Tenzing Norgay
Encyclopedia
Padma Bhushan
, Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara Tenzing Norgay, GM
(late May 1914 – 9 May 1986) born Namgyal Wangdi and often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa
mountaineer
. Among the most famous mountain climbers in history, he was one of the first two individuals known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest
, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary
on 29 May 1953. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential
people of the 20th century.
born and brought up in Tengboche
, Khumbu
in northeastern Nepal
. However more recent research has led to the claim that he was born a Tibetan in Kharta valley, Tibet, but his family were left destitute when their yak
s were killed by disease, and he was sold as a bonded servant to a Sherpa family in Thamel in Nepal.
Khumbu lies near Mount Everest, which the Tibetans and Sherpas call Chomolungma which in Tibetan means Holy Mother. He was a Buddhist, the traditional religion of the Sherpas and Tibetans.
His exact date of birth is not known, but he knew it was in late May by the weather and the crops. After his ascent of Everest on 29 May, he decided to celebrate his birthday on that day thereafter. His year of birth according to the Tibetan Calendar was the year of the rabbit, making it likely that he was born in 1914.
He was originally called "Namgyal Wangdi", but as a child his name was changed on the advice of the head lama
and founder of the famous Rongbuk Monastery
, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu. Tenzing Norgay translates as "wealthy-fortunate-follower-of-religion". His father, a yak
herder, was Ghang La Mingma (d. 1949) and his mother was Dokmo Kinzom (who lived to see him climb Everest); he was the 11th of 13 children, most of whom died young
.
He ran away from home twice in his teens, first to Kathmandu and later Darjeeling. He was once sent to Tengboche Monastery
to be a monk but decided that it was not for him and departed. At the age of 19, he eventually settled in the Sherpa community in Too Song Bhusti in Darjeeling.
Tenzing got his first opportunity to join an Everest expedition when in 1935 he was employed by Eric Shipton, leader of the reconnaissance expedition that year. As a young 19 year old his chance came when two of the others failed their medical. As a friend of Angtharkay he was quickly pushed forward and his attractive smile caught the eye of Shipton who decided to take him on.
Tenzing took part as a high-altitude porter in three official British attempts to climb Everest from the northern Tibet
an side in the 1930s.
He also took part in other climbs in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, and for a time in the early 1940s he lived in what is now Pakistan
, in the Princely State
of Chitral
as batman to a Major Chapman. His first wife died during his tenure there and was buried there. His return to Darjeeling with his seven daughters took place during the Indian partition of 1947.
In 1947, he took part in an unsuccessful summit attempt of Everest. Canadian-born Earl Denman
, Ange Dawa Sherpa, and Tenzing entered Tibet illegally to attempt the mountain; the attempt ended when a strong storm at 22,000 ft (6,700 m) pounded them. Denman admitted defeat and all three turned around and safely returned.
In 1952, he took part in two Swiss
expeditions led by Raymond Lambert
, the first serious attempts to climb Everest from the southern (Nepal) side, during which he and Lambert reached the then-record height of 28,215 ft (8,599 m).
In 1953, he took part in John Hunt's expedition, his own seventh expedition to Everest. A member of the team was Edmund Hillary, who had a near-miss following a fall into a crevasse, but was saved from hitting the bottom by Tenzing's prompt action in securing the rope using his ice axe, which led Hillary to consider him the climbing partner of choice for any future summit attempt.
The Hunt expedition totalled over 400 people, including 362 porters
, twenty Sherpa
guides and 10,000 lbs of baggage, and like many such expeditions, was a team effort.
The expedition set up base camp in March 1953. Working slowly it set up its final camp at the South Col
at 25,900 feet (7,890 m). On 26 May Bourdillon and Evans attempted the climb, but turned back when Evans' oxygen system failed. The pair had reached the South Summit, coming within 300 vertical feet (91 m) of the summit. Hunt then directed Tenzing and Hillary to go for the summit.
Snow and wind held the pair up at the South Col for two days. They set out on 28 May with a support trio of Ang Nyima, Alfred Gregory
and George Lowe
. The two pitched a tent at 27,900 feet (8,500 m) on 28 May while their support group returned down the mountain. On the following morning Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen solid outside the tent. He spent two hours warming them before he and Tenzing attempted the final ascent wearing 30-pound (14 kg) packs. The crucial move of the last part of the ascent was the 40-foot (12 m) rock face later named the "Hillary Step". Hillary saw a means to wedge his way up a crack in the face between the rock wall and the ice and Tenzing followed. From there the following effort was relatively simple. They reached Everest's 29,028 ft (8,848 m) summit, the highest point on Earth, at 11:30 a.m. As Hillary put it, "A few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow, and we stood on top."
They spent only about fifteen minutes at the summit. Hillary took the famous photo of Tenzing posing with his ice-axe, but since Tenzing had never used a camera, Hillary's ascent went unrecorded. Additional photos were taken looking down the mountain in order to re-assure that they had made it to the top and that the ascent was not faked.
The two had to take care on the descent after discovering that drifting snow had covered their tracks, complicating the task of retracing their steps. The first person they met was Lowe, who had climbed up to meet them with hot soup.
Afterwards, Tenzing was met with great adulation in India and Nepal. Hillary and Hunt were knight
ed by Queen Elizabeth
, while Tenzing received either the British Empire Medal
, or the George Medal
from the British Government for his efforts with the expedition. It has been suggested that Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru
refused permission for Tenzing to be knighted.
Tenzing and Hillary were the first people to conclusively set their feet on the summit of Mount Everest, but journalists were persistently repeating the question which of the two men had the right to the glory of being the first one, and who was merely the second, the follower. Colonel Hunt, the expedition leader, declared, "They reached it together, as a team." Tenzing stressed the unity of such teams and of their achievements. He shrugged off the allegation of ever being pulled by anyone, but disclosed that Hillary was the first to put his foot on the summit. He concluded: "If it is a shame to be the second man on Mount Everest, then I will have to live with this shame." Tenzing stuck an ice axe into Mount Everest with the flags of India, Nepal, the UK and the UN fluttering from it.
All the photos of the mountaineers on the top show only Tenzing. When asked why there were no photos featuring Hillary, Sir Edmund replied, "Tenzing did not know how to operate the camera and the top of Everest was no place to start teaching him how to use it." Hillary and Tenzing remained friends throughout their lives.
climbed Everest, and Nima, who married a Filipino graphic designer, Noli Galang. Tenzing's second wife was Ang Lahmu, a cousin of his first wife. They had no children, but she was a foster-mother to his daughters. His third wife was Dakku, whom he married while his second wife was still alive, as allowed by Sherpa custom (see polygyny
). They had three sons (Norbu, Jamling
, and Dhamey), and one daughter, Deki. Other relatives include his nephews Nawang Gombu
and Topgay who took part in the 1953 Everest expedition.
Tenzing is a very popular name for male and female Tibetans. The word Tenzing originates from Tibet, and means "equilibrium in all its essence" or alternatively, "keeper of Buddha's teachings". Tenzing is the most common name in the Tibetan region.
Tenzing never learned to read or write, but he spoke several languages. His native language was either Sherpa
or Tibetan
(he did speak both from an early age). As an adult he learned to speak fluent Nepalese.
He was also reasonably proficient in English.
Tenzing later became director of field training for the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
in Darjeeling. In 1978, he founded Tenzing Norgay Adventures, a company providing trekking
adventures in the Himalayas
. As of 2003, the company was run by his son Jamling Tenzing Norgay
, who himself reached the summit of Everest in 1996.
Tenzing also received several other decorations through his career.
, India
, in 1986, at age 71. He was cremated in Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, his favorite haunt.
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara Tenzing Norgay, GM
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
(late May 1914 – 9 May 1986) born Namgyal Wangdi and often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa
Sherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. Among the most famous mountain climbers in history, he was one of the first two individuals known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
on 29 May 1953. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential
Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century
Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century is a compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people, published in Time magazine in 1999....
people of the 20th century.
Early life
There are conflicting accounts of his early life. The account that he gave in his first autobiography, accepted for several years, is that he was a SherpaSherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
born and brought up in Tengboche
Tengboche
Tengboche is a village in Khumjung in the Khumbu region of northeastern Nepal, located at . In the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region. The structure was built in 1923. In 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake but...
, Khumbu
Khumbu
Khumbu is located in northeastern Nepal on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest. It is part of the Solukhumbu District, which in turn is part of the Sagarmatha Zone. Khumbu is one of three subregions of the main Khambu and Sherpa settlement of the Himalaya, the other two being Solu and Pharak...
in northeastern Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. However more recent research has led to the claim that he was born a Tibetan in Kharta valley, Tibet, but his family were left destitute when their yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...
s were killed by disease, and he was sold as a bonded servant to a Sherpa family in Thamel in Nepal.
Khumbu lies near Mount Everest, which the Tibetans and Sherpas call Chomolungma which in Tibetan means Holy Mother. He was a Buddhist, the traditional religion of the Sherpas and Tibetans.
His exact date of birth is not known, but he knew it was in late May by the weather and the crops. After his ascent of Everest on 29 May, he decided to celebrate his birthday on that day thereafter. His year of birth according to the Tibetan Calendar was the year of the rabbit, making it likely that he was born in 1914.
He was originally called "Namgyal Wangdi", but as a child his name was changed on the advice of the head lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
and founder of the famous Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk Monastery or Rongphu is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect in Basum Township, Dingri County, Xigazê Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China....
, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu. Tenzing Norgay translates as "wealthy-fortunate-follower-of-religion". His father, a yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...
herder, was Ghang La Mingma (d. 1949) and his mother was Dokmo Kinzom (who lived to see him climb Everest); he was the 11th of 13 children, most of whom died young
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
.
He ran away from home twice in his teens, first to Kathmandu and later Darjeeling. He was once sent to Tengboche Monastery
Tengboche Monastery
Tengboche Monastery , also known as Dawa Choling Gompa, located in the Tengboche village in Khumjung in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Sherpa community. Situated at , the monastery is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region of Nepal...
to be a monk but decided that it was not for him and departed. At the age of 19, he eventually settled in the Sherpa community in Too Song Bhusti in Darjeeling.
Mountaineering
Tenzing took part as a high-altitude porter in three official British attempts to climb Everest from the northern Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an side in the 1930s.
He also took part in other climbs in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, and for a time in the early 1940s he lived in what is now Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, in the Princely State
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
as batman to a Major Chapman. His first wife died during his tenure there and was buried there. His return to Darjeeling with his seven daughters took place during the Indian partition of 1947.
In 1947, he took part in an unsuccessful summit attempt of Everest. Canadian-born Earl Denman
Earl Denman
Earl Denman was a Canadian mountaineer, who tried to climb Mount Everest in 1947.His expedition was very different from the large-scale efforts by British mountaineers in the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s...
, Ange Dawa Sherpa, and Tenzing entered Tibet illegally to attempt the mountain; the attempt ended when a strong storm at 22,000 ft (6,700 m) pounded them. Denman admitted defeat and all three turned around and safely returned.
In 1952, he took part in two Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
expeditions led by Raymond Lambert
Raymond Lambert
Raymond Lambert was a Swiss mountaineer, who with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached an altitude of 8611 metres of Mount Everest in May 1952. At the time it was the highest point that a climber had ever reached...
, the first serious attempts to climb Everest from the southern (Nepal) side, during which he and Lambert reached the then-record height of 28,215 ft (8,599 m).
Success on Mount Everest
The Hunt expedition totalled over 400 people, including 362 porters
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
, twenty Sherpa
Sherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
guides and 10,000 lbs of baggage, and like many such expeditions, was a team effort.
The expedition set up base camp in March 1953. Working slowly it set up its final camp at the South Col
South Col
The South Col usually refers to the southern col between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the first and fourth highest mountains in the world. When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal, their final camp is situated on the South Col...
at 25,900 feet (7,890 m). On 26 May Bourdillon and Evans attempted the climb, but turned back when Evans' oxygen system failed. The pair had reached the South Summit, coming within 300 vertical feet (91 m) of the summit. Hunt then directed Tenzing and Hillary to go for the summit.
Snow and wind held the pair up at the South Col for two days. They set out on 28 May with a support trio of Ang Nyima, Alfred Gregory
Alfred Gregory
Alfred Gregory , FBIPP, Hon. FRPS, was a mountaineer, explorer and professional photographer. A member of the successful British team that made the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953, he was in charge of stills photography and, as a climbing member of the team, reached 28,000 feet in support...
and George Lowe
George Lowe (mountaineer)
Wallace George Lowe, CNZM, OBE , known as George Lowe, is a New Zealand-born mountaineer, explorer, film director and educator...
. The two pitched a tent at 27,900 feet (8,500 m) on 28 May while their support group returned down the mountain. On the following morning Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen solid outside the tent. He spent two hours warming them before he and Tenzing attempted the final ascent wearing 30-pound (14 kg) packs. The crucial move of the last part of the ascent was the 40-foot (12 m) rock face later named the "Hillary Step". Hillary saw a means to wedge his way up a crack in the face between the rock wall and the ice and Tenzing followed. From there the following effort was relatively simple. They reached Everest's 29,028 ft (8,848 m) summit, the highest point on Earth, at 11:30 a.m. As Hillary put it, "A few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow, and we stood on top."
They spent only about fifteen minutes at the summit. Hillary took the famous photo of Tenzing posing with his ice-axe, but since Tenzing had never used a camera, Hillary's ascent went unrecorded. Additional photos were taken looking down the mountain in order to re-assure that they had made it to the top and that the ascent was not faked.
The two had to take care on the descent after discovering that drifting snow had covered their tracks, complicating the task of retracing their steps. The first person they met was Lowe, who had climbed up to meet them with hot soup.
Afterwards, Tenzing was met with great adulation in India and Nepal. Hillary and Hunt were knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed by Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, while Tenzing received either the British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
, or the George Medal
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
from the British Government for his efforts with the expedition. It has been suggested that Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
refused permission for Tenzing to be knighted.
Tenzing and Hillary were the first people to conclusively set their feet on the summit of Mount Everest, but journalists were persistently repeating the question which of the two men had the right to the glory of being the first one, and who was merely the second, the follower. Colonel Hunt, the expedition leader, declared, "They reached it together, as a team." Tenzing stressed the unity of such teams and of their achievements. He shrugged off the allegation of ever being pulled by anyone, but disclosed that Hillary was the first to put his foot on the summit. He concluded: "If it is a shame to be the second man on Mount Everest, then I will have to live with this shame." Tenzing stuck an ice axe into Mount Everest with the flags of India, Nepal, the UK and the UN fluttering from it.
All the photos of the mountaineers on the top show only Tenzing. When asked why there were no photos featuring Hillary, Sir Edmund replied, "Tenzing did not know how to operate the camera and the top of Everest was no place to start teaching him how to use it." Hillary and Tenzing remained friends throughout their lives.
Family life
Tenzing was married three times. His first wife, Dawa Phuti, died young in 1944. They had a son, Nima Dorje, who died at the age of four, and two daughters: Pem Pem, whose son Tashi TenzingTashi Tenzing
Tashi Wangchuk Tenzing is a Sherpa mountaineer. He is the youngest son of Pem Pem, the eldest daughter of Tenzing Norgay, who made the first ascent of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953....
climbed Everest, and Nima, who married a Filipino graphic designer, Noli Galang. Tenzing's second wife was Ang Lahmu, a cousin of his first wife. They had no children, but she was a foster-mother to his daughters. His third wife was Dakku, whom he married while his second wife was still alive, as allowed by Sherpa custom (see polygyny
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
). They had three sons (Norbu, Jamling
Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Jamling Tenzing Norgay is an Indian-Nepalese Sherpa mountain climber.He is the son of Tenzing Norgay and Daku, his third wife...
, and Dhamey), and one daughter, Deki. Other relatives include his nephews Nawang Gombu
Nawang Gombu
Nawang Gombu was a Sherpa mountaineer.Gombu was born in Minzu, Tibet. He was the youngest Sherpa to reach 26,000 ft. In 1964, he became the first Indian and the third man in the world to summit Nanda Devi...
and Topgay who took part in the 1953 Everest expedition.
Tenzing is a very popular name for male and female Tibetans. The word Tenzing originates from Tibet, and means "equilibrium in all its essence" or alternatively, "keeper of Buddha's teachings". Tenzing is the most common name in the Tibetan region.
Tenzing never learned to read or write, but he spoke several languages. His native language was either Sherpa
Sherpa language
Sherpa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim mainly by the Sherpa community. About 130,000 speakers live in Nepal , some 20,000 in India , and some 800 in Tibet ....
or Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
(he did speak both from an early age). As an adult he learned to speak fluent Nepalese.
He was also reasonably proficient in English.
After Everest
In January 1975, upon permission of the new king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Tenzing served as sirdar (guide) for the first American tourist party allowed into the country (see Dragonfly Wars blog http://keagiles.blogspot.com/2010/04/branding-bhutan.html and 28 June 1992 Boulder Daily Camera article, "Trek through Time," p. 1C, 3C). Brought together by a company then called Mountain Travel (and now called Mountain Travel-Sobek), the group first met Tenzing in India before beginning the trek. The official trek began in Paro, northern Bhutan, and included a visit to Tiger's Nest (Taktsang), the ancient Buddhist monastery, before returning to India via Nepal and Sikkim. Tenzing even introduced his group to the King of Sikkim (the last king of that country, which is now a part of India), and brought them to his home in India for a farewell celebration.Tenzing later became director of field training for the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was established in Darjeeling, India on November 4, 1954 to encourage mountaineering as an organized sport in India. The first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary sparked a keen interest in establishing mountaineering as a...
in Darjeeling. In 1978, he founded Tenzing Norgay Adventures, a company providing trekking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
adventures in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. As of 2003, the company was run by his son Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Jamling Tenzing Norgay is an Indian-Nepalese Sherpa mountain climber.He is the son of Tenzing Norgay and Daku, his third wife...
, who himself reached the summit of Everest in 1996.
Honours
- In 1953, Tenzing received the George MedalGeorge MedalThe George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
(GM) from Elizabeth II, and also received, along with the rest of the Everest party, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation MedalQueen Elizabeth II Coronation MedalThe Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to...
. - King Tribhuvan of NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
also presented him with the Order of the Star of NepalOrder of the Star of NepalThe Most Refulgent Order of the Star of Nepal is an award of Nepal. It was instituted by King Tribhubhan Bir Bikram Shah Dev on 29 November 1918. The order consists of the Sovereign, Grand Master and ordinary members. For the ordinary members there are five grades and an associated medal...
, 1st Class (Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara) in 1953. - In 1959, the Government of India awarded him the Padma BhushanPadma BhushanThe Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, the third highest civilian award of India. - In 1978, the Government of India created the Tenzing Norgay Award in his honour.
Tenzing also received several other decorations through his career.
Death
Tenzing died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Darjeeling, West BengalWest Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in 1986, at age 71. He was cremated in Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, his favorite haunt.
Legacy
- In the Electronic Design AutomationElectronic design automationElectronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
(EDA) industry, SynopsysSynopsysSynopsys, Inc. is one of the largest companies in the Electronic Design Automation industry. Synopsys' first and best-known product is Design Compiler, a logic-synthesis tool. Synopsys offers a wide range of other products used in the design of an application-specific integrated circuit...
has created the annual Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award, honoring EDA providers who collaborate on interoperable design flows that benefit the user community.
- In January 2008, Lukla AirportLukla Airport-Incidents and accidents:*On 15 October 1973, on landing at the airport, a Royal Nepal Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter 300, registration 9N-ABG, was damaged beyond repair...
was renamed Tenzing-Hillary Airport in honour of the pair and their achievement.
External links
- Article on Tenzing from Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
- Entry from People database
- http://www.mountaineeringbooks.org/index.html Eric ShiptonEric ShiptonEric Earle Shipton CBE was a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.-Early years:Born in Ceylon in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. His mother buried her grief by taking Eric and his sister Marge and travelling constantly for the next five years...
leader of The Mount Everest Reconnaissance 1935