Lesser Himalaya

Also called: Himachal, Middle Himalaya · Topic: Structure and Physiography of India: Himalayas, Plains, Peninsula, Coasts and Islands · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 1 "Geographical Diversity of India"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"

Meaning

The Lesser Himalaya (also called Himachal or the Middle Himalaya) is the middle belt of the Himalaya. It lies between the Greater Himalaya (Himadri) to the north and the Shiwalik to the south, and it averages 3,700-4,500 m in height [4]. It includes the Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar, Mussoorie and Mahabharat ranges.

It matters because more people live in this belt than in any other part of the Himalaya. It has the big valleys (Kashmir, Kangra, Kullu) and the hill stations (Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital, Darjeeling). It also sits between two active faults, so it carries real landslide and earthquake risk.

Explanation

How it formed

• The Himalaya is a young fold mountain system. A fold mountain forms when two land masses push together and the rock layers between them crumple upward.
• It rose during the Tertiary Himalayan orogeny. An orogeny is a period of mountain building.

• It happened when the Indian plate pushed into the Eurasian plate.

• The Himalaya rose as parallel belts. From north to south they are the Trans-Himalaya, the Greater Himalaya, the Lesser Himalaya and the Shiwalik.

• Height falls as you go south:
• Greater Himalaya: about 6,000 m
• Lesser Himalaya: 3,700-4,500 m (12,000-15,000 ft) [4]

• Shiwalik: 900-1,100 m

• Size: the Lesser Himalaya runs about 2,500 km from northwest to southeast [4].

The faults that mark its edges

• A thrust fault is a crack in the crust where one block of rock is pushed up and over another. All the main Himalayan thrusts slope down towards the north [5].
• Main Central Thrust (MCT): the northern edge. It separates the Lesser Himalaya from the Greater Himalaya [5].
• Main Boundary Thrust (MBT): the southern edge. Here the Lesser Himalaya meets the Shiwalik [5].
• The rocks are still moving.
• India keeps pushing north.
• Along the Main Himalayan Thrust, the boundary between the two plates, the rocks slip by about 12-21 mm a year [5].
• Strain builds up and is released as earthquakes.

Its parts: ranges, valleys and hill stations

• Pir Panjal range (Jammu and Kashmir):
• It is the longest range of the Lesser Himalaya.
• It lies south of the Kashmir valley.
• The Jhelum rises at Verinag, at its foot. It then flows through the Kashmir valley and Wular lake.

• The Banihal pass crosses it. The Jawahar tunnel, the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel and the Pir Panjal railway tunnel (T-80) pass under it.

• Dhauladhar range (Himachal Pradesh): above the Kangra valley.

• Mussoorie range (Uttarakhand).
• Mahabharat range (Nepal).
• Valleys:
• Kashmir valley: between the Pir Panjal and the Greater Himalaya.

• Kangra and Kullu valleys: both in Himachal Pradesh.

• Hill stations: Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital and Darjeeling.

• Summers here are cool.
• So the British built hill towns in this belt.

Life and building in this belt

• Kath-kuni houses (Himachal Pradesh):
• They are built from layers of stone and timber.
• Thick walls keep the house warm in winter.
• Wood bends in a quake instead of cracking, so the houses resist earthquakes.

Where it occurs

• Jammu and Kashmir: Pir Panjal range, Banihal pass, Kashmir valley, Verinag (source of the Jhelum), Wular lake.
• Himachal Pradesh: Dhauladhar range, Kangra valley, Kullu valley, Shimla, kath-kuni houses.
• Uttarakhand: Mussoorie range, Mussoorie and Nainital hill stations.
• West Bengal: Darjeeling hill station.
• Nepal: Mahabharat range.
• Tunnels under the Pir Panjal (Jammu-Kashmir link):

Tunnel	Type	Length	Opened	Key fact
Banihal-Qazigund	road (twin tube)	8.45 km	24 April 2022 [2]	cuts the road distance by 16 km and the trip by about 1.5 hours; cost over ₹3,100 crore [2]
Pir Panjal railway tunnel (T-80)	rail	11.2 km	26 June 2013 [3]	first direct rail link between the Kashmir valley and the Jammu region [3]

• The road tunnel has two tubes, one for each direction. A cross passage every 500 m joins them so people can escape in an emergency [2].

Don't confuse with

• Greater Himalaya (Himadri): higher (about 6,000 m), with a granite core and permanent snow, and very few people live there. The MCT separates it from the Lesser Himalaya [5].
• Shiwalik (Outer Himalaya): lower (900-1,100 m) and the youngest belt. It is made of loose river gravel and boulders. The MBT separates it from the Lesser Himalaya [5].
• Duns vs the Kashmir valley: duns (Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun, Patli Dun) lie between the Shiwalik and the Lesser Himalaya. The Kashmir valley lies between the Pir Panjal and the Greater Himalaya.
• Himachal (the range) vs Himachal Pradesh (the state): Himachal is the name of the whole belt. It runs well beyond the state, from Jammu and Kashmir through Uttarakhand into Nepal (Mahabharat range).

Prelims Hooks

• Order from north to south: Trans-Himalaya → Greater Himalaya (Himadri) → Lesser Himalaya (Himachal) → Shiwalik.
• Boundary faults: MCT on the north side (Lesser/Greater) and MBT on the south side (Shiwalik/Lesser) [5].
• Range–state match: Pir Panjal (J&K), Dhauladhar (Himachal Pradesh, above Kangra), Mussoorie (Uttarakhand), Mahabharat (Nepal).
• Pir Panjal is the longest Lesser Himalayan range. The Jhelum rises at Verinag at its foot.
• Tunnels: the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel is 8.45 km long (opened 2022) [2]. The rail tunnel T-80 is 11.2 km long (opened 2013) [3]. Trap: the rail tunnel is longer and older.
• Trap: Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital and Darjeeling are in the Lesser Himalaya, not the Shiwalik. Dehra Dun is a dun, not a Lesser Himalayan valley.

Mains Points

• A crowded belt between two active faults (GS-I/GS-III):
• The Lesser Himalaya has the most towns of any Himalayan belt, and it sits between the MBT and the MCT [5].
• The plate boundary slips about 12-21 mm a year, so strain builds up for big earthquakes [5].

• Unplanned building on weak slopes, as around Shimla and Nainital, makes landslide and earthquake risk worse. Building codes and land-use zoning must follow these belts. Traditional kath-kuni houses show how to build safely.

• Connectivity across the Pir Panjal (GS-III, infrastructure):

• Snow often closes the Banihal pass.
• All-weather tunnels now link the Kashmir valley with Jammu all year: the road tunnel (8.45 km, 2022) [2] and the rail tunnel (11.2 km, 2013) [3].

• This helps trade, tourism and security. But tunnelling through young, broken rock is hard to engineer and needs escape passages [2].

• Settlements follow the relief (GS-I): valley farming (Kashmir, Kangra, Kullu) and hill stations are found in the Himachal. The British chose it for its cool summers. Tourism growth now has to be weighed against the belt's slope and earthquake risk.

Related concepts

• Greater Himalaya
• Shiwalik
• Ladakh and Zaskar ranges
• Kailash range
• Mount Everest
• Kanchenjunga
• Namcha Barwa
• Pir Panjal range

Read more

• The parallel ranges: Trans-Himalaya, Greater Himalaya, Lesser Himalaya and Shiwalik