UPSC/PCS/HPSC/Comptetitive Exams.Preparation- - Himalayas from North to South- West to East and South Indian peaks

 

For UPSC, it is useful to understand the Himalayas in two ways:

1. North to South (Physiographic Divisions)
2. West to East (Regional Divisions)

I. Himalayas from North to South

There are four major parallel ranges arranged from north to south:

Order	Himalayan Division	Average Height
1	Trans-Himalaya	5,500–7,500 m
2	Greater Himalaya (Himadri)	6,000 m+
3	Lesser Himalaya (Himachal)	3,500–4,500 m
4	Shiwalik Himalaya	900–1,200 m

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1. Trans-Himalaya (Northernmost)

Important Ranges

• Karakoram
• Ladakh
• Zanskar
• Kailash (Tibet)

States/UT

• Ladakh

Features

• Cold desert
• Siachen Glacier
• Indus River valley

Highest Peaks

• K2 (8,611 m)
• Saltoro Kangri (7,742 m)

2. Greater Himalaya (Himadri)

States

• J&K
• Himachal Pradesh
• Uttarakhand
• Sikkim
• Arunachal Pradesh

Features

• Highest Himalayan range
• Permanent snow
• Source of Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra

Important Peaks

• Kangchenjunga (8,586 m)
• Nanda Devi (7,816 m)

3. Lesser Himalaya (Himachal)

Important Ranges

• Pir Panjal
• Dhauladhar
• Nag Tibba
• Mahabharat Range

Features

• Most hill stations located here
• Dense forests

Hill Stations

• Shimla
• Mussoorie
• Nainital
• Darjeeling

4. Shiwalik Himalaya

Features

• Youngest Himalayan range
• Made of loose sediments
• Contains Duns

Famous Duns

• Dehradun
• Kotli Dun

II. Himalayas from West to East

The Himalayas are divided by river valleys into regional sections.

Division	Between Rivers
Punjab Himalaya	Indus – Sutlej
Kumaon Himalaya	Sutlej – Kali
Nepal Himalaya	Kali – Tista
Assam Himalaya	Tista – Dihang

 

1. Punjab (Kashmir) Himalaya

States

• J&K
• Himachal Pradesh

Features

• Karakoram
• Pir Panjal
• Kashmir Valley

2. Kumaon Himalaya

States

• Uttarakhand

Features

• Nanda Devi
• Kedarnath
• Badrinath

3. Nepal Himalaya

Between

• Kali and Tista Rivers

Features

• World's highest peaks
• Everest region
• Deep gorges

4. Assam Himalaya

State

• Arunachal Pradesh

Features

• Heavy rainfall
• Dense forests

III. Eastern Hills (Purvanchal)

The Himalayas bend sharply southward near Arunachal Pradesh.

These hills are collectively called Purvanchal Hills.

From North to South:

Hill Range	State
Patkai Hills	Arunachal Pradesh/Nagaland
Naga Hills	Nagaland
Manipur Hills	Manipur
Mizo (Lushai) Hills	Mizoram

 

Highest Peaks

Hill	Peak	Height
Naga Hills	Mount Saramati	3,841 m
Mizo Hills	Phawngpui	2,157 m

 

IV. Small Mountain Ranges in Western India

Moving from North to South:

Aravalli Range

• Delhi–Haryana–Rajasthan–Gujarat
• Oldest fold mountain of India
• Highest peak:
• Guru Shikhar (1,722 m)

Vindhya Range

• Madhya Pradesh

Satpura Range

• Madhya Pradesh–Maharashtra
• Highest peak:
• Dhupgarh (1,350 m)

Western Ghats (Sahyadri)

• Gujarat to Tamil Nadu

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V. Small Mountain Ranges in Eastern India

Rajmahal Hills

• Jharkhand

Meghalaya Plateau

Three hill groups:

1. Garo Hills
2. Khasi Hills
3. Jaintia Hills

Highest Peaks

Hill	Peak	Height
Garo	Nokrek	1,412 m
Khasi	Shillong Peak	1,965 m

 

VI. Western Ghats Sub-Ranges (North → South)

Range	State
Sahyadri	Maharashtra
Nilgiri Hills	TN/Kerala/Karnataka
Palani Hills	Tamil Nadu
Anaimalai Hills	Kerala/TN
Cardamom Hills	Kerala
Agasthyamalai	Kerala/TN

Highest Peak of South India

• Anamudi
• Height: 2,695 m

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UPSC Super-Short Revision Sequence

North → South

Karakoram → Ladakh → Zanskar → Himadri → Himachal → Shiwalik → Aravalli → Vindhya → Satpura → Rajmahal → Garo → Khasi → Jaintia → Patkai → Naga → Manipur → Mizo → Western Ghats → Nilgiri → Palani → Anaimalai → Cardamom → Agasthyamalai

East Himalayan Bend

Patkai → Naga → Manipur → Mizo (Purvanchal Hills)

This sequence covers almost every mountain range and hill system that UPSC repeatedly asks in Prelims.