The first attempt to summit Mount Everest by Indians occurred in 1960, led by Brig. Gyan Singh. The first Indians to reach the summit were a group led by Captain M.S. Kohli in the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition. A total of 422 Indians have made 465 attempts to summit from 1965 to 2018, including 43 repeat attempts by 29 climbers. There have been 81 attempts by 74 Indian women, including seven repeat attempts by four female climbers.
Notable ascents +Date/yearNameNotationDetailsRef.20 May 1965Avtar S. CheemaThe first Indian to summit Mount Everest.Capt. Avtar S. Cheema and Nawang Gombu Sherpa climbed Mount Everest; Cheema was the first Indian to achieve this feat.23 May 1984Bachendri PalThe first Indian woman to summit Mount Everest.10 May 1993Santosh YadavThe first woman in the world to summit Mount Everest twice.Her first summit in 1992 was part of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Expedition. Her second summit was the Indo-Nepalese Women's expedition in 1993.19 May 2013Tashi and Nungshi MalikThe first twins to scale Mount Everest.21 May 2013Arunima SinhaThe first female amputee to scale Mount Everest.25 May 2014Malavath PurnaThe youngest girl to summit Mount Everest.Purna summited the mountain at the age of 13 years and 11 months.16 - 21 May 2017Anshu JamsenpaThe first woman in the world to summit twice in a season, and the fastest double summiter to do so within five days.16 May 2018Ajeet Bajaj and Dia Susanna BajajThe first Indian father and daughter to summit Everest together.20 May 2018Love Raj Singh DharmshaktuThe first Indian to climb Everest seven times.2018Sangeeta Sindhi BahlThe oldest Indian woman to climb Everest.She climbed the summit at the age of 53.23 May 2019Ravindra KumarThe first Indian Administrative Service officer to climb Everest.Kumar scaled Everest twice.21-22 May 2024Reena BhattiThe fastest Indian woman to summit.In May 2024, Bhatti summited Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse within 20.5 hours. She is reportedly the fastest Indian woman to climb both peaks consecutively.18 May 2025Safrina LatheefThe first woman from Kerala to summit.Summited Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Elbrus and Everest Base Camp Previously.
1960s 1960 The first Indian expedition to scale Everest by an Indian Army team (led by Brigadier Gyan Singh) was unsuccessful. Climbers Colonel Narendra Kumar, Sonam Gyatso, and Sherpa Nawang Gombu reached but turned back due to bad weather.
1962 The second Indian expedition to attempt to scale Everest by an Indian Army team (led by Major John Dias) was also unsuccessful. Climbers Captain M.S. Kohli, Sonam Gyatso, and Hari Dang reached but turned back due to bad weather.
1965 The third Indian expedition by the Indian Army was led by M.S. Kohli and included 21 core members and 50 Sherpas. The initial attempt was in late April and, due to bad weather, they went back to base camp and waited two weeks for better weather. By the end of May, they had succeeded by scaling the mountain in four successive attempts. Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar was the deputy leader of the team. The expedition made India the fourth country to scale Mount Everest. On 20 May 1965, Avtar S. Cheema became the first Indian to summit Mount Everest, along with Nawang Gombu Sherpa. This was the second time Nawang Gombu Sherpa climbed Mount Everest, the first being with the American Expedition in 1963. Tenzing Norgay, the first man to climb Mount Everest (with Edmund Hillary), was his uncle. Two days later, on 22 May, Sonam Gyatso and Sonam Wangyal reached the summit and became the first siblings to climb Mount Everest together. On 24 May, C. P. Vohra (a civilian and a geologist from the Geological Survey of India) and Ang Kami Sherpa reached the summit. On 29 May, Major H. P. S. Ahluwalia, H. C. S. Rawat, and Phu Dorjee Sherpa made the fourth and last summit. This was the first time three climbers stood on the summit together.
Records of the expedition First Indian team to successfully climb Mount Everest First Indian leader to successfully lead an Everest expedition (M. S. Kohli) First time three climbers stood on the summit together First time nine climbers reached the summit, setting a world record, which India held for 17 years First man in the world to climb Everest twice (Nawang Gombu Sherpa) First time that siblings climbed Everest together
1970s There were no Indian ascents for seventeen years, between 1966 and 1983.
1980s 1984 In 1984, the fourth Indian expedition was led by Darshan Kumar Khullar and recorded a total of five ascents, including that of Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman summiteer, all ascending from the south side (Nepal). Lieutenant Colonel Prem Chand was the deputy leader.
South Col side summiteers
Phu Dorjee Sherpa - the first Indian to summit without oxygen Bachendri Pal Dorjee Lhatoo Sherpa Sonam Palzor Sherpa Ang Dorje Sherpa
1990s
1992 The 1992 expedition to Mount Everest by Indo-Tibetan Border Police was led by Major Hukam Singh and recorded a total of eight ascents by Indians, including Santosh Yadav. Senior medical officer Chittaranjan R. Pattanayak was the deputy leader.
South Col side summiteers
Sunil Dutta Sharma Prem Singh Kanhaya Lal Pokhriyal Mohan Singh Gunjyal Santosh Yadav Lobsang (Deepak) Sherpa Tsering Sange Muktuk Sherpa Wangchuk Sherpa
1993 The 1993 Indo-Nepalese Everest expedition was the first all-woman expedition by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and was also funded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The 21-member team was led by Bachendri Pal. The expedition set several world records, including the largest number of persons (eighteen) on a single expedition to climb Mount Everest, and largest number of women (seven) from a single country to climb Mount Everest.
Santosh Yadav became the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest twice while Dicky Dolma became the youngest woman (19 years old) in the world to climb Everest. Santosh Yadav and Rita Gombu Marwah were the deputy leaders. Eighteen ascents took place, with eleven of them by Indians and seven by women.
South Col side summiteers
Santosh Yadav Dicky Dolma Kunga Bhutia Dal Dev (Baldev) Kunwar Nima Norbu Dolma Suman Kutiyal Savita Martolia Deepu Sharma Rajiv Sharma Radha Devi Thakur Kusang Dorje Sherpa Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa Dorje Sherpa Ngatemba Sherpa Ngatemba Sherpa Nima Dorje I Sherpa Ongada Chiring Sherpa Tenzing Sherpa Lobsang Tshering Bhotia, the nephew of Tenzing Norgay, was a member of the 1993 Australian–Macedonian Everest Expedition led by Tashi Wangchuk Tenzing. He reached the summit, but died from a fall during the descent.
1996 The second 1996 Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition to Mount Everest by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police was led by Mohinder Singh and coincided with the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which three summiteers on the expedition died on the mountain. The expedition is credited as being the first Indian ascent of Everest from the North Side, and a total of eight persons reached the summit. Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel Parash Mani Das and Harbhajan Singh were the deputy leaders.
North Col side summiteers
Tsewang Paljor Dorje Morup Tsewang Samanla Tashi Ram Negi Hira Ram Singh Kusang Dorjee Sherpa Nadre Sherpa Sange Muktuk Sherpa
1998 In 1998, an expedition to Mount Everest was led by Hrishikesh Yadav as part of the Indian Independence Golden Jubilee celebration. During this expedition, a total of eight persons reached the summit, two being Indians and six being sherpas. This was the first successful Indian civilian expedition over any 8000 meter peak. Abhijit Burman was the youngest climber on the expedition, being only 30.
North Col side summiteers
Surendra Chavan Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu Dawa Tashi Sherpa Dawa Norbu II Sherpa Tamtin Sherpa Nawang Tenzing Sherpa I Phinzo Norbu Sherpa Niam Gyalzen Sherpa
Another Indian, Kusang Dorjee Sherpa, reached the top as a hired member of the Himalayan Kingdom expedition led by David Walsh.
1999 The 1999 Indian Everest Millennium Expedition was led by Santosh Yadav. During this expedition, a total of four ascents were by Indians.
South Col side summiteers
Amar Prakash Dogra Kusang Dorjee Sherpa Sange Muktuk Sherpa Dinesh Kumar
2000s 2001 The 2001 Indian Army Mount Everest Expedition was led by Colonel Krishan Kumar. During this expedition, fifteen people reached the summit, seven of them being Indians and eight being sherpas. Satish Chander Sharma was the deputy leader.
South Col side summiteers
Chanchal Singh Dhasila Neel Chand Dogra Mohinder Singh Negi Palden Giachho Negi Amar Prakash Dogra Saurabh Singh Shekhawat Chhering Norbu Bodh Til Bikram Budhathoki Dendi Sherpa Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa Mingma Tshering Sherpa Nga Temba Sherpa Pasang Gelu Sherpa Pasang Rinji Sherpa Pasang Tendi Sherpa
2003 The 2003 Indo-Nepal Army on Everest and Lhotse Expedition, led by Colonel Ashok Abbey, recorded a total of sixteen persons reaching the summit, nine of them being Indians and seven being sherpas. Major Chandra Shekhar Manda was the deputy leader.
South Col side summiteers
Angchuk Chhering Tashi Gyapo Rajendra Singh Jalal Jagat Singh Negi Lalit Kumar Negi Kunwar Singh Rawat Saurabh Singh Shekhawat Abhijeet Singh Lal Singh Thapa Damai Chhiri Sherpa Dendi Sherpa Pasang Sherpa Pasang Rinji Sherpa Pasang Rita Sherpa Pemba Rinzi/Rinji Sherpa Pemba Tshering (Pemba Chhiri) Sherpa
The 2003 Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Everest Expedition led by the principal of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Colonel, Vijay Singh Thakur recorded a total of two ascents by Indians. Kulwant Singh Dhami was the deputy leader.
North Col side summiteers
Kusang Dorjee Sherpa Nadre Sherpa
2004 The first 2004 Indian Navy Mount Everest North Face Expedition by Indian Navy led by Satyabrata Dam recorded a total of 12 persons reaching the summit, five of them being Indians and seven being sherpas. Lieutenant Amit Pande was the deputy leader.
North Col side summiteers
Satyabrata Dam Dr. Viking Bhanoo Abhishek Kankan Rakesh Kumar Lagwal Vikas Kumar Mehra
2005 The 2005 Indian Army Women Everest Expedition, led by Major Saurabh Singh Shekhawat, recorded a total of fifteen persons reaching the summit, nine of them being Indians and six being sherpas. The deputy leader was lieutenant colonel Anand Swaroop.
North Col side summiteers
Saurabh Singh Shekhawat Topgay Bhutia Tsering Ladol Dachen Lhamo Sipra Majumdar Jagat Singh Negi Ashwini Ajitshing Sadekar Pawar Kaman Singh Surjeet Singh
The 2005 Indian Air Force Everest Expedition by Indian Air Force led by Air Force wing commander Amit Chowdhury recorded a total of seven persons reaching the summit, three of them being Indians and four being sherpas.
North Col side summiteers
Sirigereshiva Shankarappa Chaitanya Niku Ram Chowdhary Ramesh Chandra Tripathi
2006
The First Border Security Force (BSF) Everest Expedition 2006, led by Major Sharab Chandub Negi, recorded a total of sixteen persons reaching the summit, seven of them being Indians and nine being sherpas.
South Col side summiteers
Sharab Chandub Negi Loveraj Singh Dharmshaktu Kamlash Kumar Bounthiyal Manoj Dahal Kedar Singh Koranga Parveen Singh Lohia Bhagat Singh Rawat Mastan Babu Malli (expedition led by Arnold Coster)
The third 2006 Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition to Mount Everest, led by Harbhajan Singh, recorded a total of fourteen persons reaching the summit, twelve of them being Indians and two being sherpas. Prem Singh was the deputy leader.
North Col side summiteers
Prem Singh Nawang Dorjey Mohammad Ali Khan Sri Kishan Pradeep Kumar Vishal Mani Maithani Hira Ram Singh Pasang Tenzing Sherpa Wangchuk Sherpa Jot (Jyoti) Singh Bhandari Ongda Gyalzen Sherpa Sangay Furi Sherpa
2007