List of Mountain Ranges in India

• India holds a wide range of mountain systems: the Himalaya, Karakoram, Aravalli, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Vindhya and Satpura.
• The Himalaya is the most prominent, forming the northern boundary and carrying several sub-ranges. The others stand on or around the Peninsular block.
• The Peninsular block is ringed by hills on all three sides. The Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura, Bhanrer and Rajmahal Hills stand to its north, and south of about 22°N the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats edge it on the west and east. Between them lie the plateaus and river valleys of the Deccan.
• Hill resorts of the Peninsula follow these ranges: Ooty, Pachmarhi, Kodaikanal, Mahabaleshwar, Khandala, Matheran and Mount Abu.
• Two very different families: the northern ranges are young fold mountains, still rising. The Peninsular hills are much lower and mostly relict, the worn remains of older and higher land, with some true horsts.

• This map marks Kanchenjunga as the highest in India, which holds only for the Himalaya proper. K2 (8,611 m) is the highest peak in India, and “Sandaohu” should read Sandakphu.

Major Mountain Ranges in India

1. The Himalaya

• One of the major mountain ranges of the world.
• They are young fold mountains, and their formation came from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.
• Bordered on the north-west by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• Length about 2,500 km east to west. Width is 160–400 km in most counts, and up to about 500 km in Kashmir.
• They spread across five countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan.
• Why they lead the catalogue: the highest summits of the world sit here. Fourteen peaks exceed 8,000 m across the Himalaya and Karakoram, and peaks above 7,000 m run into hundreds.
• Regional sections cut across these ranges, and the Kashmir, Kumaun, Nepal and Assam Himalaya are named from them.
• The Himalayan ranges fall into three sub-ranges, north to south:
  • Greater Himalaya
  • Middle Himalaya
  • Outer Himalaya

i. The Greater Himalaya

• Also known as Himadri or the Inner Himalaya.
• It is the northernmost and highest range of the Himalaya.
• The average elevation is 6,000 m.
• It hosts several of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest (8,848.86 m), on the Nepal–China border, Kangchenjunga and Nanga Parbat.
• The highest peak in the Indian Himalaya is Kangchenjunga (8,586 m, older 8,598 m). K2 (8,611 m) is the overall highest peak in India, but it lies in the Karakoram rather than the Himalaya.
• The Gangotri and Satopanth glaciers lie in this range.
• The Yamuna and the Ganga rise from this part of the Himalaya.

ii. The Middle Himalaya

• Also known as the Lower or Lesser Himalaya or Himachal.
• It lies south of the Himadri, at 3,700–4,500 m on average.
• Major ranges: Pir Panjal (Jammu and Kashmir), Dhauladhar (Himachal Pradesh) and Nag Tibba (Uttarakhand).
• Famous hill stations: Nainital, Shimla, Ranikhet, Dharamshala and Mussoorie.

iii. The Outer Himalaya

• Also known as the Shiwalik Hills, the outermost and southernmost range.
• It runs about 2,400 km from the Indus gorge in the north-west to the Brahmaputra in Assam.
• It is 10–50 km wide. Average elevation is 600–1,500 m, against an older figure of 1,500–2,000 m.
• Local names:
  • Dafla Hills in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
  • Miri, Abor and Mishmi Hills in Arunachal Pradesh
  • Dundwa Range in northern Uttar Pradesh
  • Churia Range in Nepal
• Doons and Duars are its key feature. These alluvial valley floors are Doons in north-western India and Duars in north-eastern India, for example Dehradun.

2. Purvanchal Range

• Also known as the Eastern Mountains, a sub-mountain range of the Himalaya in north-east India.
• It is an eastern extension of the Himalayan system, south of the Brahmaputra valley.
• It bends sharply south beyond the Dihang gorge and spreads along India’s eastern boundary with Myanmar.
• Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, Mizo Hills and Manipur Hills form part of it.
• Height falls southward: Patkai Bum stands at 2,000–3,000 m, the Naga Hills reach 3,826 m at Saramati, the Manipur hills are mostly under 2,500 m, and the Mizo Hills under 1,500 m apart from the Blue Mountain (2,157 m).
• The Barail Range runs between the Naga and Manipur hills, then swings west into the Jaintia, Khasi and Garo hills.
• The rocks differ. The Purvanchal is folded, young and sedimentary. The Meghalaya hills are an old block of the Peninsula, cut off from it by the Garo–Rajmahal gap.

3. The Trans-Himalaya

• It lies immediately north of the Great Himalayan ranges.
• It runs west–east, parallel to the main range.
• It is often placed north of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra). That fits the Kailas part in Tibet, while the Indian ranges lie around the Indus.
• Three major ranges in India, north to south:
  • Karakoram Range
  • Ladakh Range
  • Zanskar Range
• The Kailash Range in Tibet is also part of it.
• Dimensions: the system runs about 1,000 km east–west. Each range is high in its own right: the Karakoram rarely drops below 5,500 m, the Ladakh Range averages 5,800 m and the Kailas stands at 5,500–6,000 m.
• The Ladakh Plateau, at over 5,000 m, lies beyond the Karakoram and is India’s highest plateau.
• K2 (8,611 m), or Mount Godwin-Austen, the highest peak in India and second in the world, lies in the Karakoram.
• Several important mountain passes in India, including Khardung La, Zoji La, Chang La and Umling La, cross these ranges.

4. Aravalli Range

• A residual mountain, worn by millions of years of weathering and erosion.
• A very old fold mountain range, whose belt dates to the Palaeoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic.
• It runs about 700 km, with counts up to 800 km, from near Delhi through southern Haryana and Rajasthan to Ahmedabad and Palanpur in Gujarat.
• It hosts the hill station of Mount Abu.
• Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) in Rajasthan is its highest peak.
• Its form changes along the length. From Delhi to Ajmer it is a chain of detached ridges; south of Ajmer it becomes a continuous range, about 900 m high; at the south-west end it passes 1,000 m.
• General height is only 400–600 m, the result of long erosion. The Delhi Ridge marks its north-eastern tip, and it may continue under the plains towards Haridwar.
• The Barr, Pipli Ghat, Dewair and Desuri passes let roads and railways through.
• It heads the list of India’s important hill ranges.

5. Vindhya Range

• A complex, discontinuous chain of ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments.
• It has mythological significance: ancient Hindu texts mostly treat it as the southern limit of Aryavarta, the land of the Indo-Aryan tribes.
• Today it is seen as the traditional boundary between north and south India.
• Tributaries of the Ganga–Yamuna system, including the Chambal, Betwa, Ken and Parbati, rise here.
• It divides Ganga-bound drainage from the rivers of the south.
• It lies north of the Narmada and runs almost parallel to its valley for over 1,200 km.
• General height is 300–650 m. It continues east as the Bhanrer and Kaimur hills.
• Rocks: mostly horizontal ancient sedimentary beds, with lava over the western part. The undisturbed bedding shows that the region has seen little later deformation.
• Form: an escarpment overlooking the Narmada–Son trough on the south, and a gentle northern slope without marked spurs.
• It forms the northern edge of the Deccan.

6. Satpura Range

• It rises in eastern Gujarat, runs east along the Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh border, and ends in Chhattisgarh.
• It is a series of scarped plateaus, generally at 600–900 m, rising to 900–1,000 m in its higher hills.
• It is a classic relict mountain, highly denuded, with discontinuous ranges. Parts are also read as a structural uplift or horst.
• It lies south of the Vindhya and parallel to it, between the Narmada and Tapi, for about 900 km.
• The Narmada rises near Amarkantak in the Satpura system.
• The name is read as “seven mountains”, from Sanskrit sat and pura.
• Three main parts, west to east: the Rajpipla Hills, the Mahadeo Hills and the Maikal Range.
• Peaks: Dhupgarh (1,350 m) near Pachmarhi is the highest, then Astamba Dongar (1,325 m) and Amarkantak (1,127 m). No other east–west tectonic range in the Peninsula stands as high.

7. Western Ghats

• An almost continuous chain of about 1,600 km along the western coast of the Peninsula.
• Average elevation is about 1,500 m, with height increasing from north to south.
• It crosses six States: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Keralam (Kerala) and Tamil Nadu.
• Local names:
  • Sahyadri in Maharashtra
  • Nilgiri Hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
  • Anaimalai Hills and Cardamom Hills in Keralam
• The Western Ghats are one of the natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.
• Hill stations: Ooty, Munnar and Mahabaleshwar.
• Anai Mudi (2,695 m) in Keralam, on the Anaimalai Hills, is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and South India.
• Doda Betta (2,637 m) in Tamil Nadu is the highest peak of the Nilgiri Hills.
• The Nilgiri Hills lie at the trijunction of Karnataka, Keralam and Tamil Nadu.
• The Western and Eastern Ghats meet at the Nilgiri Hills.
• Asymmetry: a sheer wall on the west and a gentle slope on the east, so that from the Deccan side it hardly looks like a mountain.
• Three parts:
  • North of about 16°N: horizontal Deccan lava in stepped, flat-topped hills, averaging 1,200 m.
  • 16°N to the Nilgiris: granite and gneiss, densely forested and deeply cut by west-flowing streams.
  • South of the Palghat Gap: rugged ranges radiating from Anai Mudi: the Anaimalai to the north, Palni to the north-east and Cardamom to the south.
• Other peaks and breaks: Kalsubai (1,646 m), Salher (1,567 m), Vavul Mala (2,339 m), Kudremukh (1,892 m), Pushpagiri (1,714 m) and Makurti (2,554 m). Thalghat and Bhorghat are the northern passes. The Palghat Gap, 24–30 km wide, breaks the chain to the south.

8. Eastern Ghats

• A discontinuous range along India’s eastern coast, less prominent than the Western Ghats.
• Mostly low hills, heavily eroded by rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
• It crosses five States: Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Important ranges:
  • Javadi Hills in Tamil Nadu
  • Palkonda and Seshachalam Hills in Andhra Pradesh
  • Nallamala Hills in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
  • Mahendragiri Hills in Odisha
• Important peaks: Jindhagada (1,690 m) and Arma Konda or Sitamma Konda (1,680 m) in Andhra Pradesh, Mahendragiri (1,501 m) in Odisha.
• It nearly vanishes between the Godavari and the Krishna, where Gondwana rocks fill the saddle, and reappears in Cuddapah and Kurnool as the arc of the Nallamala, at 600–850 m.
• Further south the hills are low, apart from the Javadi and Shevaroy–Kalrayan groups at about 1,000 m, and they finally merge with the Western Ghats.
• The Biligiri Rangan Hills (1,279 m) are of charnockite, which accounts for their steep slopes and bold relief.
• Oskar Spate preferred to split it as the Eastern Hills, Cuddapah Ranges and Tamilnad Hills, because it has no structural unity. The Maliya and Madugula Konda ranges form its true northern mountain part.

List of Mountain Ranges in India

Mountain Ranges in North India: North to South

Mountain ranges	States	Highest peak	Remarks
Saltoro Mountains	Ladakh	Saltoro Kangri	Sub-range of the Karakoram
Karakoram	PoK, Ladakh	Godwin-Austen or K2, 8,611 m	Highest peak in India
Deosai Mountains	J&K
Ladakh Range	Ladakh
Zanskar Range	Ladakh, Uttarakhand	Kamet, 7,756 m
Pir Panjal Range	J&K, Himachal Pradesh	Indrasan, 6,221 m
Zabarwan Range	J&K		Listed with the Pir Panjal; north of the valley
Dhauladhar Range	Himachal Pradesh, J&K
Kishtwar Himalaya	J&K	Bharanzar
Garhwal Himalaya	Uttarakhand
Dundwa Range	Northern UP		Part of the Shiwalik Hills

Mountain Ranges in Central India: West to East

Mountain ranges	States	Highest peak	Remarks
Girnar Range	Gujarat
Aravalli Range	Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi	Guru Shikhar	Oldest fold mountains in India
Malwa Plateau	MP, Rajasthan
Rajpipla Hills	Gujarat		Part of Satpura
Gawilgarh Hills	Maharashtra, MP		Part of Satpura
Mahadeo Hills	MP	Dhupgarh	Part of Satpura
Bhanrer Range	MP		Part of Vindhya
Bhander Plateau	MP
Maikal Hills	Chhattisgarh, MP		Part of Satpura
Kaimur Range	Near Jabalpur, MP		Part of Vindhya
Baghelkhand Plateau	MP, UP
Sonpar Hills	MP
Vindhya Range	Gujarat, MP, UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh	Sadbhawna Shikhar or Kalumar peak
Satpura Range	Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh	Dhupgarh

Chota Nagpur Plateau: North to South

Mountain ranges	States
Rajmahal Hills	Jharkhand
Hazaribagh Plateau	Jharkhand
Mailan Hills	Chhattisgarh
Ranchi Plateau	Jharkhand
Hazaribagh Hills	Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
Ramgarh Hills	Chhattisgarh
Garhjat Hills	Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha

• Heights on the plateau: Rajmahal Hills average 400 m and reach 567 m; Parasnath near Hazaribagh rises to 1,366 m; Netarhat and Goru pats on the Ranchi Plateau reach 1,119 m and 1,142 m.
• The Rajmahal Hills form the north-eastern edge of the plateau, largely of basalt, and they have been dissected into separate blocks.
• The pats of the Ranchi Plateau are laterite-capped mesas, the highest ground of the region.

Mountain Ranges in North East India

Mountain ranges	States	Highest peak	Remarks
West to East, South to North
Dafla Hills	Arunachal Pradesh		Eastern Himalaya, not Purvanchal
Miri Hills	Arunachal Pradesh
Abor Hills	Arunachal Pradesh
Mishmi Hills	Arunachal Pradesh
Kangchenjunga	Nepal, Sikkim	3rd highest in the world, 2nd in India	Part of the eastern Himalaya
West to East
Garo Hills	Meghalaya
Khasi Hills	Meghalaya	Shillong, 1,961–1,968 m	Shillong city stands on it
Jaintia Hills	Meghalaya
Mikir Hills	Assam
Rengma Hills	Assam
North to South
Patkai Bum	Arunachal Pradesh
Naga Hills	Nagaland	Mount Saramati
Langpangkong Range	Nagaland
Barail Range	Assam, Nagaland		Part of Purvanchal
Laimatol Range	Manipur
Bhuban Hills	Assam, Mizoram
Atharamura Range	Tripura		Part of the Shiwalik Hills
Lushai Hills or Mizo Hills	Mizoram	Phawngpui	Blue Mountain

Western Ghats Mountains: North to South

Mountain ranges	States	Highest peak	Remarks
Satmala Hills	Maharashtra	Dhodap
Ajanta Hills	Maharashtra
Harishchandra Range	Maharashtra	Harishchandragarh
Balaghat Range	Maharashtra
Kudremukh	Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka	Kudremukha
Baba Budan Hills	Karnataka	Mullayanagiri, 1,930 m	Kurinji blooms
Nilgiri Mountains	Tamil Nadu	Doddabetta, 2,637 m	Eastern and Western Ghats meet
Akamala Machad Hills	Thrissur, Keralam		Vazhani sanctuary and dam
Anaimalai Hills	Tamil Nadu, Keralam	Anamudi, 2,695 m	Highest in south India; World Heritage Site
Palani Hills	Tamil Nadu, Keralam	Vandaravu
Cardamom Hills	Tamil Nadu, Keralam		Cardamom cultivation
Varushnad Hills	Tamil Nadu		Part of Cardamom

Eastern Ghats Mountains: North to South

Mountain ranges	States	Remarks
Nayagarh Hills	Odisha
Bastar Plateau	Chhattisgarh
Nallamala Hills	AP, Telangana
Erramala Hills	Andhra Pradesh
Velikonda Range	Andhra Pradesh
Palkonda Range	Andhra Pradesh
Seshachalam Hills	Andhra Pradesh	Tirupati city
Nagari Hills	Andhra Pradesh
Javadi Hills	Tamil Nadu
Melagiri Range	Tamil Nadu
Shevaroy Hills	Tamil Nadu
Pachaimalai Hills	Tamil Nadu
Sirumalai Hills	Tamil Nadu

• On this map, Tiger Hills is not West Bengal’s highest point: Sandakphu (3,636 m) is. “Aroya Konda” is Arma Konda.

Major Mountain Ranges in India, with Details

Western Ghats and Its Spurs

• Cardamom Hills
  • Southernmost part of the Western Ghats, in Keralam and Tamil Nadu.
  • Named after the cardamom grown here, along with pepper and coffee.
  • It has the Shencottah Gap.
  • A climatic barrier and the source of many rivers.
  • Many forest reserves for conservation, and a source of hydroelectric power.
• Palani Hills
  • In Tamil Nadu, east of the Anaimudi peak, north of the Vaigai, mostly in Dindigul district.
  • Hill station of Kodaikanal. Wildlife sanctuary and national park.
• Anaimalai Hills
  • The name means “Elephant Hills”.
  • Between Keralam and Tamil Nadu, south of the Palghat Gap.
  • Highest peak Anaimudi, in Idukki district, Keralam.
  • Many sanctuaries and parks; a trekking destination; tea, coffee, rubber and teak forests.
• Nilgiri Hills
  • Trijunction of Tamil Nadu, Keralam and Karnataka, north of the Palghat Gap.
  • Meeting point of the Eastern and Western Ghats.
  • Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and other conservation areas.
  • Highest peak Doddabetta, 4 km from Ooty.
  • Many falls: Pykara, Catherine, Kotagiri.
• Baba Budan Hills
  • Part of the Western Ghats in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka.
  • Highest peak Mullayanagiri.
  • Baba Budan, a 17th-century Sufi, is believed to have brought coffee to India, and the hills are known for coffee cultivation.
• Varushnad Hills
  • South of the Vaigai and south-west of Madurai, up to the Cardamom Hills.
  • An eastern offshoot of the Western Ghats. The Cumbum Valley (Vaigai) divides it from the main chain.
  • Source of the Arjuna and Gunnar rivers.
• Sirumalai Hills
  • Between the Vaigai (south) and the Kaveri in Tamil Nadu.
  • Source of the Valiyar and Manimuttar rivers. Dindigul is the main city nearby, and Sirumalai is a hill station.

Eastern Ghats

• Pachaimalai Hills
  • Pachai means “green” and malai means “hills”.
  • Between the Kaveri and Vellar rivers in Tamil Nadu. A haven of tribal people.
  • Average elevation 500–1,000 m. Good for trekking. Namakkal is the main city.
• Shevaroy Hills
  • Between the Vellar and Ponnaiyar rivers, around Salem.
  • A sanatorium, old coffee plantations and a tourist attraction.
  • Source of the Turunanimuttai, Vellar, Gomukha and Manimukta rivers.
• Javadi Hills
  • Northern Tamil Nadu in Vellore district, between the Ponnaiyar and Palar.
  • Split into eastern and western sections by the Cheyyar and Agaram, tributaries of the Palar.
  • Sparsely populated. Grains, legumes and oilseeds are the chief crops.
• Nagari Hills
  • Southernmost Andhra Pradesh, west of Pulicat Lake in Chittoor district. Main city Nagari, a picnic spot.
  • Its highest cliff is the Nagari Nose, the name traced to the Telugu word for nose.
• Palkonda Range
  • An arc-shaped range between the Penneru and Palar.
  • Formed of quartzite, slate and lava. Often called a relict of Cambrian mountains, though its Cuddapah rocks are older, in the Proterozoic.
  • Jowar and peanuts are the main crops. Source of rivers; densely forested.
• Velikonda Range
  • Part of the Eastern Ghats in south-eastern Andhra Pradesh, east of the Nallamala Hills and parallel to the Coromandel Coast. The Penneru crosses it.
  • Strongly folded and faulted, and described like the Palkonda as a relict range raised in the Cambrian.
  • Sparsely wooded. Chenchu tribal people live here.
• Melagiri Range
  • A smaller range south of Bengaluru, in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, part of the Eastern Ghats.
  • Melagiri Sanctuary is here, and the Arkavathi flows through it. Hosur, Bannerghatta National Park and the Kolar gold fields are near it.
• Nallamala Range
  • Between the Penneru and Krishna, parallel to the Coromandel Coast, part of the Eastern Ghats.
  • An old mountain, extensively weathered and eroded, at 600–850 m, in quartz and slate.
  • The largest stretch of undisturbed forest in southern India outside the Western Ghats. Srisailam Tiger Reserve lies here.
• Erramala Range
  • Low hills in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, between the Krishna and Penneru, west of the Nallamala.

Western Ghats Spurs in Maharashtra

• Harishchandra Range
  • An eastward spur of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, averaging 600 m, with height falling south-east.
  • Flat-topped, of basaltic lava, with slopes eroded into terraces.
  • Named after Harishchandragarh, its highest peak. Ahmednagar is the chief city.
• Balaghat Range
  • Hills running from the Western Ghats through western Maharashtra for 200 miles (about 320 km), on the Maharashtra–Karnataka border.
  • Flat-topped with lava cover. Source of the Manjra.
  • The wetter west has dense vegetation; the east is barren and stony.
• Ajanta Range
  • Wholly within Maharashtra, the watershed between the Godavari and Tapi systems.
  • Source of the Purna and Penganga. The Ajanta Caves are here.
• Satmala Range
  • A branch of the northern Western Ghats in north-west Maharashtra.
• Nirmal Range
  • A low range between the Penganga and Godavari, reaching from Maharashtra into Telangana. Nanded city is linked with it.

Central India and the Chota Nagpur Hills

• Garhjat Hills
  • Northern Odisha and adjoining Jharkhand, including Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.
  • Famous for iron ore. Several Gond tribes live here. Highest peak Malaygiri (1,187 m).
• Ramgarh Hills
  • North-eastern Chhattisgarh, adjoining Jharkhand.
  • Source of the Rihand, Sankh, Mand and Ib rivers. Main city Ambikapur.
• Rajpipla Hills
  • The westernmost part of the Satpura, mainly in eastern Gujarat around Rajpipla.
  • The Khandwa Gap separates them from the Gawilgarh Hills.
• Gawilgarh Hills
  • Part of the Satpura between the Rajpipla (west) and Mahadeo (east), in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
  • Between the Tapi and Purna. Main city Burhanpur.
• Mahadeo Hills
  • Central Satpura in southern Madhya Pradesh.
  • Watershed between the Narmada and Godavari. Highest peak Dhupgarh. The Tapi rises here.
• Maikal Hills
  • Eastern Satpura, between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
  • Source of many tributaries of the Narmada, Mahanadi and Godavari.
  • Home to Baiga and Gond people. Kanha National Park and the Achanakmar–Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve are here.
• Kaimur Range
  • Eastern Vindhya, between the Son and Tons in north-eastern Madhya Pradesh.
  • Its northern edge forms escarpments. Prehistoric rock paintings have been found.

Gujarat and the Aravalli

• Gir Hills
  • Low hills of the Kathiawar Peninsula, south-east of the Girnar Hills. Highest peak Sarkala (643 m). Gir National Park lies here.
• Girnar Hills
  • A cluster of mountains in Junagadh district, Kathiawar.
  • Girnar is the highest peak of Gujarat, given as 945 m in older accounts and about 1,145 m in current listings.
  • Near Gir National Park, and a holy place for Hindus and Jains.
• Mandav Hills
  • Central Kathiawar, with a radial drainage pattern. Main city Rajkot. Covered with basaltic lava.
• Abu Hills
  • The south-western Aravalli, between the Sabarmati and Banas. Mount Abu stands on them.
• Aravalli Range
  • Old, dissected mountains of north-western India, from Gujarat to Haryana.
  • Source of the Banas, Luni and Sabarmati. Rich in non-ferrous minerals. Highest peak Guru Shikhar.
• Nag Pahar
  • Between Pushkar Lake and Ajmer, famous for Panchkund and Saint Agastya’s Cave.
  • Tradition holds that Kalidasa, the 4th-century poet and playwright, composed Abhijnanashakuntalam here.

Himalaya and Trans-Himalaya

• Karakoram Range
  • A Trans-Himalayan range starting from the Pamir Knot, among the most heavily glaciated regions outside the poles.
  • K2, second highest in the world. Glaciers: Siachen, Biafo, Baltoro, Batura.
• Ladakh Range
  • Between the Shyok and Indus. Leh stands at its southern edge.
  • Runs parallel to the Indus, from the Shyok in the west to the Tibet border in the east. Khardung La is on it.
• Zaskar Range
  • Between the Great Himalaya and the Ladakh Range. It branches off near 80°E and runs parallel to the Great Himalaya.
  • Nanga Parbat forms its north-western culmination.
  • Dras, among India’s coldest inhabited places, lies here.
• Pir Panjal
  • The westernmost Lesser Himalayan range, separating Jammu from Kashmir.
  • Jhelum to upper Beas, for 300–400 km. Pir Panjal and Banihal passes are here, and the Jawahar Tunnel passes through the Banihal.
• Dhauladhar Range
  • The southernmost Lesser Himalayan range, across Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, steeper on the south than on the north.
  • Hill stations: Dalhousie, Chamba, Kullu, Manali, Dharmshala and Shimla.
• Nag Tibba
  • Part of the Lesser Himalaya in south-western Uttarakhand, highest at Nag Tibba (3,022 m).
  • The easternmost Lesser Himalayan range in India by the old listing. Hill station Mussoorie.
• Kumaon Range
  • Part of the Lesser Himalaya in south-eastern Uttarakhand.

North-East India

• Garo Hills
  • Westernmost Meghalaya Plateau, home to the Garo people, with the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve. Main town Tura; highest peak Nokrek.
• Khasi Hills
  • Middle Meghalaya Plateau, its highest part. Cherrapunji, Mawsynram and Shillong lie here. Home to the matrilineal Khasi.
• Jaintia Hills
  • Eastern Meghalaya Plateau, home to the Jaintia people. Jhum cultivation, high rainfall and laterite soils.
• Barail Range
  • Along the Assam–Manipur border, linking the Meghalaya Plateau with the Purvanchal.
  • Bamboo and pine cover, degraded by jhum.
  • Water divide between the Brahmaputra and Barak. The Barak rises on its southern slopes.
• Koubru Hill Range
  • Koubru Hill, or Mount Koupalu, is among the highest mountains in Manipur. In Manipuri mythology it is the abode of the god Lainingthou Koubru and the goddess Kounu.

• Mizo Hills
  • Southernmost Purvanchal, or the Lushai Hills, in Mizoram. Highest peak Blue Mountain. The Tropic of Cancer crosses them.
• Manipur Hills
  • Part of the Purvanchal in Manipur. Loktak Lake is here and the Manipur River rises here. They form part of the boundary with Myanmar.
• Naga Hills
  • Between the Patkai Bum and the Manipur Hills in Nagaland. Highest peak Saramati (3,826 m). They form part of the boundary with Myanmar.
• Patkai Bum
  • Northernmost Purvanchal, in Arunachal Pradesh, on the Myanmar boundary. Source of the Burhi Dihing and Disang.
• Mikir Hills
  • Part of the Meghalaya Plateau block in Assam, just south of the Brahmaputra, averaging about 700 m. Mikir people practise jhum, and the hills are of Archaean rock.
• Rengma Hills
  • East of the Mikir Hills in Assam, full of bamboo. Rengma tribes live here.
• Dafla Hills
  • Part of the Shiwalik belt in Arunachal Pradesh, between the Subansiri and Kameng, south of the Kamla.
  • Tribes here practise jhum, among dense bamboo, pine and deodar.
• Miri Hills
  • Part of the Outer Himalaya in Arunachal Pradesh, between the Subansiri and Kameng, north of the Kamla, which separates it from the Dafla Hills. Inhabited by tribes, with terrace cultivation.
• Abor Hills
  • Part of the Shiwalik belt in Arunachal Pradesh, between the Dibang and Subansiri. Deciduous and evergreen forest, with tribal people. Highest peak 3,992 m.
• Mishmi Hills
  • Easternmost Shiwalik belt in north-east Arunachal Pradesh, from the Dibang in the west to the Myanmar border. The Dibang flows through them.