Nanda Devi at a height of 25,643ft (around 7815m) is the second highest mountain in India and is located in the state of Uttarakhand, that consists of regions, namely Garhwal and Kumaon.
It was the highest mountain in India before 1971 when Sikkim, the state in which the highest mountain, Kangchenjunga is located, joined the Republic of India.
It is part of the Garhwal Himalayas, and is located in the state of Uttarakhand.
The surrounding Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
The peak, whose name means "Bliss-Giving Goddess", is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya.
Nanda Devi has a mystery associated with it, where during a failed joint covert operation by the USA's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) & India's Intelligence Bureau (IB) in the year 1965, radioactive Plutonium was left behind in the mountain. This has mysteriously never been found despite multiple attempts for search and retrieve. Rock and water samples tested never revealed any radioactive pollution.
