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Home , Great Himalayas, Purvanchal Range, Satpura Range

Paper: 10, Tourism Products of

Module: 33, Mountain Ranges and Famous Hill Stations of India

Principal Investigator Prof. S P Bansal Vice Chancelor Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana

Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K Gautam Director, UIHMT Panjab University, Chandigarh

Paper Coordinator Dr. Prashant K Gautam Director, UIHMT Panjab University, Chandigarh

Dr. Arun Singh Thakur Content Writer Assistant Professor, University Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management Panjab University, Chandigarh

Content Reviewer Prof. S P Bansal Vice Chancelor Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana

ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE Subject Name Tourism & Hospitality Paper Name Tourism Products of India Module Title Mountain Ranges and Famous Hill Stations of India Module Id Module No-33 Pre- Requisites Knowledge about the geographical features of India To acquire the knowledge about the mountain ranges and famous hill Objectives stations of India. Keywords Tourism, Mountains, Hill Stations.

QUADRANT- I MODULE 33:MOUNTAIN RANGES AND FAMOUS HILL STATIONS OF INDIA 1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. INTRODUCTION 3. MAIN MOUNTAIN RANGES IN INDIA 1 2 Aravali Mountain Range 3 Vindhya Mountain Range 4. Satpura Mountain Range 5. 6. 4. TOURISM IN MOUNTAINS- FEW FAMOUS HILL STATIONS OF INDIA 5. SUMMARY

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES Present units deals with understanding the Major mountain ranges. After studying this unit you will be able to;  Understand the mountain system in India;  Know about the various mountain ranges in India;  Understand the parts of ranges in the Himalayas;  Know briefly about the famous hill stations of India.

2. INTRODUCTION India is a country which occupies major landmass in the Asian subcontinent having various landforms starting from Jammu and in the north to the Kanyakumari in the south and in the west to the in the East. India occupies 7th place in the world covering 2.4%area of the entire world. The neighbouring countries of India are , Afghanistan, , Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. All countries in Indian subcontinent lie in the Northern hemisphere only. The mainland of India extends from8°4′ north and 37°6′ north in length (latitudes), and between 68°7′ East and 97°25′ east in width (longitudes). Length of the main land India is 3214 km and breadth is 2933 km.Indian Standard Time is +5:30 i.e.: 5 and half hour ahead of GMT. The Standard Meridian passes through Mirzapur near Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. India is blessed to have the world's highest mountain range is the great Himalayas and also the vast coastline with one of the finest beaches in the world along with dense forest and mighty rivers. Its varied geographical features make its destination that attracts all type of tourist for the various activities from all across the globe. The present module focuses upon the various mountain ranges of India which are very important from tourism point of view.

3. MAIN MOUNTAIN RANGES IN INDIA India has several noteworthy mountain ranges having pinnacles of more than 1000 meters. India has a portion of the most astounding mountain ranges on the planet. It likewise has a portion of the world's most elevated mountain roads. The Great Himalayan mountainranges are well known and most noteworthy mountain slopes of India. The Himalayas stands like a wall between Indian and rest of the Asia, these mountains are the essential wellspring of strong waterways in India. These slopes contain regions excellent waterfalls and living space for some types of therapeutic plants, lovely feathered creatures, extraordinary reptiles and wild creatures. Kanchenjunga is the highest mountain peak in India and third on the planet; Nanda Devi is the second most elevated mountain lies in India. In this part of module we will discuss the mountain ranges of India which are as under;

1 Himalayas 2 Aravali Mountain Range 3 Vindhya Mountain Range 4. Satpura Mountain Range 5. Eastern Ghats 6. Western Ghats

The brief description of each one of them is as follows; 1 Himalayas

http://cdn.walkthroughindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Himalayan-Mountains-Ranges.jpg The Himalayas arethe youngest and the highest mountain ranges in the world. After Himalayas , The and many other Ranges which are little lesser. The world's highest peaks like and exists in Himalayas, along with the largest glaciers like Siachen and many others in this dwelling place of snow which originates and feeds many of the mighty rivers in the region. The mountain ranges of Himalayas run in west to east direction starting from the planes of river Indus to the great Brahmaputra. These mountains are about 2400 km long and 400 km wide. Eastern half of the mountains are greater in altitude as compared to the Western half. There exist a number of valleys between the three parallel longitudinal ranges of the Himalayas. Himalayas gave birth to the old mighty rivers like Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra and many tributaries of these rivers forming one of the most fertile plains of the world viz; planes of Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus. Himalayas can be divided into five categories on the basis of its geographical entity is such as; 1. The Greater Himalayas (Himadri) 2. The Lesser Himalayas (Himachal) 3. The Outer Himalayas (Shivalik) 4. The Trans Himalayas 5. The Eastern Hills- Purvanchal: A chain of hills in North East India.

1. The Great Himalayas The northern range is called as the great Himalayas or the Himadri. The average elevation in the greater Himalayas is 6100 m above mean sea level and the width is about 25 km. The world’s highest peak Mt. Everest is situated in the Great Himalayas. There is almost no vegetation and also no precipitation occurs in these mountains. They are covered with thick cover of snow all round the year.

2. The Middle of Lesser Himalayas This part of Himalaya’s lies in between the greater Himalayas in the north and towards the South is the Shivalik. Lesser Himalayas runs almost parallel to both the ranges and also called lower Himalayas or Himachal. The elevation of these mountains varies from 3500 to 4500 M and they are around 60 to 80 km wide and 2400 km long. The peaks in these mountains remain covered with snow throughout the year and there are many peaks having elevation more than 5000 meters. The lesser Himalayas are having steep and bare southern slopes as compared to Northern slopes which are covered by forest. The famous mountains in this category are and ranges in . These mountains are friendly to the humans as compared to the greater Himalayas.

3. The Outer Himalayas This mountain range is located between the lesser Himalayas and the Great Plains of river Ganga. The elevation of these mountains varies between 600 to 1500 m with a length of 2400 km which extends from Potwar plateau till Brahmaputra valley. The slopes towards the north are gentle while they are steep towards south side of the mountains. The mountains are most wide with maximum 50 km in Himachal Pradesh and a minimum of 15 km in Arunachal Pradesh. The outer Himalayas form a chain of low hills throughout its length except the area occupied by Teesta river valley. These Mountains are covered with a very thick forest cover which decreases from east towards the west also the rainfall in these mountains decreases when we go from east to the west. There are many beautiful valleys and meadows created by thousands of streams and small rivulets which are snow fed and many of them are perennial. Due to its scenic beauty there are ample tourist destinations in these mountains which are world famous.

4. The Trans Himalayas The Trans Himalayas rangesare situated just immediate north to the great Himalayan range and also known as Tibetan Himalaya due to the reason most of the portion of these ranges lies in . The main mountain ranges in Trans Himalaya are the Zaskar range, the Range, the Kailash and the Karakoram Range. The average elevation of these mountains is 3000 meters and is stretched in a

distance of 1000 km from east to west direction. The with an elevation of 8126 metres is one of the highest mountain peak situated in Zanskar range. Towards the north of the Zaskar range, the Ladakh Range lies with only few peaks attaining the height of 6000 metres. One of the largest rivers of the world, the river Indus originates from northern slopes of the Kailash range. In the North most part of the Trans Himalayas lays the Karakoram Range which is also called as Krishnagiri range. This range is the home to the second highest mountain in the world that is K2 or Godwin Austen which is having the elevation of 8611 meters. Karakoram range is also the home of world's greatest glaciers which exist outside the polar region.

5. The Eastern Hills- Purvanchal: A chain of hills in North East India. The Purvanchal Range which is also known as The Eastern Hills is the extension of the Great Himalaya range in north-east region of India.These mountains run along with border from Arunachal Pradesh in the north to the in the south. The elevation of these mountains varies from 2000 m to 3000 m and the highest peak is Saramati with the altitude of 3826 meters. The well- known Ranges in the Purvanchal Mountains are the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia and Lushai hills. These Mountains are world famous for Cherrapunji with highest annual rainfall and its status as a wettest place on the earth. The forests in these mountains are the rainforest and they are one of the thickest forests with wide variety of flora and fauna.

2 Aravali Mountain Range

http://cdn.walkthroughindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Aravali-Mountain-Ranges.jpg The Aravali Mountains are the oldest mountains in India running from Rajasthan towards Haryana. These are eroded ancient folded mountains and also known as Mewat Hills. There are three parts of Aravali Mountains which includes Delhi and Haryana having humid subtropical climate in the Northern Aravali, Rajasthan has an arid and dry climate in the central Aravali and Gujarat having tropical wet and also sub tropicalclimate in the southern AravaliMountains. The highest peak of Aravali Range is Guru Shikhar with the height of 1722 meter in Mount Abu. The total length of Aravali Range is 692 km.Aravali Mountains are famous for its rich flora and fauna along with its richness in the minerals and dense forest.

Numerous rivers rise amidst the ranges including the Banas River, the Luni River, the Sahibi, the Sakhi, and the Sabarmati River.The major rivers which flow from the Aravali range towards north to south direction. The Luni river which originates in the Pushkar valley near Ajmer and ends in and the other rivers are Sabarmati river and Sakhi river both of these rivers merge into . There are many famous tourist destinations in entire Rajasthan, Delhi and Gujrat which includes many UNESCO world heritage sites also.

3 Vindhya Mountain Range

http://cdn2.walkthroughindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Vindhyachal-Mountain-Ranges.jpg The is also one of the oldest and holy mountain ranges in India. These mountain ranges run across the central India and geography divide Northern India from the . The total length of Vindhya Range is 1050 km which in the east it started from Varanasi then covers till Gujarat and is also parallel to another major mountain range that is Satpura Range. flows in the southern slopes of the Vindhya Range and so called as Narmada Valley. The highest peak this range is and having an elevation of 1048 m is in Madhya Pradesh. There are many Major tributaries of Yamuna and Ganga system which originates from northern slopes of vindhyas which include Chambal Betwa, Ken, Tamsa.

4. SatpuraMountain Range

http://cdn.walkthroughindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Satpura-Mountain-Ranges.jpg Satpura mountain range also stretched the central part of India like the Vindhya Mountain Range. This range started from Gujarat then running through and Madhya Pradesh till . This

range along with the Vindhya Range which is its parallel, divide the Indo Gangetic plain towards the Northern side of India and in the southern side of India. The major river is Narmada river which originates from North Eastern part of the Satpura Range and flows between Satpura and Vindhya ranges towards draining into Arabian Sea. Another river which originates from the eastern Central part of Satpura is the TaptiRiver which also flows to the Arabian Sea. Remaining two major rivers Godavari and which drains the Deccan Plateau and merges into . Due to its attractions Satpura mountain range attracts thousands of visitors every year. The main attractions are;  Panchmari which is a beautiful hill station in Madhya Pradesh and famous for its forest, animal reserve and adventure activities.  Kanha National Park which is Tiger Reserve.  Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh, which is famous for it's dense forest and wide variety of fauna.  Bandhavgarh National Park also in Madhya Pradesh.  which is Tiger Reserve declared in 1992. Apart from these above mentioned tourist attractions there are many more natural and manmade attractions.

5.Eastern Ghats

http://cdn.walkthroughindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Eastern-ghat-Mountains.jpg The Eastern Ghats popularly known as MahendraParvatam in the South India are the mountain ranges along the eastern coast. These Ghats started from Odisha run through Andhra Pradesh then to Tamilnadu and passing through some parts of Karnataka. The four major rivers which merge into Bay of Bengal die sect these Ghats are Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Kaveri. The Deccan Plateau just in the west side of the mountain range and the Eastern Ghats run parallel to the Bay of Bengal. The including the coastal plains lies between Bay of Bengal and the Eastern Ghats.

6.Western Ghats

http://cdn.walkthroughindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Sahyadri-Mountain-Ranges.jpg The Western Ghats popularly known as Sahyadri located in the western coast of Indian peninsula. The uniqueness of these mountains in India is that it has been declared as UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the hottest hotspots of biological diversity in the world. Out of the total 39 sides which are designated as world heritage sites 10 are in Karnataka, Kerala have 20, four sites in Maharashtra and Tamilnadu have 5. The range started near the Gujarat border and extends till Kanyakumari. The coastal plains which separates the Western Ghats from the Arabian Sea are called as . The total length of Western Ghats is about 1600 km having an area of 160000 square kilometres which accounts for a 40% catchment area of riverine drainage system of India. This diversity makes the area hottest biodiversity hotspot having 7402 species of flowering plants, 2000 species of non flowering plants, around 140 mammals, 500 species of birds, 290 freshwater species of fish and varied variety of other flora and fauna.

4. TOURISM IN MOUNTAINS- FEW FAMOUS HILL STATIONS OF INDIA Further in this module we will briefly discuss the hill station of India popular among the tourist for varied reasons. 1. Shimla

http://www.transindiatravels.com/wp-content/uploads/the-ridge-shimla.jpg

Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and was the British capital during the colonial period. Besides its climatic attraction it also offers heritage and culture to the tourist which makes it a must see in the list of many inbound as well as domestic tourist. 2.

http://cloud.transindiatravels.com/wp-content/uploads/naina-peak-1.jpg Nainital is a popular hill station situated in the Uttarakhand state. It is situated around the lake Nani which is a volcanic lake and the destination is adored by millions. 3.Manali

https://imgak.mmtcdn.com/hp-images/new/cities/1359/Manali_Prateek-Prabhat_704x385.jpg Manali also known as KulluManali is vast valley situated in Himachal Pradesh. Manali is a kind of hill station which provides number of adventure activities along with religious and cultural attractions for the domestic as well as the foreign tourist. The Rohtang Pass is the most accessible snow point of the country is just 50 km from Manali. It is one of the prime honeymoon destination for the Indians. 4. Mussoorie

http://www.euttaranchal.com/tourism/timthumb.php?src=/tourism/photos/mussoorie-325897.jpg

Mussoorie is known to be the Queen of Hills which is situated near in Uttarakhand State. There are certain other escape destinations from Mussoorie such as Dhanaulti even and are also nearby this destination. 5.

https://www.holidify.com/images/compressed/3118.jpg Almora is another hill station of Uttarakhand which also fascinated Swami Vivekananda who meditated there and also wrote some popular speeches. This destination provides calmness and peace through which one can discover his own self. 6. Chamba

http://www.holidaydada.in/uploads/6/6/3/6/66361127/1878800_orig.jpg Chamba is the hills station which is famous for its temples and many of the extremely beautiful mountain treks. There are many mountain trails in Chamba which are still out of the reach of this globalised world and purity of nature still exists there. 7.

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Badrinath is one of the 4 most sacred places of Hindus. It is situated in the Uttarakhand state and offer mountaineering and trekking through the scenic beauty of Himalayas. Apart from the options to check physical endurance it also provide an opportunity for the meditation and yoga. 8. Gulmarg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/16fO2D3mIus/maxresdefault.jpg Throughout the world Gulmarg is known for its skiing slopes and for many skiers this is the dream destination. The valley of the Gulmarg is 3 km long and about 1 km wide which is full of beautiful blue berries and other flowers which is soothing for mind and the eyes of the visitors. 9. Dharamshala

http://images.indianexpress.com/2016/03/dharamshala-m.jpg Dharamshala is a beautiful hill destination which is also home of Tibetan government in exile. It is the destination which offers some of the beautiful and challenging trekking routes in the lap of the Himalayas. The famous attractions on the destination include the Buddhist monasteries, McLeod Ganj, Bhagsunag and many religious places and famous temples in the entire Kangra valley. 10. Dalhousie

https://www.yatramantra.com/north-india/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/11/Dalhousie.jpg Dalhousie is another hill station which gives you a feel of the British rule in India. This hill station provides panoramic view of dhauladhar mountain range. Khajjiar is a naturally beautiful place near Dalhousie which is known as Mini Switzerland. 11. Mount Abu

http://cloud.transindiatravels.com/wp-content/uploads/mount-abu-2.jpg Apart from being the only hill station in Rajasthan, it is also the summer capital of the state. Mount Abu is renowned worldwide for the Dilwara Jain Temples. It offers many breathtaking sunsets points, from where you could cement the bond of love with your loved ones. Being close to Gujarat, it offers a good variety of Rajasthani and Gujarati handlooms, textiles, artifacts and the list goes on. 12. Munnar

https://www.keralatourism.org/images/destination/large/munnar20131031131946_202_1.jpg Munnar, located in Kerala, is one place known for its well-preserved natural beauty of the virgin forests. The environment and climate of Munnar are very salubrious that compels you to just chill and relax. There are waterfalls, coffee gardens and scenic valleys where you can stroll and have the ultimate time of your life.

13. Kodaikanal

http://www.concordaviation.in/media/services/hill/12_1.jpg Kodaikanal is one of few hill stations of south India famous for its herbal tea, oils and spices. It is approachable from Madurai in a day’s trip. 14. Ooty

https://www.makemytrip.com/blog/sites/default/files/images/ooty-city.jpg Ooty is the famous hill station among the south Indian tourist destinations. It offers scenic spots which attracts nature lovers as well as film makers to the place. Tea gardens are the unique selling preposition of Ooty.

5. SUMMARY Mountains always remain a motivation for the people to visitfor a clean environment and air quality, unique landscapes wildlife culture history, valleys and meadows. The mountain tourism also provides an opportunity for the communities to earn their livelihood from tourism. India is blessed to have several mountain ranges which are home to many famous hill stations. The government and the planners of tourism need to consider the fragility of mountains while planning for tourism development or any other type of development so as to promote sustainability.