Jannu (7710m) Kumbhakarna

Called "Mystery Peak" when seen from a distance, Jannu perhaps should be "Sleeping Lion". The trailing mists of windblown snow seem to form a lion's mane. The massive rock wall directly ahead is the west face (or, more accurately, the northwest face).

Behind the rocky ridge that undulates along the left bank, Jannu rises to remarkable heights. Arrayed in its armor of rocks and ice, the mountain truly deserves its sobriquet, "Mystery Peak," when bathed in the afternoon sunlight. One can only stand in awe at this sight.

(Photo Credit: Hugo Velthuijsen)
(Text from Shiro Shirahata, Nepal Himalaya, Heian, 1983)

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