Mount Pautalaka

Mount Pautalaka (ပဪတလက), also known as Núi Đỗ Quyên (ヌˊイ ド˙ 𠄡ㄭン) and Fudaraku-san (補陀洛山), is a 5,881 meter-tall mountain, making it the highest mountain in Dai Hoa and the third-highest mountain in Escar. It is part of the Thagya mountain range on the border between Dai Hoa and Liang, of which it is the highest peak, and the mountain itself is located in Shwetaung Province.

The peak is enclosed within Shwetaung National Park. The park is entirely mountainous and is characterized by broad-leaved evergreen rain forest, a sub-tropical temperate zone from 2,400–2,700 m, then broad-leaved, semi-deciduous forest and finally needle-leaved evergreen, snow forest. Above 3,400 m, the highest forest zone is alpine, different not only in kind from the forest, but different in history and origin. Still higher up, around 4,600 m, cold, barren, windswept terrain and permanent snow and glaciers dominate. At around 5,300 m, there is a large ice cap with several outlet glaciers. Some of these glaciers feed the Thaungu river, one of the origins of the Kuulong river.

Etymology
In, the mountain is named after the mythical dwelling of the Siddhist aryasattva Avalokiteśvara, which was said to exist in the seas south of Arshavat. This name has been made the official name of the mountain since independence. During the colonial period, the Yamataians named the mountain Fudaraku (補陀洛山), which is the translation of the Siddhist name.

Another name of the mountain is the Núi Đỗ Quyên which means "Mountain of Azaleas", named during the Empire of Dongsong period for the large amount of azaleas that grew along the lower Thaungu river in the 15th century.

History
The first ascent of Pautalaka was carried out by Arshavati climber Harish Ranganathan and Hoaian guide Htun Khaing on 7 April, 1955. The event was widely publicized and claimed as a victory for the global socialist community. After the Hoa-Arshavati Split, the government of Dai Hoa made efforts to remove this achievement from Hoaian history, and a narrative that Ranganathan and Htun were unable to reach the summit due to severe conditions near the top was promulgated involving propaganda and an official autobiography written by Htun himself.

On 2 May 1970, specifically timed for the 10th anniversary of Hoaian Unification, a People's Army of Dai Hoa team comprising of Major Huỳnh Ðức Duy, Captain Vũ Hoài Thanh and Captain Zin Myint Pyay Htet reached the peak of Pautalaka, and planted the flag of Dai Hoa as well as a commemorative plaque. This ascent is considered the first true ascent of the peak by Dai Hoa, and it is also celebrated on the 1,000,000 Vien note. Since then, a team from the People's Army of Dai Hoa ascends the peak every five years to replace the flag.

Foreigners were not allowed to access the area until 2003, and several failed attempts were made by foreign climbers. In 2005, Yamataian mountaineer Nishihara Eiko became the first foreigner and the first woman to reach the peak of Pautalaka. After Nishihara's ascent, climbing Pautalaka became more popular among mountaineers around the world.

In August 2015, a team sponsored by the Chiseian Oho attempted to reach the summit as part of a documentary about the highest peaks in Escar. The climbers ran out of battery power just before reaching the summit, and radio contact was lost. After they failed to return to the lower camps, a rescue operation was launched by the Hoaian military, which continued into October. A helicopter crashed during the search and killed two pilots, and only one the mountaineers' bodies was found by the time the search was called off due to deteriorating seasonal weather conditions.