in November 1998.
The mountain ranges in various parts of
the world have been reconized as the
world’s most vulnerable bio-geographical areas susceptible to land degradation, having variable
climates, heterogeneous habitats often with the unique fauna and flora, and areas suffering from loss of
indigenous cultural and traditions. And they are the storehouse of fresh water resources. The aim of
IYM 2002 was to ensure the well-being of mountain and lowland communities by promoting the
conservation and sustainable development of mountain regions. This is one of the most significant
decision regarding mountains since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Sagarmatha was obviously the most adopted symbol by many
countries. The Canadian stamp was also to pay tribute to explorer, climber and
photographer Pat Morrow, who was the first man to climb the Seven Summits in the
seven continents. This feat made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. The
UN Stamp depicted a photo by Yoshikazu Shirakawa.
Clockwise from right: Makalu,
Tawache, Cholatse, Chamlang,
Dhaulagiri, Ama Dablam and Ama
Dablam
Other Stamps and Cinderella
Had King Edward not abdicate the British throne in
December 1936, he would probably have been the King
in 1953 when Everest was climbed in 1953. His
marriage to American socialite Wallis Simpson led to
his abdication. He was succeeded by his brother George
VI who died on 6 February 1952 and was in turn
succeeded by Queen Elizabeth. The world heard of the
first ascent of Everest on 2 June 1953 the day of the
Queen’s coronation.
The uninhabited island of Eynhallow off
Scotland issued this sheetlet of four stamps in
1981. The second stamp is a label from Austria
showing Sherpas carrying loads. There are four
other stamps in this series.
The background pictures on these
two sheetlets from Bhutan and
Benin show Machapuchhere.
Below are few other stamps
showing the Himalayan peaks.
UNESCO issued a stamp in 1992 in
“Le Patrimoine Mondial” series
showing Sagarmatha National Park,
Nepal. One of the six stamps set to
introduce the extremes of the Plant
Earth recorded in the Guinness
World Records shows Mount
Everest as the “highest mountain”.
The stamp
from Liberia
showing the
Nepalese flag,
Sagarmatha
and
Swayambhunat
h is part of nine
stamp set
“Philatelic Tour of the World”.