The man who actually discovered Mt. Everest was an Indian, Radhanath Sikdar in 1852, 4 years before the British declared Peak XV as the world’s tallest mountain.
George Everest after whom the Peak is named was then Surveyor General of India. Sikdar was a brilliant mathematician and exceptional at trignometry.
He specialized in geodetic surveys – studying the shape of the Earth, its position in space, and gravity – and soon devised his own methods to improve accuracy.
At that time Kanchenjunga was considered the tallest peak in the world. However Sikdar using his own observations and measurements discoverd that Peak XV was much taller at 29,000 ft.
As usual the British Raj, instead of giving him credit, named the peak after Everest.
Not just that the Govt also erased his contribution in the 3rd edition of the Survey Manual, when he did all the hard work.
Radhanath Sikdar is another Indian hero, who needs to be highlighted.
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