Himalayan Ranges: Greater Himalayas, Middle

Himalayas, Shiwaliks

Major Physical Divisions of India

1. The Himalayan Mountains 4. The Indian Desert

2. The Northern Plains 5. The Coastal Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau 6. The Islands
Division of the Himalayas
 The Greater Himalayas
 Lesser or Middle Himalayas
 Shiwaliks or outer Himalayas
 The Trans-Himalayas – Tibetan Himalayas
 The Eastern Hills – Purvanchal: A chain of hills in North-East India

The Great Himalaya

 It is always covered with snow. Hence, it is also known as Himadri, Inner Himalaya,
Central Himalaya.
 The average height of the Greater Himalayas is 6100 meters.
 The extension of this Himalaya is Nanga Parbat in the west and Namcha Barwa in
the East. It is a continuous series of Himalayas.
 Mt Everest is the highest peak in the Himalayas. It is called Sagarmatha in Nepal
and Chomolungma inChina. The height of Mt. Everest is 8848.86 meters.
 Kanchenjunga is the highest peak of the Himalayas in India. This is found in the
Sikkim and Nepal border.
 Macalu/Makalu, Dhaulagiri, and Annapurna mountain ranges are found in Nepal.
 North of the Greater Himalayas lies the Indus -Tsang Po Suture Zone and south of
the Greater Himalayas lies the Main Central Thrust (MCT).
 The north slope of the Greater Himalayas is gradual whereas the south slope of the
Greater Himalayas is steep.
 The core of Greater Himalaya is made up of Granite (Batholith).
 The folds of this Himalaya are asymmetric.
 Antecedent rivers like the Indus, Brahmaputra, and Sutlej cut through these ranges
and form Ganges. These rivers are older than the Ganga.
 Ganga and Yamuna originate from the Greater Himalayas.

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Middle or the Lesser Himalaya ⇝

 In between the Shiwaliks in the south and the Greater Himalayas in the [Link]
is also called the Himachal or Lower Himalaya.
 This Himalaya lies south of Greater Himalaya.
 These are separated by the Greater Himalayas through the Main Central Thrust.
 The average height of this Himalaya is 3700-4500 meters and the width is 50 km.
 They are not continuous.
 Pirpanjal is the longest range of Middle Himalaya (Lesser Himalaya), which is
situated in Kashmir.
 The middle Himalaya in Himachal Pradesh is known as the Dhauladhar range. It is
famous for its beauty.
 The Middle Himalayas are called the Mussoorie range in Uttarakhand (Garwal)
 The Middle Himalayas are called as Mahabharata range in Nepal and Darjeeling in
West Bengal.

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  The Middle Himalayas are called Kullu, Kangda, and Mcleod ganj (Dharamshala)
which is home to the Dalai lama.
 In between the Greater Himalayas and the Middle Himalayas, there are small
grasslands.
 In Kashmir, it is known as MARG (Sonmarg, Gulmarg).
 In Uttarakhand, it is known as Bugyal or Payyar.
 Kathmandu is a valley between the Greater Himalayas and the Middle Himalayas.
 East of the Kosi River, the Sapt Kosi, Sikkim, Bhutan, Miri, Abor, and
Mishmi hills represent the lower Himalayas.
 The Middle Himalayan ranges are more friendly to human contact.
 The majority of the Himalayan hill resorts like Shimla, Mussoorie, Ranikhet,
Nainital, Almora, and Darjeeling, etc. are located here.

The Pir Panjal range

 The Pir Panjal range in Kashmir is the longest and the most important range.

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  It extends from the Jhelum river to the upper Beas river for over 300 km.
 It rises to 5,000 meters and contains mostly volcanic rocks.
Passes in Pir Panjal

 Pir Panjal Pass (3,480 m), the Bidil (4,270 m), Golabghar Pass (3,812 m)
and Banihal Pass (2,835 m).
 The Banihal Pass is used by the Jammu-Srinagar highway and Jammu-Baramula
railway.
 The Kishanganga, the Jhelum, and the Chenab cut through the range.
 Southeast of the Ravi, the Pir Panjal continues as Dhaola Dhar range, passing
through Dalhousie, Dharmshala, and Shimla.

Shiwalik Range or outer Himalaya ⇝

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  It is a recently formed mountain in the Himalayas.
 It is the shortest because it is formed by the upliftment of deposited sediments on
the foredeep brought down by the rivers of the Trans Himalayas, Greater
Himalayas, and Middle Himalayas.  Remains of organisms (fossils) are found in
Shiwaliks.
 The average height of Shiwalik is 900--1200 meters.
 The extension of Shiwalik is from the Potwar basin in Pakistan to Dihang in Assam.
They are not continuous.
 They are an almost unbroken chain of low hills except for a gap of 80-90 km
which is occupied by the valley of the Tista River and Raidak River.
 Shiwalik range from North-East India up to Nepal are covered with thick
forests but the forest cover decreases towards west from Nepal (The
quantum of rainfall decreases from east to west in Shiwaliks and Ganga Plains).
 The southern slopes of the Shiwalik range in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are
almost devoid of forest cover. These slopes are highly dissected by seasonal
streams called Chos.
 Valleys are part of synclines and hills are part of anticlines or
antisynclines.

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The Trans Himalayas ⇝
 It is situated to the North of the Greater Himalayas.
 Most of its part lies under the Ladakh and Tibet regions. Hence, it is known as the
Tibetan Himalayas.
 It is older than the Himalayas.
 Karakoram, Ladak, Kailash and Zanskar are part of this Himalaya.
 Mt. Godwin Austin (Mt K2) has a height of 8611 meters.
 Mt Godwin Austen is the highest peak in India. It is situated in Pakistan-Occupied
Kashmir (POK).
 The glacier/ Mt peak with maximum steepness is situated here.
 Pamir is known as the rooftop of the world.
 The pamir knot is formed by joining many mountains.
 The extension of this Himalaya is the Karakoram in the West to the Kailash range
in the East.
 Kargil and Drass have volcanic rocks, but here there are no active volcanoes.
 The famous glaciers in this Himalaya are Siachen glacier (longest glacier of India),
Biafo glacier (POK), Baltoro glacier and Hispar glacier (POK).
 Trans Himalaya is called the Backbone of High Asia.
 The Indus River passes between the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges.
 Indus -Tsang Po Suture Zone (ITSZ) is situated between the Greater Himalayas and
Trans Himalayas.  The Indus River makes the deepest gorge in India at Ladakh
range known as Bunzi/ Bunji gorge (5200meters deep).
 Trans Himalayas are older Himalayas.

Purvanchal or Eastern Hills⇝

 Eastern Hills or The Purvanchals are the southward extensions of the

Himalayas running along the north-eastern edge of India.
 At the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas take a sudden southward bend and form a
series of comparatively low hills which are collectively called as the Purvanchal.
 Purvanchal hills are convex to the west.
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  They run along the India-Myanmar Border extending from Arunachal
Pradesh in the north to Mizoram in the south.
 Patkai Bum hills are made up of strong sandstone; elevation varying from
2,000 m to 3,000 m; merges into Naga Hills where Saramati (3,826 m) is the
highest peak.
 Patkai Bum and Naga Hills form the watershed between India and
Myanmar.
 South of Naga Hills is the Manipur hills which are generally less than 2,500 meters
in elevation.
 The Barail range separates Naga Hills from Manipur Hills.
 Further south the Barail Range swings to the west into Jaintia, Khasi, and Garo
hills which are an eastward continuation of the Indian peninsular block. They
are separated from the main block by Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.
 South of the Manipur Hills is the Mizo Hills (previously known as the Lushai
hills) which have an elevation of less than 1,500 meters. The highest point is
the Blue Mountain (2,157 m) in the south.

Classification of Himalayas based on River Valleys or

Longitudinal Division of Himalayas ➳
Indian Himalayas are divided longitudinally into 4 divisions from west to east.

1. The Kashmir /Punjab/ Himachal Himalayas

2. The Kumaun Himalayas
3. The Central/ Nepal Himalayas
4. The Assam/ Eastern Himalayas

Kashmir /Punjab/ Himachal Himalayas

 Punjab Himalayas are located b/w Indus gorge and Satluj gorge
 They are 560kms long, width 320kms wide
 It has Zaskar range forming the northern boundary and the Shiwaliks, the
Southern boundary
 The region with ridge and valley topography ( Kashmir Valley is the syncline
basin) which have been formed by the Lacustrine deposits of River Jhelum.
 It has a number of ox-bow lakes like Wular lake, Dal lake, etc
 It is also called “Vail of Kashmir” and Lacustrine deposits are Karewas, which
have special nutrients that help in growing Saffron, from Pulwama to Pampore.
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  It receives 100cm rainfall and snow during winters
 It is surrounded by slopy mountains of Zaskar and Pir Panjal where
alpine grasslands are called Bugyals or Marg, like Sonmarg, Gulmarg.
 It is also called “Heaven of the Earth”
 Other ranges are Ratanpir, which joins Pir Panjal.
 The only gateway to Kashmir is the Banihal pass which has the Jawahar tunnel
(Second Largest in India)
 There are several passes in Greater Himalayas which connect Kashmir Valley to
Ladakh and other regions like Burzil pass, Zozila pass.

Kumaun Himalayas

 Located b/w Satluj and Kali [Link] Himalayas extend for 320kms
 The major mountain ranges include Nagtiba, Dhaula Dhar, Mussourie, and
parts of the Greater Himalayas.
 Major peaks include Nandadevi, Kamet, Badrinath, Kedarnath, etc.
 There are several glaciers and ice caps especially in Uttarkhand giving rise to a
number of rivers – Gangotri, Yamunotri, Pindari, etc.
 It receives snowfall during winters and have coniferous forests above 3200m
and Deodar forest (Deodar forest) b/w 1600-3200m.
 This region has two important basins Bhagirathi Plain and Doons. Kulu,
Manali, and Kangra are tectonic valleys.

Central/ Nepal Himalayas

 Located between river Kali in the west and river Tista in the east. It is 800kms
long
 Some of the world-famous peaks Mt. Everest(Sagarmatha), Kanchenjunga,
Makalu, Annapurna, Gosainthan, and Dhaulagiri are located here.
 These mountains have orthoclinal plan and have the famous Katmandu valley.
 The Lesser Himalaya is known as Mahabharat Lekh in this region.
 The range is crossed by rivers like Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, etc.
 In between the Great and the Lesser Himalayas, there are Kathmandu and
Pokhra lacustrine valleys (previously, they were lakes).

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  The Shiwalik range comes very close to the lesser Himalaya towards the east
and is almost non-existent beyond Narayani (Gandak).

Assam/ Eastern Himalayas

 It is 750kms long and is located b/w the Tista river in the west and the
Brahmaputra river(Dihang gorges) in the east.
 Eastern Himalayas occupy mainly the areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan.
 Longitudinal valleys are narrow and rainfall is greater than 200cms.
 The Assam Himalayas show a marked dominance of fluvial erosion due to heavy
rainfall.
 However, ice caps and glaciers were not found because it is close to the tropics,
densely forested but landslides
 Earthquakes are very common as rocks are fractured
 Inhabited by tribes.

Division based on Relief, Alignment of Ranges, and other

Geomorphic Features :➠
Kashmir or North Western Himalayas:

 Kashmir Himalayas are famous for Karewa formations - an elevated table-land with
unconsolidated grave and mud deposits - useful for the cultivation of Zafran, a
local variety of saffron Glaciers Baltoro and Siachen found in this region
(Karakoram).
 Passes:
 Banihal on the Pir Paral
 Zoji La on the Great Himalayas
 Photu La/Fotu La on the Zaskar
 Khardung La on the Ladakh range
 River -Indus and its tributaries such as the Jhelum and the Chenab
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  Srinagar - located on the banks of Jhelum river
 Lakes:
 Fresh lakes-Dal and Wular
 Salt water lakes - Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri
 Pilgrimage -Vaishno Devi, Amarnath Cave, Charar-e-Sharif
 Duns - longitudinal valleys in the southernmost part of this region - examples -
Jammu dun and Pathankot dun.

Doon/ Duars:
 When the rivers from the Greater Himalayas and Middle Himalayas flow
towards Shiwalik, they get blocked due to Shiwaliks. Thus, a flat landform
is formed as the result of sedimentation due to a temporary lake. This flat
landform is known as Doon in the West and Duar in the East.
 The largest Doon in India is Dehradun.
 Some examples of Doon are Pathankot in Punjab, Kotdwar, and Haridwar
doon in Uttarakhand. Haridwar is located between the Middle Himalayas
and Shiwalik.
 The Himalayan Frontal Fault (HFF) separates Shiwalik from the northern
plains of In

Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas:

 It is relatively small but is the most significant part.
 It is bounded by Nepal Himalayas in the west and Bhutan Himalayas in the east.
 Rivers - fast-flowing - like Tista,
 Distinguishing feature - Duars/ Dooars formation
 Alluvial floodplains in eastern- northeastern India
 Lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas
 Used for the development of tea gardens
 Moderate slope, thick soil cover with high organic content distributed
rainfall throughout the year, and mild winters
 Known for its scenic beauty and rich flora and fauna, particularly various types of
orchids.
 Tribe - Lepcha in higher reaches of this region.
Arunachal Himalayas:

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  Extend from the east of Bhutan Himalayas up to the Diphu pass in the east. 
General direction from southwest to northeast
 Peaks - Kangtu and Namcha Barwa.
 Rivers - Brahmaputra, Kameng, Subansiri, Dihang, Dibang and Lohit
 The Brahmaputra marks the easternmost boundary of the Himalayas
 An important feature - the numerous ethnic tribal communities inhabiting these
areas.
 Prominent tribes from west to east are Monpa, Abor, Mishmi, Nyishi.
 Most communities practice Jhumming/ shifting/slash/burn cultivation.
Eastern Hills and Mountains/ Purvanchal:
 Mostly composed of strong sandstones which are sedimentary rocks.  Covered
with dense forests
 Mostly run as parallel ranges and valleys
 Low hills, inhabited by numerous tribal groups practicing Jhum cultivation
 Rivers - Most of these ranges are separated from each other by numerous small
rivers. Barak is an important river in Manipur and Mizoram.
 Manipur - Loktak Lake is at the center, surrounded by mountains from all sides.
 Mizoram - also known as the 'Molasses Basin' which is made up of soft
unconsolidated deposits.

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