On a clear day the Ganesh Himal,
with the icy fangs of pabil (7101m/ 23300ft),
Lobsang Karpo (7150m/ 23458ft),GI (7406m/
24298ft) and GV (6950m/ 22802ft) can be seen
forming an imposing backdrop to the north- west
of Kathmandu. Paldor, which can just be picked
out from the mass of shapely summits, was first
climbed by Bill Tilman, Peter Lloyd, Tenzing
Sherpa and Da Namgyal during the monsoon of 1949
by the North-East Ridge, although it must be
said that it is difficult to fit Tilman’s
description to the actual route.
Paldor lies at the south-east end of the Ganesh
Himal marking the junction of the Tiru and
Khurpu Dandas at the head of the Mailung Khola,
a tributary of the Trisuli Gandaki.
The name Ganesh is taken from the
elephant-headed Hindu god of good luck, probably
the most popular deity in the Kathmandu valley.
As the son of Shiva and his consort Annapurna,
or Parvati, his head was severed by his father
who then promised to replace it with the first
head that came to hand; the first happened to be
an elephant’s. Images of Ganesh, sitting astride
a shrew, can be seen all over the valley. Since
he can cast aside obstacles, his help is invoked
whenever a difficult task is to be undertaken.
Think on! |
