The Annapurna Rural Municipality has approved plans to erect a statue and establish a museum in honour of Nirmal Purja, the groundbreaking Nepali mountaineer who was killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak last month.

The decision was taken at the rural municipality’s executive meeting on Tuesday, according to its chairman, Bharat Kumar Pun.

Purja, widely known as Nimsdai, was born in Dana village in the municipality in western Nepal’s Myagdi district. He was killed on July 30 when an avalanche swept through an international climbing team on Broad Peak, Pakistan’s 8,047-metre peak. Ten climbers died, including six Nepalis and climbers from Oman, China, the United States and Pakistan.

The remains of two of those killed, an American and a Nepali, could not be recovered from the mountain this season. The others have been transported to their respective countries.

“The meeting on Tuesday passed the proposal to build a statue of Nimsdai in the municipality,” Pun told Everest Chronicle. “We want to erect a statue in his birthplace in honour of a man who achieved feats that humans once thought impossible.”

“His contribution to mountaineering, adventure tourism and the understanding of human capability is unmatched. He was not only a pioneer in mountaineering, but also in demonstrating human possibility,” Pun said.

The municipality is considering a life-size statue at Annapurna Base Camp, although its final location has yet to be decided.

It has also proposed renaming Annapurna I, the 8,091-metre peak within the municipality, as “Nimsdai Annapurna”. The proposal will be forwarded to the federal government after consultation with Purja’s family.

Separately, it has proposed renaming the Maurice Herzog trekking trail, named after the French mountaineer who made the first ascent of Annapurna I in 1950, as the “Nimsdai Maurice Herzog Trail”.

Pun said the proposal would be discussed with Herzog’s family before any decision was taken.

Annapurna I was the first 8,000-metre peak to be climbed. Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of a French expedition, reached its 8,091-metre summit on June 3, 1950, without supplemental oxygen. The expedition took place at a time when detailed maps of the mountain were unavailable.

Herzog, Lachenal and the Nepali Sherpa Ang Tharkay were part of the expedition that made mountaineering history with the first successful ascent of an 8,000-metre peak.

The climb marked a landmark in mountaineering history and helped establish Nepal as a destination for high-altitude expeditions.

The route used by the expedition led to what is now known as Annapurna North Base Camp in Myagdi district. Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna region each year, with the Annapurna Base Camp trek among Nepal’s most popular trekking routes.

Purja rose to international prominence in 2019 when he climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in six months and six days as part of his “Project Possible” expedition.

“He began his record-setting campaign on Annapurna. This is his birthplace, which is why we want to honour the legend he became,” Pun said.

Purja was also the first Nepali to join the British elite Special Boat Service, in 2009. He later left the service to pursue a career in mountaineering and became one of the world’s best-known high-altitude climbers, repeatedly pushing the limits of speed and endurance in the Himalayas and Karakoram.

By the time of his death, Purja had climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks twice, including one complete ascent without supplemental oxygen. Had he reached the summit of Broad Peak, he would have been one peak away from completing all 14 twice without supplemental oxygen.

The municipality has also proposed establishing a Nimsdai museum in his birthplace.

“We will consult with his family after his funeral on August 26,” Pun said. “The location could be near Rupse Falls.”

Purja’s legacy also extends to education in Dana. For the past three years, interest generated by a Rs4 million endowment fund he established has been used to reward students achieving the best results in grades 8, 10 and 12 at Gyan Prakash Namuna Secondary School and to provide educational materials to pupils at four other basic schools in the village.

The municipality also observed a public mourning holiday on August 3 after Purja’s death was confirmed.

Nepal’s federal government, however, did not issue a formal condolence message for the six Nepali mountaineers killed in the Broad Peak avalanche, including Purja.

The municipality said the proposed statue, museum and renaming initiatives were intended to honour Purja’s achievements and his contribution to his birthplace, mountaineering and adventure tourism.