The Himalayas

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Indian Geography (Part-7)

The Himalayas

The four major parallel mountain ranges are included under the Himalayas. These four mountain ranges are as follows -

1. Trans Himalaya
2. Great Himalaya (Highest Himalaya)
3. Central Himalaya (Lesser Himalaya)
4. Shivalik Himalaya

 

1. The Trans Himalayas:-

• Under the Trans Himalayas north of the Himalayas, there are three mountain ranges in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Karakoram mountain range
• Ladakh mountain range
• Zaskar mountain range

• The Karakoram is the northernmost mountain range of the Trans Himalayas.
• The Himalayas were formed by sedimentary debris deposited in the Tethys Sea, but the Trans Himalayas were not formed from sedimentary debris in the Tethys Sea, it is part of the Eurasian Plate.
• The Trans Himalayas was formed before the Himalayas so the Trans Himalayas is a more ancient mountain range than the Himalayas.
• Due to its height, the Trans Himalayas remain snowy throughout the year, due to which vegetation is not found
• The Karakoram is the northernmost range not only of the Trans Himalayas but also of India.
• India's highest mountain peak K2(Godwin Austin)is located on the Karakoram mountain range.
• Four major glaciers found on the Karakoram mountain range are -
  • Siachen
  • Heter
  • Biafo
  • Baltoro

• The Karakoram mountain range extends to Tibet in the east and is called the Kailash Range.
• The Ladakh mountain range is to the south of the Karakoram mountain range. The Ladakh mountain range itself has the Rakaposhi peak. 

NOTE: - Rakaposhi peak is the steepest slope in the world.

• The Ladakh mountain range lies between two rivers, the Shyokanadi flows to its north and the Indus River to its south. The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River itself.
• The Indus River originates from the Chemayungdung Glacier of the Tibet
• The Indus River flows north-west from the point of origin between the Ladakh and Zaskar ranges.
• Leh, the capital of the present Union Territory of Ladakh, is situated on the banks of the Indus River. Leh is situated between the Ladakh and Zaskar mountain ranges.

 

2. The Great Himalayas:-

 

• Zaskar mountain range is the south of the Trans Himalayas.
• The Great Himalayas is also known as the Supreme Himalayas, the Great Himalayas, and the Himadri Himalayas.
• The great Himalayas are separated from the Trans Himalayas by the Shachar Zone.
• The Great Himalaya is the highest mountain range of all the Himalayan ranges.
• The Great Himalayas extend from Nanga Parbat in the west to Namcha Barwa peak in the east.
• Namcha Barwa mountain range falls under Tibet.
• The 10 highest peaks of the world fall under the Great Himalayas, out of which the names of the highest peaks are as follows – 

• Everest
• Kanchenjunga
• Makalu
• Dhaulagiri
• Annapurna

• The position of mountain peaks under the Great Himalayas is as follows –

• Everest - Nepal
• Kanchenjunga - Sikkim
• Makalu - Nepal
• Dhaulagiri - Nepal
• Annapurna – Nepal

 

• The Everest is the highest mountain peak in the world, whose height is 8850 m.
• The highest mountain peak in India is K2 (Godwin Austin), but it is not located on the Himalayas. K2 (8611 m) is the second-highest mountain peak in the world.
• Kanchenjunga is the highest mountain peak in the Himalayas in India.
• Namchabarwa, the easternmost mountain peak of the Himalayas, is located in Tibet and Nanga Parbat, the westernmost mountain peak of the Himalayas, is located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Following is the sequence of mountain ranges from east to west direction of Himalayas –

1. Namchabarwa
2. Kanchenjunga
3. Makalu
4. Everest
5. Manaslu
6. Dhaulagiri
7. Annapurna

• Following are the positions of mountain peaks under the Himalayas from east to west direction –

• Namchabarwa - Tibet
• Kanchenjunga - Sikkim
• Makalu - Nepal
• Everest - Nepal
• Salu - Nepal
• Dhaulagiri - Nepal
• Annapurna – Nepal

• Important mountain peaks in the Indian state of Uttarakhand – 

• Comet
• Nanda Devi
• Trishul
• Bnderpuchc
• Badrinath

• Everest is called Chomolungma in Tibetan language, it means the queen of mountains.
• The Two glaciers of Himalayas in Uttarakhand are- 

• Gangotri
• Yamunotri

• Gangotri is the origin of Ganga.
• Yamunotri is the origin of Yamuna.

3. The Lesser Himalayas:-

• The Lesser Himalayas is in the south of the Great Himalayas and extends from the east to the west along with it.
• Five ranges of Lesser Himalayas are important – 

1. Pir Panjal mountain range
2. Duladhar mountain range
3. Mahabharat mountain range
4. Nagtibba mountain range
5. Mussoorie mountain range

• The following are the positions of important mountain ranges under the Lesser Himalayas -

1. pir panjal mountain range - Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Dhauladhar mountain range - Himachal Pradesh
3. Mahabharata Mountain Range - Nepal
4. Nagtibba mountain range - Nepal
5. Mussoorie mountain range - Uttarakhand

• Plains are found between the Lesser Himalayas and the Great Himalayas, these are called open basins.
• The westernmost range of the Lesser Himalayas is called Pirpanjal. It is located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Srinagar is in the north of pir panjal mountain range, Jammu is in South, where Vaishno Devi Temple is located.
• Banihal Pass is located on the Pirpanjal mountain range, Jawahar Tunnel is located in Banihal Pass. The Banihal Pass connects Jammu to Srinagar.
• Dal Lake is situated between Pirpanjal and the Great Himalayas.
• The Dhauladhar mountain range is also called Himachal Himalaya, as it is located entirely in Himachal Pradesh. Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, is situated on the Dhauladhar mountain range.
• Mussoorie is in the east of Dhauladhar mountain Range and Nagtibba mountain range and Mahabharat mountain range is in Nepal, which is in the east of Mussoorie.
• Lesser Himalayas do not remain snowy throughout the year, due to the region of temperate climate, the snow starts melting here.

• While the Great Himalayas remain snowy throughout the year due to which vegetation is not found there, the lesser Himalayas being a region of temperate climate, temperate soft grasslands are found on the slopes of the Lesser Himalayas.
• Temperate soft grasslands under the lesser Himalayas are called 'margs' in Jammu and Kashmir, for example - Gulmarg and Sonmarg
• In Uttarakhand, the temperate soft grasslands, under the lesser Himalayas are known as Bugyal and Payal.
• Being a region of temperate climate, many healthy tourist destinations have developed on the lesser Himalayas. Following is the description of these tourist places in different states -

1. Jammu and Kashmir - Gulmarg, Sonmarg
2. Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie
3. Uttarakhand - Mussoorie, Ranikhet, Nainital, Windsor

• Plain-flat valleys are found between the Great Himalayas and the Lesser Himalayas, these valleys are known locally at different places. Eg -

1. Jammu and Kashmir - Kashmir Valley
2. Himachal Pradesh - Kullu-Kangra Valley
3. Nepal - Kathmandu Valley

 

4. Shivalik Himalayas:-

• The Shivalik Himalayas are the newest mountain range of the Himalayas and the lowest elevation area among the other three mountain ranges.
• The outermost range of the Himalayas is called the Shivalik.
• The innermost range of the Himalayas is called the Great Himalayas.
• The independent existence of the Shivalik Himalayan Range is visible only up to the Koshi River, the Shivalik Himalayas to the east of the Koshi River has become closely associated with the lesser Himalayas, as the Himalayan range is extremely narrow in the east.
• The Koshi river originates in Nepal and enters Bihar and joins the Ganges river.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, Shivalik is scattered as four distinct from east to west: the names, respectively - Dfla, Miri, Abor and Mishmi |
• Dafla, Miri, Abor and Mishmi hills are named after the tribes living here.
• The valleys between the lesser Himalayas and the Shivalik Himalayas are called Doon and Dwar in Uttarakhand. Such as – Dehradun, Haridwar etc.
• The Himalayas turn to the south and west at the eastern end. The western end is near Indus Gorge and the eastern end is near Dihang Gorge. Dihang is the name of the Brahmaputra river.

• A valley with steep slopes is called a shaped valley, a gorge or a canyon.
• In India, anthracite coal deposits are found under the Jaskar hill in Kargil.