The people of Sikkim revere Kangchenjunga as a sacred mountain. They regard it as their God and guardian. Kangchenjunga translated means “The Five Treasures of Snows” (because of its five peaks) in the local dialect, the treasures representing the five repositories of God, which are gold, silver, gems, grains and the holy books. They believe that the orginal man and woman from whom all Sikkimese descended were created beneath the slopes of this sacred mountain. The mountain is so sacred to the local people that the first expedition to climb it successfully – a British group led by the mountainneer Charles Evans in 1955 – supposedly turned back in deference to the religious sentiments of the Sikkimese.

There is an annual ‘Pang Lhabsol’ festival of ritual and dance dedicated to the snow range of Khang-Chen-Dzong-Nga as well as the local deities and protectors of Sikkim. It is celebrated during the early part of autumn. Lamas dressed in impressive masks and brocades of the God, parnce and whirl against the backdrop of the mountain itself. Kangchenjunga is portrayed as a fiery red-faced deity with a crown of five skulls, riding a snow lion.