The Indian Army's Maratha Light Infantry Regiment is undertaking a mountaineering expedition to the 7077-meter high Mount Kun in Kargil to celebrate 250 years of its raising.
The expedition was flagged off in Pune on Tuesday by Lieutenant General D.R. Soni, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command.
Led by Lieutenant Colonel Yogesh Dhumal, the team comprises of 30 members with three Officers, three Junior Commissioned Officers and 24 other ranks.
It will carry out pre-expedition training in Sonamarg, 100 km from Srinagar, focusing on endurance, technical skills, first aid and communications before proceeding for the summit for which they will be establishing four camps at increasing altitudes.
Mount Kun is famed for its arduous terrain, steep gradients, unreliable weather conditions and sub-zero temperatures.
The rarefied atmosphere and low levels of oxygen aggravate the difficulty of climbing the mountain.
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"Such a daunting challenge is a true tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers descending from the legacy of the greatest Maratha warrior, Chatrapati Shivaji and his mountain hardened mawlas of the Sahyadri Ranges," an Army statement said.
It said the expedition highlighted the glorious past -- full of valour, victory and sacrifices made by the "Veer Marathas".
Also present at the flagging off ceremony were Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Southern Command, Brigadier Govind Kalwad, Commandant of the Maratha Light Infantry and other senior Army Officers.
The flag off included handing over a symbolic ice axe by the Army Commander to the team leader of the expedition.
--IANS
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