An eight-member team of North Bengal Explorers’ Club in Siliguri has trekked to the the base camp of Mount Annapurna, 4,130 metres above sea level, in Nepal to celebrate Unesco’s heritage tag on Durga Puja.

According to a source in the club, the team members were Shanku Biswas, Suvajit Bhadra, Mampi Sarkar (Biswas), Ranbir Sarkar, Suvendu Bhattacharya, Avijyoti Paul, Rajib Basak and Saswati Paul.

In December 2021, Durga Puja in Calcutta was inscribed in Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“The adventure was organised to mark the intangible cultural heritage status conferred by Unesco on Durgotsav. The team started from Siliguri for Kathmandu on October 1,” the source said.

The team faced hostile weather, including glacier bursts, rain and icy blizzards, club members who contacted the trekkers said.

“The team reached base camp braving a minus 7°C on the evening of October 6,” a club source said.

The team will return to Siliguri on October 11.