Maarg Manthan · Topic 13.6

Regional Divisions of the Himalayas

Geography › India: Location, Geology and the Himalayas · Topic 13.6

Along their length the Himalayas are divided by the major river valleys into regions. Sidney Burrard's classic scheme names four: the Punjab Himalaya between the Indus and Sutlej, the Kumaon Himalaya between the Sutlej and Kali, the Nepal Himalaya between the Kali and Tista, and the Assam Himalaya between the Tista and Dihang. They differ in height, rainfall, vegetation, glaciers and the gradient from plains to peaks.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · India: Location, Geology and the Himalayas

At a Glance

Punjab Himalaya Indus to Sutlej; about 560 km
Kumaon Himalaya Sutlej to Kali; about 320 km
Nepal Himalaya Kali to Tista; about 800 km
Assam Himalaya Tista to Dihang; about 720 km
Contrast Gentle rise in the west, abrupt rise in the east
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: India: Location, Geology and the Himalayas

Where Does It Fit?

This is the sixth topic of the macro on India’s location, geology and the Himalayas. The previous topic described the parallel ranges, and this one divides the mountains along their length. The next topic covers the valleys, snowline and glaciers. Previous topic: Himalayan Ranges – Shiwaliks, Lesser, Greater and Trans-Himalaya. Next topic: Himalayan Valleys, Snowline and Glaciers.

How Are the Himalayas Divided From West to East?

In short: the great rivers cut the Himalayas into regions, and each region has its own character.

Region	Extent	Main features
Punjab Himalaya (Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya)	Between the Indus and the Sutlej, about 560 km; in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh	The Karakoram, Ladakh, Zanskar, Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges; all the rivers of the Indus system flow here; the Kashmir valley and the Ladakh plateau; the general elevation falls westward
Kumaon Himalaya	Between the Sutlej and the Kali, about 320 km; in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand	Garhwal and Kumaon; Nanda Devi, Kamet, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri; the Mussoorie range and the Nag Tibba; the duns of Dehradun; the sources of the Ganga and Yamuna
Nepal Himalaya	Between the Kali and the Tista, about 800 km	The highest peaks: Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri; the Mahabharat Lekh as the Lesser Himalaya; the lake-bed valleys of Kathmandu and Pokhara; crossed by the Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi
Assam Himalaya	Between the Tista and the Dihang (Brahmaputra), about 720 km, with Sikkim, West Bengal’s Darjeeling, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh	Lower than the Nepal Himalaya; very steep southern slopes; narrow Lesser Himalaya; heavy rain and strong river erosion; the Duars; peaks such as Namcha Barwa and Gorichen

Many textbooks use a simpler three-part division: the Western Himalaya from the Indus to the Kali, about 880 km, the Central Himalaya from the Kali to the Tista, about 800 km, and the Eastern Himalaya from the Tista to the Brahmaputra, about 720 km. The two schemes use the same river boundaries, as in Himalayan Ranges – Shiwaliks, Lesser, Greater and Trans-Himalaya.

What Are the Features of the Western Himalaya?

Kashmir Himalaya: includes the Ladakh plateau and the Kashmir valley between the Pir Panjal and the Zanskar. The Pir Panjal, over 300 km long, is the longest and most important range of the Lesser Himalaya. The valley is a basin with deposits called karewas, and the Jhelum leaves by a gorge at Baramulla. The Zoji La, Banihal and other passes connect the valley with the outside, as in Passes of the Himalayas and Their Significance.
Himachal Himalaya: the Dhauladhar range, the Kangra valley, a strike valley, the Kullu valley, a transverse valley along the Beas, and Lahaul and Spiti in the rain shadow of the Greater Himalaya.
Kumaon Himalaya: famous for pilgrim shrines at the sources of the Ganga and Yamuna and for the lakes of Nainital. The Shiwaliks lie just south, separated by the duns.
General nature: the southern slopes are steep, rugged and forested, while the northern slopes are bare and gentle. Rain is lower than in the east, and falls mostly as snow in winter from western disturbances, as in Temperate Cyclones.

What Are the Features of the Central and Eastern Himalaya?

In the Nepal Himalaya the Greater Himalaya attains the maximum height, the Lesser Himalaya is the Mahabharat Lekh, and the Shiwaliks nearly disappear east of the Narayani or Gandak. In the Eastern Himalaya, covering Sikkim, Darjeeling, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, the heights are lower than in Nepal, but the rainfall is heavy, and fluvial erosion dominates, creating very deep gorges and steep slopes. Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim receive very heavy rain, and most of the ranges are covered with dense tropical, subtropical and temperate forest. The Dihang gorge marks the turn of the range into the Purvanchal.

Feature	Western Himalaya	Eastern Himalaya
Rise from the plains	Gradual, through a series of ranges; the snowy peaks are 150 to 200 km from the plains	Abrupt; Kanchenjunga and Everest are only a few kilometres from the plains of Bengal and Bihar
Rainfall	Lower; much of the precipitation is winter snow	Heavy summer monsoon rain
Vegetation	Drier; coniferous forest, alpine pasture and cold desert in Ladakh	Dense evergreen and rhododendron forest, bamboo and rich biodiversity
Snowline	Lower, because of the high latitude and mostly snow precipitation	Higher
Population and economy	Pastoralism, apples and saffron, tourism	Shifting cultivation, tea in Darjeeling, tourism

As an analytical point, the Himalaya is better seen as a series of regional environments than as a single wall: the western Himalaya depends on glacier and snow melt and winter snowfall, while the eastern Himalaya depends on the monsoon. Climate change affects them differently, as the western glaciers are shrinking, whereas the eastern region is facing heavier rain, floods and landslides, which makes the planning for each region different.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Facts Boundary rivers and peaks asked
Contrast East versus west
Planning Different hazards in each region

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the valleys, snowline and glaciers of the Himalayas. Next topic: Himalayan Valleys, Snowline and Glaciers.

Key People and Terms

Punjab Himalaya Indus to Sutlej section
Kumaon Himalaya Sutlej to Kali section
Nepal Himalaya Kali to Tista section
Assam Himalaya Tista to Dihang section
Strike valley Valley parallel to the ridge
Transverse valley Valley cutting across the ridge

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Boundaries: Indus, Sutlej, Kali, Tista, Dihang.
The highest peaks are in the Nepal Himalaya.
Kangra is a strike valley; Kullu is transverse.
The eastern Himalaya has heavy rain.
Burrard proposed the four-part scheme.

Do Not Confuse With

Kumaon Himalaya and Garhwal Sutlej to Kali whole section versus a part of it
Punjab Himalaya and the Punjab A mountain section, not the plain
Assam Himalaya and Purvanchal Main range east of the Tista versus the eastern hills

Memory Hook

Indus, Sutlej, Kali, Tista, Dihang: five rivers, four regions, one wall.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for east-west contrasts. These points add depth.

Climate Snow versus rain
Slope Gradual versus abrupt
Risk Glacier loss versus floods

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Bring out the regional differences between the western and the eastern Himalayas in relief, climate and vegetation.”

How to Answer

Divisions River boundaries.
West Snow and conifers.
East Rain and evergreen forest.
Planning Different risks.

GS Relevance

Prelims: regional divisions with boundaries and rivers, valleys and ranges in each region. GS Paper 1: Indian physical geography.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the regional divisions of the Himalayas?

The Himalayas are divided by rivers into the Punjab Himalaya between the Indus and Sutlej, the Kumaon Himalaya between the Sutlej and Kali, the Nepal Himalaya between the Kali and Tista, and the Assam Himalaya between the Tista and the Dihang, as proposed by Sidney Burrard.

Which part of the Himalayas has the highest peaks?

The Nepal or Central Himalaya, between the Kali and Tista rivers, has the highest peaks, including Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. The Greater Himalaya reaches its maximum height here, and the region also contains the lake-bed valleys of Kathmandu and Pokhara.

What is the difference between the western and eastern Himalayas?

The western Himalaya rises gradually from the plains, gets less rain, mostly as winter snow, and has coniferous forests and cold desert. The eastern Himalaya rises abruptly, gets heavy monsoon rain, has deep river gorges and dense evergreen forests, and is lower in height than the central Himalaya.

What is the Kangra valley?

The Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh is a strike valley, which lies parallel to the ridge, between the Dhauladhar range and the Beas river. In contrast, the Kullu valley on the upper Beas is a transverse valley, cutting across the structure of the mountains.

What are the Kumaon Himalayas known for?

The Kumaon Himalayas, between the Sutlej and the Kali in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, contain peaks such as Nanda Devi and Kamet, the sources of the Ganga and Yamuna, shrines like Badrinath and Kedarnath, and hill towns such as Mussoorie and Nainital.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Nepal Himalaya lies between the Kali and the Tista rivers.

True

It has the highest peaks.

2 The eastern Himalayas receive less rain than the western Himalayas.

False

They get much more rain.

3 The Kullu valley is a strike valley.