3.1.2. Himachal and Uttrakhand Himalayas

Stretching over Himachal Pradesh, it occupies an area of about 83,000 sqkm. All the three ranges – the Greater, the Lesser (which is locally known as Dhaoladhar in Himachal Pradesh and Nagtibha in Uttaranchal) and the Shiwalik Himalayas – are well represented in this region. This division lies between Ravi and Kali rivers. It is drained by two major river systems of India, i.e. the Indus and the Ganga. Tributaries of the Indus include the river Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj, and the tributaries of Ganga flowing through this region include the Yamuna and the Ghaghara. The northernmost part of the Himachal Himalayas is an extension of the Ladakh cold desert. Gangotri, Milam and Pindar are the main glaciers of Uttarakhand.

The northern slopes of this region are clothed with thick forests and show plains and lakes, while the southern slopes are rugged and forest clad. The famous Valley of flowers is also situated in this region of Himalayas. The two distinguishing features of this region from the point of view of physiography are the ‘Shiwalik’ and ‘Dun formations’ such as Chandigarh-Kalka

dun, Nalagarh dun. Dehra Duns the largest of all the duns with an approximate length of 35-45 km and a width of 22-25 km.

In the Great Himalayan range, the valleys are mostly inhabited by the Bhotias. These are nomadic groups who migrate to ‘Bugyals’ (the summer grasslands in the higher reaches) during summer months and return to the valleys during winters. The places of pilgrimage such as the Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib are also situated in this part. The region is also known to have five famous Prayags - Vishnu Prayag, Nand Prayag, Karn prayag, Rudra Prayag and Dev Prayag, in the descending flow sequence of their occurrence. In this section of Lesser Himalayas, the altitude between 1,000-2,000 m especially attracted to the British colonial administration, and subsequently, some of the important hill stations such as Dharamshala, Mussoorie, Shimla, and the cantonment towns and health resorts such as Shimla, Kasauli etc. were developed in this region.