Under the direction of Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, a group of fifteen people have chosen to call the peak “Tsangyang Gyatso Peak” in honor of the Dalai Lama.
China has taken issue with Indian mountaineers honoring the 6th Dalai Lama by naming an unknown peak in Arunachal Pradesh, thereby reiterating its territorial claims in the area.
The 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in the Mon Tawang region in 1682. The National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) team successfully ascended a 20,942-foot-high, previously unclimbed peak in Arunachal Pradesh, naming it in his honor.
NIMAS is a defense ministry organization with its headquarters located in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.
The defence ministry said in a press release that the peak is named in honor of the Sixth Dalai Lama in recognition of his lasting wisdom and important contributions to the Monpa community and beyond.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lin Jian said at a press briefing, “I’m not aware of what you mentioned,” in response to a question about his response.
“To put it more broadly, the region of Zangnan is Chinese land, and India’s attempt to establish the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ there is futile and illegitimate. According to news agency PTI, Lin Jian stated, “This has been China’s consistent position.”
Arunachal Pradesh is known as Zangnan in China.
In an effort to bolster its claims, China has also been renaming locations in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017.
China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh have been disputed by India, which maintains that the region is a part of itself and that giving it a “invented” name does not change that fact.
An NIMAS team climbs Arunachal’s virgin mountain, which is 20,942 feet high.
According to a defense announcement on Thursday, the 15-day trip to climb one of the most technically difficult summits in the area, with sheer ice walls, dangerous crevasses, and a 3-km-long glacier in the Gorichen range of the Arunachal Pradesh Himalayas in the Tawang-West Kameng region.
Lead by Col. Ranveer Singh Jamwal, the 15-person team has opted to call the summit “Tsangyang Gyatso Peak” in honor of the Dalai Lama.
According to the statement, naming the peak in honor of the Sixth Dalai Lama pays homage to his eternal wisdom and his significant contributions to the Monpa community and beyond.
The decision to name the mountain and the ascent have been communicated to the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) by NIMAS.
In order to guarantee that “Tsangyang Gyatso Peak” is shown on the official map, the necessary formalities for naming the peak are now being finished.