Puncak Mandala or Mandala Peak (until 1963 Julianatop or Juliana Peak) is a mountain located in Highland Papua, Indonesia. At 4760 m, it is the highest point of the Jayawijaya (Orange) Range and is included in Seven Second Summits. Following Puncak Jaya/Mount Carstensz (4884 m) 350 km to the west, Mandala is the second-highest freestanding mountain in Oceania, Australasia, New Guinea, and Indonesia.

Etymology

Locally, the mountain peak is called Aplim Apom, a holy place where the creator Atangki created humans, Aplim Apom Sibilki (children of Aplim Apom). Under Indonesian administration, the mountain is called Mandala Peak. While the reasoning was not recorded at the time, the name Mandala corresponds with the Aplim Apom creation myth. The mountain is believed to be the center of the universe and the mythical place where Atangki resides.

Geology

Mandala is one of the three high massifs of Western New Guinea, together with the Carstensz and Trikora complexes. This peak used to have an ice cap, but it was last seen in 1989 and by 2003 it was gone. Based on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, this peak is likely higher than Puncak Trikora, which lost its icecap in about 1960.

Ascents

Due to its remoteness and the difficulty of the approach route, Mandala (like many of the New Guinea peaks) has very rarely been climbed. Climbers from the Dutch 1959 expedition to the Star Mountains successfully climbed the peak on the 9th of September. Austrian mountaineer Christian Stangl climbed Mandala on February 28, 2012 during his bid to be the first person to ascend the Seven Second and Seven Third Summits