Tite litt
OF INDIA
Pe Re Tes
M.S. KOHLI
MR ea eta) Omar N Cy TN)
PEO Watt) NS FRO: agile EXPERTSMOUNTAIN
OF INDIA
Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage
M.S. KOHLI
WITH FOREWORD BY JAGMOHAN
AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EMINENT EXPERTS
di
INDUS
PUBLISHING COMPANYForeword
Mountains of India, especially the Himalayas, serve as vast reserves
of our resources—water, energy and biodiversity. They have contributed
to the growth and development of myriad cultures and ethnic groups,
some in isolation but others blossoming into living faiths for millions.
In the north we have the 2,400 km long majestic Himalayas which
have held a strange fascination for men all over the world. and have
drawn people from all walks of life—pilgrims, climbers. trekkers.
artists, writers, poets and scientists. Their pristine glory lies in their
blue and emerald lakes, pine forests, swift mountain streams, rugged
rocks, grassy meadows resplendent with multi-coloured flowers, snow
bridges spanning gurgling torrents, deep and narrow gorges, high passes
enveloped in mist and snow-clad peaks rising above masses of clouds,
reaching out to the deep blue sky. Many of the great Himalayan rivers—
the Indus, the Sutlej, the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda are known to
be older than the mountain ranges.
We have a large number of hill stations. The modern concept of the
hill station is evidently a phenomenon of the expansion of European
imperialism in the Orient. The French established Da Lat in Indo-China,
the Spanish built Baguio to escape humidity of Manila and the Dutch
founded similar getaways in Indonesia. But most spectacular are the
number of hill stations built by the British in India. Not only are these
nostalgic reminders of home to the British but also the institution of
the hill station fitted most comfortably and perfectly in the subcontinent.
Besides the mountain ranges and hill stations, India possesses a
unique heritage of mountain shrines. In the mighty Himalayas. since
time immemorial, hundreds of shrines dot the Himalayan foothills and
the lofty snow-covered peaks. Most of these shrines are very closely
associated with the epics that form the backbone of Indian culture and6 Mountains of India
ethos. The shrine of Vaishno Devi in Jammu attracts more than four
million pilgrims every year. In all humility, | feel proud of having given
the control of this important shrine to a public management committee
when I was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Today, despite such
a large number of visitors the entire hill comprising Vaishno Devi is
well preserved. The pilgrims have now access to the main temple round
the clock.
Besides the Himalayas in the north, there are several mountain ranges
criss-crossing the rest of India—these are the Aravallis, the Vindhyas,
the Satpuras, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. Over a million
of Indians belong to the tribal communities which inhabit the Himalayan
foothills and the Peninsular ranges. Their life-style is fascinating and
worth sustaining. In the recent years there has been phenomenal growth
in the number of visitors to our mountains. At the same time these
enchanting mountains have come under serious ecological threat. The
Ministry of Environment and Forests have been seriously engaged in
arresting any further degradation of our beautiful mountains. The
Himalayan Environment Trust, spearheaded by Sir Edmund Hillary and
Captain Mohan Singh Kohli, and many other environmental agencies
all over India, have spread awareness about the plight of these mountain
areas and are taking all possible steps to keep them clean and green.
Since our mountains are very important to our tourism growth and
development, we in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture are also taking
all possible steps to conserve them. Our new National Tourism Policy—
2002 highlights the relationship between tourism and culture and focuses
on avoiding environmental degradation. Effective linkages with the
Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Department of Civil
Aviation are being maintained to put greater emphasis on ecotourism.
In spite of the importance of these enchanting mountains to the
nation, not a single book has been written with detailed references to
their adventure, pilgrimage, tourism and environmental aspects. Captain
Mohan Singh Kohli has rendered a great service in writing this
comprehensive volume with several highly useful additional chapters
from various experts in their respective fields to fill this void. It will
enable students, youth and even elderly people to know and enjoy these
serene and beautiful mountains. The book also highlights the importance
of keeping our mountains clean and green so that our coming gene-Foreword 7
rations can also savour their grandeur and beauty. This book, | am
sure, Will not only help in spreading awareness about our enchanting
Himalayas, other magnificent mountain ranges, the hill stations, the hill
shrines and beautiful inhabitants of these regions but will also help in
spreading concern about keeping them preserved
JAGMOHAN
New Delhi Minister for Tourism and CulturePreface
T was born and brought up in the hilly Hazara district of NWFP, now
in Pakistan. Timur Shah while going back after invading India in 1399
felt captivated by the green fields and majestic hills of Hazara. He
assigned this beautiful region to his favourite chieftains. Tradition holds
it that those chiefs employed in their service 1,000 Turkish soldiers
for their defence and this region henceforth came to be known as
Hazara. During the occupation of Hazara by the invading army of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh towards the beginning of 19th century, my
ancestors lost their lives on top of a hill facing my native town, Haripur,
on the bank of Indus. This mountain-top since then became a place of
pilgrimage for the families of those martyred who used to congregate
annually on this mountain top. This entailed crossing several gushing
tributaries of the Indus and a steep climb of about 2.000 feet.
When I was six months old, in April 1932, | was carried by my
father to the top. Six years later, | am told, I completed this adventurous
trip on my own steam. Today, I realise that these annual expeditions
for 10 years, from 1938 to 1947, had laid an extremely strong foundation
on which I could embark on a number of challenging missions which
included three expeditions to Mount Everest. This childhood exposure
to adventure not only made me physically very strong but also helped
me in developing a very high level of mental endurance and spiritual
awareness
Later, in 1954, when | joined the Indian Navy, I was posted to “INS
Shivaji” near the hilly town of Lonavla—the highest quarterdeck of the
Indian Navy. Whether it was by sheer coincidence or a part of my
destiny, | won't know, but my four-year tenure in Lonavla gave me
excellent opportunities to climb the hills and forts surrounding Lonavla.
Immediately after reaching I.N.S. Shivaji, | was made officer incharge
of the Deep Sea Scouts troupe of the Indian Navy. Every weekend, on10 Mountains of India
Saturdays, I would take some 24 scouts on a 20-25 kms long trek,
climb a hilltop or a fort, spend the night on top with campfire and scout
games. We would return on Sunday evenings as victorious heroes.
The impact of these weekly expeditions on the sailor-scouts for almost
four years was so profound that these 24 boys turned into hefty men
as compared to hundreds of other boy-sailors. They developed strong
physique, qualities of leadership and spirit of adventure. Normally, a
small percentage of sailors of high calibre succeed in becoming officers.
It was interesting to observe that the entire batch of these scouts
achieved the unique distinction of being promoted to the commissioned
ranks.
It is my firm conviction that if India is to become a strong nation, it
is important for our youth to use our mountains for acquiring physical
strength, vigour and vitality. Mountains are ideal for character-building
training and for acquiring qualities of leadership, team spirit, self-reliance
and self-confidence. Classroom education alone is not sufficient for our
children to face the harsh realities of life. Mountain adventure is the
best solution. Besides, mountain tourism, both domestic and inter-
national, is of paramount importance to our country.
Over one billion people all over the world consider their mountains
sacred. In India almost all the mountains, both in the Himalayas and in
other parts of India, contain places of worship. Traditional cultures and
conservation have evolved together for ages in our mountains. A large
number of our people depend on mountain watersheds for their supplies
of fresh water. Massive increase of tourism activities in the fragile
mountain ecosystem also impose the serious challenges which have to
be surmounted. Our lush green forests around our mountains also play
a crucial role in the sustainable development of our mountain areas.
Mountains harbour some of the earth’s richest concentrations of
biodiversities. The magnificent mountains of India are our great assets.
Considering the importance of our mountains, it is important that
we save them for our future generations. The United Nations, consi-
dering all these factors, have declared 2002 as the ‘Year of the Mountain
and Ecotourism’. This decision has inspired me to write a book on the
beautiful mountains of India with a message to the youth to take
advantage of these mountains and follow the message of Swami
Vivekananda to become physically, mentally and spiritually tough.
To make this book comprehensive in all aspects, I took help fromPreface VW
various experts in their respective fields. ] express my sincere gratitude
to all of them for responding favourably to my request. Without their
cooperation, the publication of this volume would not have been
possible. Material for hill shrines, hill stations and certain aspects of
tourism has been compiled with the help of various websites, particularly
www.ourhimalayas.com, www.travelindia.com, www.templenet.com,
www.indiatravelite.com, travel.indiamart.com. I acknowledge with
gratitude their contribution to this book. I am also grateful to Yogendra
Bali for his valuable advice and for going through the manuscript and
making several improvements.
My special gratitude goes to Shri Jagmohan for writing the Foreword
to this book which puts the entire subject in a proper prespective.
New Delhi M.S. KouContents
Foreword by Jagmohan
Preface
List of Contributors
weno
17.
18,
Part I—Mountainscape
The Majestic Himalayas M.S. Kohli
The Peninsular Mountains M.S. Kohli
Highlands of Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh BLK. Bagchi
Himalayan Flora Rupin Dang
Part U—Tourism
Growth of Himalayan Tourism — Yogendra Bali
Tourism in Jammu & Kashmir Mohammad Ashraf
Tourism in Himachal Pradesh Ashok Thakur
Tourism in Uttaranchal = N.N. Prasad
Tourism in Sikkim — Karma Gyatso ¥~
The Indian Mountain Railways = Ashwani Lohani
Challenging Heights of Kerala 7. Balakrishnan
Part III—Hill Stations
Hill Stations of India: The Origin AS. Kohli
Hill Stations of Northern India M.S. Kohli
Hill Stations of Western India M.S. Kohli
Hill Stations of Southern India M.S. Kohli
Hill Stations of Eastern India M.S. Kohli
Part [V—Mountaineering
Indian Mountaineering Foundation. New Delhi NN Vohra
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. Darjeeling
Col Vijay Singh
113
117
153
160
170
187
19]cks
34,
35.
36.
37.
4l
42
Mountains of India
The Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Manali
Col. H.S. Chauhan
Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi
Lt, Col. Ashok Abbey
Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports,
J&K — Group Capt. SS. Puri
Five Decades of Indian Mountaineering M.S. Kohli
Part V—Other Adventures
Trekking in the Himalayas M.S. Kohli
Ice Trekking on the Frozen River Zanskar: An Experience
Mandip Singh Soin
Adventures in North-East India Nasim Akhtor
Rock Climbing in and around Delhi = Mohit Oberoi
Trekking in the Sahyadris — Harish Kapadia
Adventure in and around Mumbai _K. Saraswati
Amongst the Hill Forts of Shivaji M.S. Kohli
Adventures in Karnataka = Hari Prasad and
B.U. Krishnamurthy
White Water Rafting in India Ajeet Bajaj
Aero Sports in India Satish Pathania
Part VI—Hill Shrines
Himalayan Shrines of Jammu & Kashmir M.S. Kohli
Himalayan Shrines of Himachal Pradesh M.S. Kohli
Himalayan Shrines of Uttaranchal M.S. Kohli
Himalayan Shrines of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh
M.S. Kohli
Hill Shrine of Tirupati M.S. Kohli
Part VII—Man, Mountain and Nature
The Himalayas: World Heritage — Dr. Karan Singh
Himalayan Ecotourism M.S. Kohli
Keep the Mountains Clean Sir Edmund Hillary
Western Ghats: Ecotourism Gateway to Tamil Nadu JC. Kala
Eco-Restoration Strategies for the Mountains
Samita Loonker
Index
195
198
205
208
219
231
239
243,
249
258
262
266
275
288
359
364
370
376Contributors
Abbey, Lt. Col. Ashok—Principal, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering,
Uttarkashi-249193 (Uttaranchal)
Akhtor, Nasim—Member, Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Barthakur,
Mill Road, Ulubari, Guwahati-78 1007 (Assam)
Ashraf, Mohammad—Director General (Tourism), Jammu & Kashmir
Government, Srinagar, Kashmir (May-Oct.) and Jammu-Tawi (Nov.-April)
Bagchi, B.K.—Tourism Consultant, H-40, Nishat Enclave, 74-Bungalows,
Bhopal-462003 (M.P.)
Bajaj, Ajeet—Managing Director, Snow Leopard Adventures Pvt. Ltd., C-9/
9174, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070
Balakrishnan, T.—Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Kerala, Secretariat,
Tniruvananthapuram-695001 (Kerala)
Bali, Yogendra—Renowned journalist and writer, A-4, Press Enclave, Saket,
New Delhi-110017
Chauhan, Col. H.S.—Director, Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports
(Govt. of Himachal Pradesh), Manali-175131 (H.P.)
Dang, Rupin—Managing Director, Wilderness Films India Pvt, Ltd., 1, Factory
Road, Ring Road South, Near Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi-1 10029
Gyatso, Karma—Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Sikkim,
Gangtok-737101 (Sikkim)
Hillary, Sir Edmund—First Man to Climb Mount Everest, 278 A Remueri
Road, Auckland-5, New Zealand
Kala, J.C.— Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Tamil Nadu, No. I. Jeenis
Salai, Panagal Maligai, Saidpet, Chennai-600015 (T.N.)
Kapadia, Harish Editor, Himalayan Journal, 72. Vijay Apartments, 16.
Carmichael Road. Mumbai-400026 (Maharashtra)16 Mountains of India
Kohli, M.S.—Editor, Chairman, Himalayan Environment Trust, E-4, East of
Kailash, New Delhi-110065
Krishnamurthy, B.U.—Honorary Secretary, Hill Top Mountaineering Group,
195, 5th Main Road, Chamarajpet, Bangalore-560018 (Karnataka)
Lohani, Ashwani—Managing Director, Indian Tourism Development
Corporation Ltd., Scope Complex Core 8, 6th Floor, 7 Lodhi Road, New
Delhi-1 10003
Loonker, Samita—Programme Officer, (SAHYOG), His Highness Maharaja
Hanwant Singhji Charitable Trust, Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Oberoi, Mohit—Managing Director, Outdoor School Artificial Climbing Wall
System, F-6, Naraina Vihar, New Delhi-1 10028
Pathania, Satish—Managing Director, Alpha Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd., A-
247, 1st Floor, Shivalik, New Delhi-110017
Prasad, Hari—Director of Real Academy, 110/A, 29th Cross, 7th Block,
Jayanagar, Bangalore-560082 (Karnataka)
Prasad, N.N.—Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Uttaranchal, Sachivalya,
Dehradun (Uttaranchal)
Puri, Group Cap. S.S.—Principal, Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and
Winter Sports, Tringla, Batote-182143 (J & K)
Saraswati, K:—Member, Indian Mountaineering Foundation, 10/156, Adarsh
Nagar, Prabhadevi, Mumbai-400025 (Maharashtra)
Singh, Col. Vijay—Principal, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling-
734101 (West Bengal)
Singh, Dr. Karan—Member of Parliament, Former Regent and Former Sadar-
i-Riyasat of Jammu & Kashmir and Former Cabinet Minister, “Mansarovar”,
3 Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-1 10021
Soin, Mandip Singh— Founder and Managing Director, Ibex Expeditions Pvt
Ltd., G-66, East of Kailash, New Delhi-1 10065
Thakur, Ashok—Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Himachal Pradesh, H.P.
Secretariat, Shimla-171002 (H.P.)
Vohra, N.N.—President, I.M.F., formerly Defence and Home Secretary and
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, 6, Benito Juarez Marg,
Anand Niketan, New DelhiMOUNTAINSCAPE1
The Majestic Himalayas
M.S. Kohli
Aeons ago when the continents of the earth were being shaped by
elemental forces, two land masses were floating towards each other
across the sea that separated them. Came the inevitable collision. The
result was a vertical rise of the land mass from the sea sediments,
presenting the world one of its greatest physical features.
This was the beginning of the Himalaya also called the Himalayas. It
is also known as the ‘Abode of Snow’ (Aim meaning snow and alaya
meaning abode in Sanskrit). Though a complex mountain system, the
Himalaya is also the source of most of the major rivers in the sub-
continent. The Himalaya has been part of Indian life from times
immemorial.
The Hoary Origins
The hoary origins of these towering land masses gave rise to many
myths and legends. But transcending all that has been a spirit of
veneration towards the Himalaya and its mountains. References to
mountains and hills of Bharatvarsha, as India was known, are found in
the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Vedas. Accounts of mountains
and hills of India of yore—a land far bigger in size than it is today—
abound in many sources: Buddhist and Jain texts, Greek authors, Chinese
travellers, the district and imperial gazetteers of pre-Independence India.
not only to mention the holy books of the Hindus.
According to the Mahabharata and the Markandeya Purana, the
Himalayan range stretched from sea to sea like the string of a bow. It
is believed that the Sakyas and the Koliyas were transported by the
Buddha to the Himalaya. The Buddha told them about various “precious”20 Mountains of India
mountains in the Himalayan region—golden mountain, jewel mountain,
vermilion mountain, collyrium mountain, crystal mountain etc. The
Himalayan mountain was believed to be the source of ten rivers.
The Kailash Range
The Kailash range near Mansarovar has been called the “king” of
the mountains with its cluster of giant peaks. It has been identified with
the Vaidyutaparvata and also been named Kavilasa. It is venerated as
the abode of Lord Shiva.
Ancient geographers used the name Himavanta for the entire mountain
range that stretched from Sulaiman in West Punjab to the whole
boundary of northern India right up to Assam and Arakan hill ranges
in the east. The Himalaya mountain has been described as a mine of
gems and full of minerals on its summits. The sages took shelter on its
“sunny summit”, the caves of which were covered by clouds.
Geologically, the Himalayas are among the youngest mountains. This
is proved by the fossilized remains of sea life that are found on the
higher reaches of Everest and other mountains.
The Himalaya are massive in size and majestic in view. In mass alone,
the Himalaya are greater than all the mountains of Europe put together.
Move in an arc from the western extreme of the Himalaya near
Afghanistan to its eastern end close to Myanmar and you would have
travelled about 2500 km, almost the distance between London and
Moscow. In width, the Himalayan arc is about 200 to 400 kilometre.
Not An Uninterrupted Chain
But the Himalaya is not an uninterrupted chain of mountains. It is a
series of almost parallel and converging ranges with large valleys and
extensive plateaux. The legacy of the Himalaya is claimed by a number
of countries—India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Afghanistan,
Central Asian Republics and Myanmar. The people living within the
Himalayan region follow almost all the great religions of the world—
Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity. The world’s tallest
peak, Mount Everest (8,848 m), is the Himalaya’s most coveted treasure.
Put the Jungfrau of the Swiss Alps on top of Europe’s tallest mountain.
Mont Blanc, and Everest would still dwarf them. That is not all, the
Himalaya has more than 30 peaks which are over 25,000 ft in height, a
unique geographical feature in the worldThe Majestic Himalayas 21
The Lesser Himalaya
Geographers say that the Himalaya rose in the form of a series of
long parallel curvilinear folds whose general alignment and strike is
parallel to the edge of the old continental block of India to the south.
The parallel folds have been moulded into their present shape by erosion
through the ages. The Himalayan region has three major mountain zones:
the Shivalik range, the lesser Himalaya and the Great Himalaya. The
Shivalik range is the youngest of the three, 20 to 30 miles wide and
stretches over 1500 miles from the Indus to near the Brahmaputra in
Assam. In between there is a gap of 200 miles between the Kosi and
the Manas in Bhutan, the effect of monsoon erosion. This is a zone of
both single and double fold with a broad plain (“Dun”) like at Dehra,
20 to 30 miles wide. The height above the plain is not more than 3000
ft. But the forests are often dense which provide sanctuary to tiger,
leopard, bear and other wild animals.
The Lesser Himalaya is an older and complex zone, averaging a width
of 60 miles. Except in the extreme north, the average height of summits
here is 15,000 ft. Nearly all the well-known but man-made hill stations
of the northern part of the subcontinent are found here: Shimla,
Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora, Darjeeling, Dalhousie and Murree
(Pakistan). The average height of these hill stations is 5,000 to 7,000
ft. Rains here can be devastating, wiping out mountain paths if not the
hillsides themselves. The eastern part has dense green forests while the
western part of the zone has beautiful coniferous forests that include
the lovely deodars in Kashmir.
The Great Himalaya
The Great Himalaya is the core of the whole system, parallel to the
Shivalik but with some gaps in its length. Within this zone stand some
of the world’s tallest peaks, all of which over 25,000 ft: Mt Everest,
Kanchendzonga, Makalu. Nanga Parbat, Nanda Devi. Dhaulagiri,
Annapurna, Namche Barwa.
Zanskar Range
North of the main Himalaya lies the Zanskar range which can be
taken as an unofficial boundary between India and Tibet. Its highest
area is in the south-eastern end with Leo Pargial (22.280 ft) rising just
north of the Sutlej. Shilla (23,050 ft) and Shipki (21.680 ft)22 Mountains of India
The Zanskar range is crossed by several routes where the passes
and valleys attracted sportsmen in search of game. The better known
among them are Parang La (18.300 ft), Lachalung La and Marang La
which are both over 16,000 fi, Nera La (15,966 ft) and Kungri La. At
the eastern end of the Zanskar range is the Fatu La pass on the Srinagar-
Leh road. The trekking passes are the Singge La, the Cha Cha La and
the Rubrang La.
During the harsh and long winter months, the main route between
the Zanskar valley and Leh is down the ice-bound Zanskar river gorges.
Breaching the Zanskar range is the Zanskar river flowing down big,
gorges until it reaches the Indus below Leh. The Zanskar range runs
through Lahaul and Spiti to act as a buffer zone between the Himalaya
and the Tibetan plateau. Across west, it continues across Uttarakhand
to constitute another zone between the Himalaya and the Tibetan plateau.
The second highest peak in territories under India, Kamet (7,756 m),
lies here. Near northeast of the river Kali, close to the Indo-Nepal border,
the boundary of the range ends.
The Karakoram Himalaya
Ancient geographers knew the Karakoram as Krishnagiri, also
Kanhagiri or Kanheri, all of which meant the Black Mountain. But much
of the Karakoram Himalaya, a trans-Himalayan range, falls in that part
of the old Jammu and Kashmir State now under Pakistan occupation.
It got its name from the ancient Karakoram pass to Central Asia that
kept alive Leh-Yarkand-Kashgar trade links. The Karakoram Himalaya
extends south-to-north from the lower Shyok and Indus rivers and the
Shaksgam tributary of the Yarkand river and Ishkoman and Karumba
rivers on the west and the upper Shyok in the east which has its source
in the Rimo glacier and the drier regions of western Tibet. Beyond the
Karumba river on the west, the mountain chain is known as the Hindu
Kush. Early geographers knew the Hindu Kush as the Malyavat mountain
that divided India and Afghanistan.
The Karakoram is the home of the world’s second highest peak, K2
(28,250 ft) and has many other mountains of great height: Gasherbrums.
four of them over 26,000 ft, Masherbrum (25.660 ft), Rakaposhi
(25,550 ft) and Saltoro Kangri (25,400 ft) and Saser Kangri. There are
six mountains of over 26,000 ft and another 13 that are over 25,000 ft
high.The Majestic Himalayas 23
It is the most heavily glaciated region outside the sub-polar area.
Among the longest glaciers are the Batura (36 miles) and Hispar on the
west, the Baltoro (also 36 miles) and the Siachen (45 miles).
North of Leh, the Ladakh range lies between the lower Shyok and
upper Indus. It is part of that range that merges with the Kailash range
in Tibet. The world’s highest motorable pass, Kardung La (5,606 m)
is within the Ladakh range. Trekkers can take the Digar La pass, north-
east of Leh.
In the west the rectangular Punjab Himalaya, lying between the Indus
and the Sutlej, is about 560 km in length. The basins of some of the
great rivers of the area, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Beas, are also located
here. Its crest zone starts from Nanga Parbat (8,125 m), one of the
great mountains in the whole of Himalaya, moves towards the Nun Kun
and then towards the Tibetan border.
North of the region is the Zanskar range. But the two principal ranges
are in the Kashmir-Punjab region, the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar
south of which lies the Shivalik range.
Pir Panjal
Lying south of the main Himalaya and with an average height of 5,000
metres, the Pir Panjal is the largest of the lesser ranges and takes off
from Gulmarg in the northwest along the southern edge of the Kashmir
valley up to the Banihal pass where it meets the ridge that divides the
Kashmir valley from the Warvan valley. The Chenab pierces the range
in Kishtwar. Pir Panjal has many summits of over 19,000 ft. with passes
of over 16,000 ft. and glaciers in the north. Pir Panjal has attracted
many mountaineers too. Some of its peaks have been described as
pleasant holiday climbs which can be reached from Srinagar in about
two days.
Among the important passes in the region are the Pir Panjal pass
(11,462 ft), due west of Srinagar, which has given name to the whole
range, and the Banihal pass (8,985 ft). Till the late 19th century. the
most frequented pass between Punjab and Kashmir was Pir Panjal which
had a number of “serais” in the Mughal era. These days, the main road
link between Jammu and Srinagar, the winter and summer capitals of
the State of Jammu & Kashmir, is provided by a metalled road with an
all-weather tunnel over the Banihal pass which lies at the head of the
Jhelum river in the southern part of the Kashmir valley and the Synthen24 Mountains of India
pass that extends from Kashmir to Kishtwar. Roads and tunnels are
being constructed through Pir Panjal, west of the Rohtang pass, to
provide access to Lahaul.
Dhauladhar
South of the Pir Panjal lies the snow-capped ridges of the Lesser
Himalaya’s Dhauladhar range, which rises to a height of 4,570 metres
and is set amidst a wooded range of Kangra. It is drained and divided
by tributaries of the Beas and the Ravi. It divides the Chenab and Tawi
valleys, extending eastwards across Himachal Pradesh. It extends south
of the Pin Parvati valley. It also separates the Sangla valley and the upper
Tons catchment area.
Extending beyond the Bhagirathi river, the Dhauladhar lies between
Gangotri and Kedarnath and then joins the Himalaya at the Gangotri
glacier.
Dhauladhar has many trekking passes like the Indradhar pass which
is north of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and the Borasu pass
between the Sangla valley and the Har ki Doon.
Shivalik Range
The Shivalik range was once known as always “clad in forest and
draped in cloud” with the giant Himalaya closeby. The average elevation
of the Shivalik hills is 1,500-2,000 metres. It is a low, but a long range
of about 2,400 km that encloses an area that starts almost from the
Indus in the north-west and ends close to the Brahmaputra in the north-
east, running almost parallel to the Himalaya. There is a gap of about
90 km in Assam, between the rivers Teesta and Raidak. The width of
the Shivalik mountains generally varies from 10 to 50 km.
Lying south of the Dhauladhar range, the Shivaliks are geologically
separate from the Himalaya. They are the first hills, most of which
covered by roads, that one encounters afier leaving the plains. Among
these ranges, mention may be made of the Jammu hills, Vaishno Devi,
both in Jammu and Kashmir, Kangra, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, the
area from Dehradun to Almora in Uttarakhand and right up to the area
near the Nepal border. The Shivalik range is a major mountain zone
between the plains of the Ganga and Tibet.
The Shivalik is marked by an abrupt drop in height. A large part ofThe Majestic Himalayas 25
the range is separated from the hills by flat-bottomed valleys (“Duns”).
A well-known landmark of this nature is the Dehradun valley
The Yoginitantra and Bana’s Kadambari identified the Shivalik range
with the Mainakagri. Ancient Indian texts have mentioned that in the
Himalayan region there was a mountain called Daddara. Then there was
a mountain called Kandagiri, close to a forest. Also in the neighbourhood
of the Himalaya was a mountain called Dnammaka where lived the first
Buddha Dipankara in a hermitage. Great men like Ashoka, Gautama and
Kadamba lived not very far from the Himalaya.
The Kumaon Himalaya
The Kumaon Himalaya is bounded by the Sutlej on the west and north
and the Kali (Mahakali) on the east on the western boundary of the
Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. From the Shivalik ranges in the south, it
rises to the heights of the Himalaya. Its most famous peak is Nanda
Devi (25,645 ft). But there are many other great peaks like Nanda Kot
(22,510 ft), Kamet (25,447 ft), Kedarnath (22,720 ft), Trisul (23,360
ft) and Panchchuli (22,650 ft). Many of the mountains in the region
are held sacred by Hindus as are most of the rivers that flow from
here, including the Ganga and the Yamuna. The Bhagirathi river collects
waters from glaciers in the Great Himalaya and the Alaknanda collects
the Saraswati and Dhauli to plunge south-east of the Chaukhamba
mountain in a gorge between Joshimath and Chamoli. The Bhagirathi
leads to Gaumukh, the Cow’s Mouth, at the Gangotri glacier. The
Alaknanda leads to holy Badrinath on the Saraswati.
Legend has it that Patangiri near Gangotri was the place where the
five Pandavas lived for 12 years, worshipping Mahadeva, and where
Draupadi and four of the Pandavas died.
The Mount Meru
Mount Meru is identified with Rudra Himalaya in Garhwal where
the Ganga takes it rise. Rudra Himalaya, was also called Panchaparvata
because of its five peaks. It is near the Badrikasrama and is probably
the Mount Meros of Arrian. It is also known as Karnikacala. The Meros
mountain is known as Maer-Koh in Jalalabad in Pakistan. On its western
side stands Nisadha and Paripatra; on the southern side is Kailash and
Himvanta and on the northern side stand Sringavan and Jarudhi. Meru
stands in the middle of Ilavrta which was visited by Vaisampayana and26 Mountains of India
the sage Salankayana meditated here.
Based on the Padmapurana and the Kalikapurana, some scholars
have said that Mount Meru is situated to the north of Almora district.
It is said that Shiva saw its summit. Buddhist texts have referred to
Simeru said to be 68,000 leagues in height. The highest peak is the
Simeru which is accompanied by seven celestial ranges.
Mount Meru or the Simeru was believed to be rich with gold deposits.
The temple at Chidambaram was considered as the southern Meru
because of the large amount of gold deposited on the roof of its golden
hall.
But the area also has a Christian touch, strange though it may sound.
It appears that in July 1614, two Portuguese Jesuits, Father Antonio
de Andrade and Brother Manuel Marques, undertook a mission to
Tsaparang on the Sutlej, the capital of Guge, a prosperous little kingdom
in Tibet. In 1626 they founded the first Christian church there.
Some of the peaks in the region present an arresting panorama of
snow. But they also pose a challenge to the skills of mountaineers who
wish to scale them.
The surrounding of Nanda Devi has a large ring of mountains, about
70 miles in circumference and an average height of 20,000 ft. On top
of it are at least 19 peaks that are over 21,000 ft high. On the west the
Rishiganga rises from glaciers on either side of Nanda Devi, draining
huge quantities of ice and snow.
The Sikkim Himalaya
The Sikkim Himalaya is the smallest of the Himalayan regions. It is
also known for the easy access it provides to the Himalaya through
the road network up to Gangtok, capital of Sikkim. But this eastern
Himalayan region is full of mountains. About two-third of the area is
above the permanent snow-line. The Great Himalaya is less than 50
miles in a direct line from Darjeeling. The Sikkim Himalaya contains
the Kanchendzonga massif, at 8,598 metres the third highest peak in
the world. This section of the Himalaya is reinforced by long and high
ridges on the north and the south. The uniqueness of Kanchendzonga
is that it can be accessed from all the four approaches in the east, west,
north and south
From west to east, the Kanchendzonga massif consists of JanuThe Majestic Himalayas 27
(25,294 ft), Kanbachen (25,782 ft), Kanchendzonga-I (28,146 ft) and
Kanchendzonga-II (27,803 ft). East of the massif are two fine
mountains, Simeru (22,803 ft) and Siniolchu (22,600 ft) which are
considered one of the most beautiful mountains in the world.
Along the northern Kanchendzonga ridge are found peaks popularly
known as The Twins (23,360 ft), Nepal Peak (23,560 ft), Tent Peak
(24,089 ft), The Pyramid (23,400 ft), Langpo Peak (22,800 fi) and
Jongsong Peak (24,344 ft). The Singalila ridge in the south also carries
peaks of over 20,000 ft, like Talung Peak (23,082 ft) and Kabru (24,002
ft). The Yalung glacier in the south-west is separated by this section
from the Talung glacier in the south-east quadrant. Talung itself is south
of the Zemu glacier. The southern face of Kabru falls to the Rathong
glacier.
East of this group near Kanchendzonga there is a gap in the Great
Himalaya. The eastern boundary between Sikkim and Tibet is formed
by the Dongkya ridge. There are no peaks of over 20.000 fi. Not being
very high, the passes provide an easy access to the Chumbi valley.
The Assam Himalaya
The Assam Himalaya can be described as the least known Himalayan
region which has not been explored fully. Its western part borders
Bhutan and Tibet. The eastern part extends towards Tibet and Myanmar.
Among its better known peaks are Chomolhari (23,997 ft), Kulha Kangri
(24,784 ft) and Namche Barwa (25,445 ft) in the extreme east.
Chomolhari on the Bhutan-Tibet boundary is a sacred mountain to the
Tibetans.
The western part of the Assam Himalaya is drained by rivers Amo
Chu (Chumbi valley in upper Tibet), Wong Chu or Raidak, and the
Sankosh which is known as Punaka Chu in Bhutan. The eastern half
of this part of the Himalaya is tribal dominated area, drained by the
small Bhareli and the Subansiri tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra.
The great range and upper valleys east of Chomolhari have not been
fully explored though there are many peaks rising above 20,000 ft
There are two groups over 24.000 ft near the source of the Bumtang
and another two summits of 23,000 ft. There is a lot to be explored
about the higher approaches, passes and the great range in the north.