Who "Discovered" the Himalayas? A Geological Perspective

The Himalayas were not "discovered" by any human. They are the product of the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a process that began ~50 million years ago and continues today (uplift ~5 mm/yr).

What was discovered, progressively:

• Local peoples (Sherpa, Tibetan, Pahari) have lived in and traversed the range for millennia.
• European surveyors (Great Trigonometrical Survey, 1800s) first measured the peaks—Everest (Peak XV) identified as highest in 1852 by Radhanath Sikdar.
• Early mountaineers (Mallory, Hillary, Tenzing) achieved first ascents in the 20th century.

So the mountains have always been there; humans merely mapped and climbed them.