The Lesser Himalayas (or Himachal) - Geography Notes

The Lesser Himalayas, also known as the Inner Himalayas, Lower Himalayas, or Middle Himalayas, are the centre component of the massive Himalayan mountain chain in south-central Asia. The Lesser Himalayas stretch 1,550 miles (2,500 km) northwest-southeast over the Indian subcontinent's northern border. The range has an average elevation of 12,000 to 15,000 feet and is located between the Great Himalayas to the northeast and the Siwalik Range (Outer Himalayas) to the southeast. This article will explain to you about The Lesser Himalayas (or Himachal) which will be helpful in Geography preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

The Lesser Himalayas (or Himachal)

• The Himachal, or lesser Himalaya, range is to the south of the Himadri and forms the most difficult mountain chain.
• The ranges are mostly made up of crushed and altered rocks. While the Pir Panjal range is the longest and most important, the Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharat ranges are also significant.
• This range includes the well-known Kashmir Valley, as well as the Kangra and Kullu Valleys in Himachal Pradesh.
• The hill stations in this region are widely renowned.
• The Shiwaliks to the south and the Greater Himalayas to the north. It runs nearly parallel to both ranges.
• It is often referred to as the Himachal or Lower Himalaya.
• The lower Himalayan mountains are 60-80 km broad and 2400 km long.
• The elevation ranges from 3,500 to 4,500 meters above sea level.
• Many peaks rise beyond 5,050 meters above sea level and are snow-covered all year.
• The lower Himalayas have steep, barren southern slopes [steep slopes impede soil formation] and gentler, forested northern slopes.
• The Mussoorie and Nag Tibba hills in Uttarakhand define the Middle Himalayas.
• The Mahabharat Lekh in southern Nepal is a continuation of the Mussoorie Range east of the Kosi River. The lower Himalayas are represented by the Sapta Kosi, Sikkim, Bhutan, Miri, Abor, and Mishmi hills.
• The Middle Himalayan mountains are more hospitable to human interaction.
• Shimla, Mussoorie, Ranikhet, Nainital, Almora, and Darjeeling, among other Himalayan hill resorts, are located here.

Lesser Himalayas

Lesser Himalayas - Important Ranges

• The valley of Kashmir is located between the Pir Panjal and the Zaskar Ranges of the major Himalayas. (the average elevation is 1,585 metres above sea level)
• Alluvial, lacustrine [lake deposits], fluvial [river activity], and glacial sediments cover the valley's synclinal basin.
• The Jhelum River meanders through these sediments, draining via a steep valley in the Pir Panjal. (Kashmir is similar to a basin with limited exits.)
• Kangra Valley is located in Himachal Pradesh. It is a striking valley that stretches from the Dhauladhar Range's foothills to the south of Beas.
• The Kulu Valley, on the other hand, is a transverse valley in the Ravi's upper course.

Pir Panjal Range

• In Kashmir, the Pir Panjal range is the longest and most significant range.
• The Pir Panjal Range is a range of mountains in the Lesser Himalayan area that stretches from east to west.
• It stretches approximately 300 kilometres from the Jhelum River to the upper Beas River.
• It reaches a height of 5,000 metres and is largely made up of volcanic rocks. The Pir Panjal is the Lesser Himalayas' biggest range.
• It separates from the Himalayas at the Sutlej River's bank, forming a split between the Beas and Ravi rivers on one side and the Chenab on the other.
• This range also includes the well-known Galyat mountains.

Zaskar Range

• The Zaskar Range, sometimes called Zanskar, is a mountain range in the Himalayas, south-central Asia, northern India, and China's western Tibet Autonomous Region.
• It divides Ladakh from the Kashmir lowlands and the Chenab River.
• In other words, it acts as a border line between Kashmir's Ladakh area and the state's other two regions, Jammu region and Vale of Kashmir.
• Many rivers originate in various parts of this mountain and run northward to join the big Indus River.
• Hanle River, Khurana River, Zanskar River, Suru River, and Shingo River are among these rivers.
• It also divides Kinnaur and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. Himachal's tallest peaks are found in the Zanskar range.
• The Zanskar Range is notable for the Nanga Parbat (8126 m).

Dhauladhar Range

• The Dhauladhar range is one of the Middle Himalayan mountains.
• They begin in Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh's northwest corner and travel through the state to the area of the Beas River's bank in the Himachal Pradesh district of Kullu.
• Near Manali, they begin to combine with the Pir Panjal. They are completely located in Himachal Pradesh.
• They are distinguished by their trademark black granite rocky formations, which culminate in sharp streaks of snow and ice at the tops of their crested summits. This unusual profile is best viewed from the Kangra Valley, where they appear to shoot almost vertically up.
• It rises to the north of Kangra and Mandi from the Shivalik highlands. Dharamsala, the district headquarters and the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, is located on the Kangra Valley's southern spur.
• The town of Chamba is located to the north of this mountain.

The Mussoorie Range

• Mussoorie, popularly known as the Queen of the Hills, is one of the country's most popular hill stations.
• In 1827, a Britisher named Captain Frederick Young, accompanied by an official named FJ Shore, ascended up the hill from the Doon valley and discovered this ridge affording wonderful views and a pleasant environment.
• Mussoorie has an elevation of around 2,005 meters (6,578 ft).
• The highest point is "Lal Tibba," at roughly 2,275 m (7,464 ft), however, the name is currently often used to identify a vantage point a little distance from the top.
• Mussoorie's climate and surroundings make it an ideal location for a number of residential institutions.
• The town also features a botanical garden and serves as the summer headquarters for several Indian government departments.

The Mahabarath Lekh

• The Mahabharat Lekh or Range is a large east-west mountain range in Nepal that ranges in height from 1,500 to 3,000 metres.
• It stretches east of Nepal via Sikkim and Bhutan but is difficult to distinguish from other Himalayan mountains in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The range spans west of Nepal to northern India to the Indus River in Pakistan. The Mahabharat Range is also known as the 'Lesser Himalaya' and the 'Lower Himalayan Range.'
• It runs parallel to the considerably higher Himalaya range to the north and the lower Shivalik or Churia Range (Outer Himalaya) to the south.
• The Mahabharat Range is a significant hydrographic barrier traversed by a small number of rivers.
• Drainage systems have evolved into candelabra configurations, with numerous tributaries flowing south from the Himalaya through the Middle Hills, converging immediately north of the Mahabharat Range, and cutting through major gorges such as the Karnali in the west, the Gandaki or Narayani in central Nepal, and the Kosi in the east.

Significance of Lesser Himalayas

• The Lesser Himalayas are made up of crystalline, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods (primarily schists, limestones, and quartzites).
• Many ranges have maintained traces of former glaciation.
• The snow line is 4,500 metres in the east and 5,000 metres in the west. Small glaciers may be seen on the Pir Panjal Range's northern slope.
• The river network in the Lesser Himalayas is extensive (primarily tributaries of the Ganges).
• The rivers have a high-water phase in the summer due to monsoon rainfall and melting mountain snow.
• At altitudes of up to 3,500 m, the slopes are covered with forests; there are monsoon forests and hard-leaved evergreen and coniferous forests in the west, and evergreen tropical rain forests give way to evergreen oak forests, coniferous and broadleaf forests, and coniferous forests in the east.
• Above here are scrub junipers and rhododendron thickets, subalpine meadows, and alpine meadows.
• Citrus fruit and tea plantations may be found at heights of up to 2,500 metres.

Conclusion

The Middle or Lesser Himalaya, also known as Himachal or the Lower Himalaya, is located between the Shiwaliks in the south and the Greater Himalayas in the north. It runs nearly parallel to both ranges. The Lesser Himalayas are composed of Paleozoic and Mesozoic crystalline, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. The ranges are primarily composed of crushed and altered rocks. While the Pir Panjal range is the most extensive and substantial, the Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharat ranges are also notable.