The Most Famous
MOUNTAINEERS from India
This page contains a list of the greatest Indian Mountaineers. The pantheon dataset contains 56 Mountaineers, 3 of which were born in India. This makes India the birth place of the 9th most number of Mountaineers behind Switzerland, and Russia.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indian Mountaineers of all time. This list of famous Indian Mountaineers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Bachendri Pal (b. 1954)
With an HPI of 53.77, Bachendri Pal is the most famous Indian Mountaineer. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
Bachendri Pal (born 24 May 1954) is an Indian mountaineer. In 1984, she became the first Indian woman to climb the summit of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest. She was awarded the third highest civilian award in India, Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2019.
2. Premlata Agrawal (b. 0)
With an HPI of 41.59, Premlata Agrawal is the 2nd most famous Indian Mountaineer. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Premlata Agrawal (born 1963) is the first Indian woman to scale the Seven Summits, the seven highest continental peaks of the world. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013 and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2017 for her achievements in the field of mountaineering. On 17 May 2011, she became the oldest Indian woman to have scaled the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest (29,032 ft.); at the age of 48 years at that time while Sangeeta Sindhi Bahl hailing from Jammu and Kashmir broke Premlata's record on 19 May 2018 and became the oldest Indian woman to climb Mount Everest at the age of 53. Prior to this, she took part in an Island Peak Expedition in Nepal (20,600 ft) in 2004; the Karakoram Pass (18,300 ft) and Mt. Saltoro Kangri (20,150 ft) in 2006. She participated in the First Indian Women's Thar Desert Expedition in 2007 and again in 2015; a 40 day camel safari from Bhuj in Gujarat to the Wagah Border (Indo-Pak border) in Punjab. Her feats have earned her a listing in the Limca Book of Records.
3. Arunima Sinha (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 40.21, Arunima Sinha is the 3rd most famous Indian Mountaineer. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Arunima Sinha is an Indian mountaineer and sportswoman. She is India's first amputee and world's first female amputee to scale Mount Everest (Asia), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America) and Vinson Massif (Antarctica). She is also a seven time Indian volleyball player. Before Arunima, Rhonda Graham from USA claimed to be the world's first female amputee who climbed Mount Everest in October 2011. However, reports stated that she climbed only up to the base camp. She was pushed from a running train by robbers in 2011 while she was resisting them, causing in rods pushed into her left leg and multiple fractures of the spinal cord. Her aim was to climb each of the continent's highest peaks and hoist the national flag of India. She had already done six peaks until 2014: Everest in Asia, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Australia, Aconcagua in South America, and Denali in North America. She completed her final summit of Mount Vinson in Antarctica on 1 January 2019. In 2015, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award of India.
4. Santosh Yadav (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 38.19, Santosh Yadav is the 4th most famous Indian Mountaineer. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Santosh Yadav (born 10 October 1967) is an Indian mountaineer. She is the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest twice and the first woman to successfully climb Mount Everest from Kangshung Face. As a youth she criticized traditional societal beliefs including standards of dress for women. She was quoted as saying "from the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and rational path, the others around me had to change, not me." She climbed Everest in May 1992 and in May 1993 with an Indo-Nepalese Team. During her Everest mission in 1992, she saved the life of a climber, Mohan Singh, by sharing oxygen with him. She also tried to help Saranjith, a fellow mountaineer who lay dying at the South Col but was unsuccessful.
5. Malavath Purna (b. 2000)
With an HPI of 31.06, Malavath Purna is the 5th most famous Indian Mountaineer. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Malavath Poorna (born 10 June 2000) is an Indian mountaineer. On 25 May 2014, Poorna climbed Mount Everest, aged 13 years and 11 months, the youngest female to have reached the summit. Poorna climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe on 27 July 2017. After reaching the summit of Elbrus, Poorna unfurled a 50 ft long Indian Tricolor and sang the Indian National Anthem. She completed the Seven Summits on 5 June 2022 climbing Denali, along with father-daughter duo Ajeet Bajaj and Deeya Bajaj. A film based on Poorna's life story was released in 2017 named Poorna: Courage Has No Limit directed by Rahul Bose.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Indian mountaineers born between 1954 and 2000. Of these 5, 5 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Indian mountaineers include Bachendri Pal, Premlata Agrawal, and Arunima Sinha. As of April 2024, 2 new Indian mountaineers have been added to Pantheon including Premlata Agrawal, and Santosh Yadav.
Living Indian Mountaineers
Go to all Rankings
Bachendri Pal
1954 - Present
HPI: 53.77
Premlata Agrawal
HPI: 41.59
Arunima Sinha
1989 - Present
HPI: 40.21
Santosh Yadav
1967 - Present
HPI: 38.19
Malavath Purna
2000 - Present
HPI: 31.06
