Origin of Himalayas The birth of Himalayas dates back to million of years ago.

There were series of stages, which led to the formation of the Himalayas. The formation of the Himalayas is the result of a collision of India with Asia along the convergent boundary. There were powerful earth movement between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate that resulted in the creation of the Himalayan range. The earth movements raised the deposits, which were laid down in the shallow Tethys Sea, which is on the present location of the mountains. Today also there is constant change and development in the mountains due to earthquakes and tremors. The formation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Arakan Yoma highlands in Myanmar is the result of this collision. The collision of India with Asia was due the mechanics beneath the earth's surface. There are various plates that collide, recede and slide from each other at about 2 cm/year. This action beneath the earth's surface leads to the rising of the Himalayas by about 5 mm per year. The heat generated beneath the earth's surface results in this action of collision. It is the process of convection that drives hot current upwards due to less density and cold current downwards due to more density. This movement of Indian plate into the Asian plate makes this region very active and prone to earthquakes. In the future also the plate will move like this causing changes in the structure of the Himalayas. The height and width of the mountain will change according to the action beneath the earth's surface. In the north the mountains will be taller and smaller in the south while the width remains the same.

So this was mainly the reason behind the formation of the Himalayas.

The Main Himalayan Ranges are:

Pir Panjal Range Dhaula Dhar Range Zanskar Range Ladakh Range East Korakoram Range

Pir Panjal Range: To the south of the main Himalayas lies the Pir Panjal Range at an average height of 5,000m. From Gulmarg in the Northwest it follows the southern rim of the Kashmir valley to the Banihal pass. Here the Pir Panjal meets the ridgeline, which separates the Kashmir valley from the Warvan valley. The major passes here in Pir Panjal are the pir panjal pass due west of Srinagar, the Banihal pass which lies at the top of the Jhelum River at the southern end of the Kashmir valley, and the sythen pass linking Kashmir with Kishtwar. Dhaula Dhar Range: To the south of the Pir Panjal lies the Dhaula Dhar range. It is easily visible because of its distinct feature of the snow-capped ridge, which forms the division between the Ravi and the Beas valleys. In the west it divides the Chenab valley and the Tawi valley. Towards the east it extends across Himachal Pradesh forming the high ridges of the Largi gorge and extending towards the south of the Pin Parvati valley before it forms the ridgeline east of the Sutlej River. Zanskar Range: It lies to the north of the main Himalaya. It acts as a backbone of Ladakh south of the Indus River, extending from the ridges beyond Lamayuru in the west across the Zanskar region; there it is divided from the main Himalaya by the Stod and Tsarap valleys, the Zanskar valley. On the east of the Zanskar region the range continues through Lahaul and Spiti. While on the North it continues across the Kinnaur before extending towards west across Uttaranchal. Some of the main passes are the Fatu La, on the Leh-Srinagar road, while the main trekking passes into the Zanskar valley are Singge La, the Cha Cha La and the Rubrang La are.

Ladakh Range: To the north of the Leh lies the ladakh range and it is an important part of the Trans-Himalayan range that merges with the Kailash range in Tibet. Here the important passes are the famous Kardung La, and Digar La, which lie to the north east of Leh.

East Korakoram Range: It is a giant range, which geographically divides India and Central Asia. The range consists of high mountain peaks like Saltoro Kangri, Rimo and Teram Kargri. The Korakoram Pass acts as the main connector between the markets of Yarkand, Leh and Kashgar.

Siwalik Hills: It lies to the south of the Dhaula Dhar, with an average height of 1,500 to 2,000m.It includes the Jammu hills and Vaishno Devi, and extends to Kangra and if you move further east to the range south of Mandi. In Uttaranchal side it stretches from Dehra Dun to Almora before it heads across the southern borders of Nepal.

So these were some of the major mountain ranges of Himalayas.

The five main rivers of the Himalayas are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The Himalayas is the birthplace of many important rivers. The rivers of the Himalayas give a new dimension to the beautiful scenic beauty of the Himalayan region. The rivers are the main source of life in those areas. It helps in the formation of the forest belt Jhelum-River The river Jhelum originates from a spring called Verinag, which is 80 km south of Srinagar. It is known world wide for its pictorial beauty and nine bridges. It is a very wide river and has muddy water. It flows through Srinagar. Chenab-River The two rivers Chandra and Bhaga merge to form the Chenab River. The Chenab is found in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh. It originates from the snows found at the foot of the main range of Himalaya in the Spiti and Lahaul district. The beautiful lake of Chandra Tal originates from these rivers. Ravi-River With this river lots of love legends are associated. The town of Chamba is situated on a mountain shelf on the right bank of the river. The region is famous for handicrafts like embroidered handkerchiefs, silver and leather craft and woodcarving. Beas-River The valley of Kullu and Kangra is formed by river Beas. It is famous for its b eauty. But the river mainly originates from a structure like igloo near Rohtang Pass in Pir Panjal range to the north of Kullu. The main force of this river is towards south of Larji and then towards the west. There it enters the Mandi district and further still into Kangra. All its tributaries are perennial because it is snow fed. Its water increases to a great extent during the monsoon season so much so that it causes floods in its surrounding areas. The Pong Dam is constructed on the river to generate hydroelectric power supply. At a place called Pandoh in the Mandi district the water of the Beas River have been diverted through a 53 km long tunnel to the Sutlej. Sutlej River and irrigation process in these regions.

River Sutlej originates from the southern slopes of the holy mountain Kailash, near the lake of Mansarovar. It flows parallel to the Himalayas and finally penetrates to the Shipki pass. It cuts through the Zanskar range, and makes a deep gorge at the base of the Kinner Kailash massif. Within Kinnaur district, it runs parallel to the Hindustan-Tibet Road. Later at Karcham, in Kinnaur, it is joined by river Baspa that drains the Sangla valley. Among the other important Himalayan Rivers are Indus River, Ganga River, Yamuna River, Brahmaputra River and Spiti Indus River. River

It originates near the Mansarovar Lake on the Tibetan plateau. It meets with River Gurtang at an altitude of 4,200 m in the southeastern Ladakh, where it enters the Himalayas. Then it follows the northwest course between the Ladakh range in the north and the Zanskar Range in the south. Places like Leh, Marol, Skardu and Bunji have grown along the Ganga Indus River in Ladakh. River

Ganga River is considered the holy river of India. In Hindu religion it is held in high regard. Ganga or the Ganges is the holiest of all rivers. It is a perpetual river, which originates from the Gangotri Glacier located at 14,000 ft at the foothills of the Himalayas in north Uttar Pradesh. River Bhagirathi, which joins with Alaknanda, to form river Ganga at the town of Devprayag. It is considered as one of the most auspicious and holy river of India.

Yamuna

River

The origin of river Yamuna or Jamuna is from the Bundar Poonch glaciers located in the district of Uttarkashi of the state of Uttaranchal. It grows from Jamunotri, in the Himalayas. The river flows towards the south direction through the Himalayan foothills and onto the plains of north India along the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana State border. Brahmaputra River

Brahmaputra River is considered as one of the great rivers of Asia. It starts its 3000 km journey from the slopes of Kailash in western Tibet to the Bay of Bengal. It commences as Tibet's great river the Tsangpo, and then it finally turns south where it emerges in Arunachal Pradesh as the Dihong. Just beyond Pasighat, it meets the Dibang and Lohit where it finally becomes the Brahmaputra. This is the course of the river Brahmaputra. Spiti River

The Spiti River originates from the Kunzum Pass, which is 16,000 ft high. The valley of Spiti is named after this river. It joins the Sutlej River near the village of Namgiya in Kinnaur district after flowing for about 60 miles.