{"id":97461,"date":"2026-08-04T12:13:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kalopati.com\/?p=97461"},"modified":"2026-08-04T12:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:30:06","slug":"from-the-pinnacle-of-courage-to-the-depths-of-the-snow-nirmal-purjas-unfinished-final-prayer-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/news\/97461","title":{"rendered":"From the pinnacle of courage to the depths of the snow, Nirmal Purja’s unfinished final prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

He wasn’t just a name for the mountains, he was a storm\u2014someone who dared to tear down walls that were considered impossible. He told the world, “There is no mountain higher than the will of man.” But fate played such a trick that a cold gust of the same mountain that he considered his home has today made one of the most glorious stars of world mountaineering history disappear within him. Nirmal Purja, who made the impossible possible by scaling all 14 of the world’s highest peaks in six months, has finally collapsed in a massive avalanche at Broad Peak in Pakistan. This is not just the death of a mountaineer, it is the end of that glorious chapter of Nepali bravery that has always tried to keep Nepal and Nepalese head high on the world map. <\/span><\/p>\n

Broad Peak: A Cruel Destiny<\/b><\/p>\n

The 8,047-metre-high Broad Peak is the 12th highest peak in the world.TAG_OPEN_span_69 From the point of view of climbing, it is considered technically very challenging and dangerous. On that dark Thursday of 14th Shrawan 2083, when a team of 10 people, including Nirmal Purja, was on the verge of approaching the summit, a harsh decision of nature shocked everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nirmal Purja along with 6 Nepalis and 4 foreign climbers went missing in an instant.TAG_OPEN_span_68 When the organization ‘Elite Expede’ under his leadership officially confirmed his death, the whole world felt the end of a great adventure. Although the bodies of four people were found the next day of the incident, Nirmal Purja went missing in the snow. Ironically, his last post on social media before he embarked on the climb was a farewell message for him. He wrote, “<\/span>“Broad Peak\u2014I ask you only one thing\u2014let me get up safely and come back safely. ‘<\/span><\/i> However, this time the mountain did not listen to his humble prayer. <\/span><\/p>\n

from Myagdi to British ‘Special Forces’ <\/b><\/p>\n

Nirmal Purja was born in a remote village of Myagdi.TAG_OPEN_span_65 Although his childhood was spent at the foot of the mountains, he had no early hobby for climbing. Instead, he wanted to carry on the family’s legacy by joining the British Army like his father and brothers. His life took a turn when he joined the Gurkha army in 2003 at the age of 18. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nirmal Purja, who was sharp in his studies and military arts, achieved such a success in 2009, which would have been a dream for any Gurkha soldier.TAG_OPEN_span_64 He became the first Gurkha soldier to join the UK Special Boat Service (SBS), the most difficult and secretive unit of the British Army. There are only Royal Marines commandos in this unit, where entry is a sign of heroism. During his 10 years in the force, he participated in many of the world’s most difficult operations. It was this military training that gave him the ability to take quick decisions and exert himself physically in difficult situations, which later became the backbone of his climbing journey. <\/span><\/p>\n

That first interview with Himal<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2012, when he was on leave for military service, he thought of trekking to Everest Base Camp. That journey became the turning point of his life. The magnificence of the mountains and the cool breeze attracted him so much that he wanted to learn climbing from a guide as soon as he returned to Kathmandu. The 6,119-meter Lobuche East was his first success. After that, he didn’t have to look back. As soon as he got leave, he used to come to Nepal and return only after climbing the peak of some mountain or the other. <\/span><\/p>\n

‘Project Possible’: When the World Astonished<\/b><\/p>\n

2019 was a special year in the history of mountaineering TAG_OPEN_span_62. Nirmal Purja gave up his lucrative job and pension of the British Army and made a declaration that was called ‘madness’ by the world’s leading mountaineers. He was determined to climb all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters in just seven months. The previous record was 8 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

He called the campaign ‘Project Possible’. Although many people said it was impossible, he not only set a world record by climbing all 14 mountains in just 6 months and 6 days, but also wrote the names of Nepali mountaineers in gold letters all over the world. His Netflix documentary <\/span>}’14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible’<\/span><\/i> made him a worldwide celebrity. He always used to say, “I don’t climb mountains just for records, I want to show the world the capabilities of Nepali Sherpas.” “<\/span><\/p>\n

Even after that, his journey did not stop. In 2021, under his leadership, a team of 10 Nepali climbers made another history by climbing Mount K2 (K2) for the first time during the winter season. He also set a record in his name by climbing Everest, Lhotse and Makalu in just 5 days. <\/span><\/p>\n

Final Expedition and Unfinished Dream<\/b><\/p>\n

Before reaching Broad Peak this time, he had climbed mountains above 8,000 meters for the 57th time.TAG_OPEN_span_57 Last week, he successfully climbed Gaserbrum 2 in Pakistan. According to statistics, if Broad Peak had been successful, he would have been the first person in the world to climb all 14 mountains twice without oxygen. However, nature left this ambitious dream unfulfilled in the middle. <\/span><\/p>\n

} He wrote in his last status, “I do not take any mountain for granted. As soon as I take the first step from the base camp, my entire dedication is to that mission. This statement reflects his respect and seriousness for the mountains. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rescue work and MP Mingma David’s dispute<\/b><\/p>\n

After Nirmal Purja went missing, his business partner and Rastriya Samajwadi Party lawmaker Mingma David Sherpa reached Pakistan to search for and rescue him.TAG_OPEN_span_55 However, he could not remain untouched by controversy at this sensitive moment. He was criticized for posting a video of him landing in Pakistan on social media with fun music in the background. <\/span><\/p>\n

} Social media users wrote, “When a legend is getting lost in the snow mist, how justified is it to focus on vlogging and content creation as a friend and parliamentarian?” This episode shows how deeply the entire Nepalese were saddened by the demise of Nirmal Purja and how deep was the public concern for him. <\/span><\/p>\n

An irreparable damage<\/b><\/p>\n

With the demise of Nirmal Purja, Nepal has not only lost an adventurous mountaineer, but also a strong pillar that stood as the brand ambassador of Nepal in the global tourism market.TAG_OPEN_span_53 He received the prestigious honor of ‘MBE’ from Queen Elizabeth II. He also added a new dimension to the promotion of adventurous tourism by skydiving in the Everest. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to Mingma David, who climbed with him, Nirmal Purja had such a strong ability that he could do whatever he set out to do.TAG_OPEN_span_52 He was equally active in rescuing climbers in distress. It will be a big challenge for future climbers to break the records he has made. <\/span><\/p>\n

Overall,<\/b><\/p>\n

Mountains give names to some, elevate others, but rarely do mountains give people a place in their laps forever. Nirmal Purja was a fortunate and courageous character who did not try to conquer the Himalayas, but learned to live with the Himalayas. Even though that avalanche at Broad Peak took his physical body away from us, the idea of “Nothing is Impossible” will live on forever. <\/span><\/p>\n

The boy from Myagdi who hoisted the flag of Nepal on the highest peaks of the world, has become a peak of its own today. His last prayer “May I return safely” has brought tears to the eyes of every Nepali today. He did not return safely, but left behind a record and inspiration that will continue to show courage and struggle for many generations to come. Goodbye, Nims Dai! The story of your courage will always echo in the snowflakes of the mountains. <\/span><\/p>\n

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He wasn’t just a name for the mountains, he was a storm\u2014someone who dared to tear down walls that were considered impossible. He told the world, “There is no mountain higher than the will of man.” But fate played such a trick that a cold gust of the same mountain that he considered his homeContinue reading “From the pinnacle of courage to the depths of the snow, Nirmal Purja’s unfinished final prayer”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":97457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1391],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en"],"acf":[],"publishedDateNp":"\u0967\u096f \u0936\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0935\u0923 \u0968\u0966\u096e\u0969, \u092e\u0902\u0917\u0932\u0935\u093e\u0930 \u0967\u0968:\u0967\u0969","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97461"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97462,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97461\/revisions\/97462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/media\/97457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.kalopati.com\/kp_api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}