Major Mountain Ranges in India & Highest Peaks [PDF Map]

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the major mountain ranges in India, along with some of their highest peaks.

It also provides a free downloadable PDF map and some important facts related to these mountain ranges, which are invaluable for competitive exams such as UPSC Civil Services, CAPF, NDA, and SSC.

Major Mountain Ranges in India

Here are some important mountain ranges in India:

1. The Himalayas

• The Himalayas are one of the major mountain ranges of the world.
• They are young fold mountains formed by the collision of the Indian Tectonic Plate with the Eurasian Plate, millions of years ago.
• They are bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• The approximate length of the Himalayas is 2,500 km from east to west, and their width varies between 160-400 km from north to south.
• They are spread across 5 countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Pakistan.
• The Himalayas are further divided into three sub-ranges (North to South):
  1. Greater Himalayas
  2. Middle Himalayas
  3. Outer Himalayas

Also Read!

37 Important Mountain Passes in India with Map [State-Wise]

i. The Greater Himalayas

• Also known as Himadri or the Inner Himalayas.
• They are the northernmost and the highest mountain range of the Himalayas.
• The average elevation of this range is 6000 m.
• They host several of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest (8,849 m) [highest peak in the world, located in Nepal], Kangchenjunga, and Nanga Parbat.
• The highest peak in the Indian part of the Himalayas is Kangchenjunga (8,598 m)^**. [K2 (8,611 m) is the overall highest peak in India. However, it lies in the Karakoram Range, not the Himalayas.]
• The Gangotri Glacier and the Satopanth Glacier lie within this range.
• The Yamuna and the Ganga rivers originate from this part of the Himalayas.

** Please note that in several sources, the height of Kanchenjunga is given to be 8,586 meters. However, in the class IX Geography NCERT book, the height is given as 8,598 m. I have followed NCERT here.

ii. The Middle Himalayas

• Also known as the Lower Himalayas or Lesser Himalayas or Himachal.
• It lies to the south of Himadri and has an average elevation of 3700-4500 m.
• The Pir Panjal (Jammu & Kashmir), Dhauladhar (Himachal Pradesh), and Nag Tibba (Uttarakhand) are some major ranges of the Middle Himalayas.
• Nainital, Shimla, Ranikhet, Dharamshala, and Mussoorie are some famous hill stations of this range.

iii. The Outer Himalayas

• Also known as Shivalik Hills.
• This is the outermost and southernmost range of the Himalayas.
• It stretches over about 2400 km from the Indus Gorge in the northwest to the Brahmaputra in Assam.
• It is 10–50 km wide with an average elevation of 1,500–2,000 m.
• The Shivalik Hills are known by several names locally:
  • 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.
• The formation of Doons and Duars valleys is an important feature of the Shivaliks. These are alluvial floodplains, called Doons in northwestern India and Duars in northeastern India. (e.g. Dehradun)

2. Purvanchal Range

• Also known as the Eastern Mountains, it is a sub-mountain range of the Himalayas in northeast India.
• It is an eastern extension of the Himalayan Range System and lies south of the Brahmaputra valley.
• It bends sharply to the south beyond the Dihang River gorge and spreads along the eastern boundary of India with Myanmar.
• Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, Mizo Hills, and Manipur Hills are part of this range.

3. The Trans-Himalayas

• Trans-Himalayas lies immediately to the north of the Great Himalayan Ranges.
• It extends in a west–east direction parallel to the main Himalayan range.
• It is located north of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River.
• There are three major ranges of the Trans-Himalayas in India. They are (North to South):
  1. Karakoram Range
  2. Ladakh Range
  3. Zanskar Range
• The Kailash Range located in Tibet is also part of the Trans-Himalayan Range.
• K2 (8,611 m), the highest peak in India (second-highest in the world) lies in the Karakoram Range. It is also known as Mount Godwin-Austen
• Several important mountain passes in India, such as Khardung La, Zoji La, Chang La, and Umling La are located on these mountain ranges.

4. Aravalli Range

• The Aravalli is a residual mountain (a mountain that has been subjected to weathering and erosion for millions of years).
• It is a very old fold mountain range.
• It extends for about 700 km, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• it hosts the famous hill station of Mount Abu.
• Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) in Rajasthan is the highest peak of this range.

5. Vindhya Range

• It is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands, and plateau escarpments.
• The Vindhyas has mythological significance as most ancient Hindu texts consider it as the southern boundary of Aryavarta (regions settled by Indo-Aryan tribes)
• Presently, it is considered to be the traditional boundary between north and south India.
• Several tributaries of the Ganga-Yamuna system, including Chambal, Betwa, Ken, and Parbati originate from the Vindhya Range.
• It acts as a watershed between the Ganges river system and the river systems of south India.
• It is located north of the Narmada River and runs almost parallel to the Narmada Valley.

6. Satpura Range

• The Satpura range rises in eastern Gujarat, runs east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and ends in Chhattisgarh.
• It is formed by a series of scarped plateaus and has a general elevation of 600-900 m.
• It is a classic example of relict mountains, which are highly denuded and form discontinuous ranges.
• It lies to the south of the Vindhya Range.
• It runs parallel to the Vindhyas and lies between the Narmada and the Tapi rivers.
• The Narmada River originates near Amarkantak in the Satpura Range.

7. Western Ghats

• It is an almost continuous chain of mountains stretching for 1,600 km along the western coast of the Indian peninsula.
• The average elevation is about 1500 m with height increasing from north to south.
• it traverses six Indian states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• Western Ghats are locally known by different names such as:
  • Sahyadri in Maharashtra
  • Nilgiri Hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
  • Anaimalai Hills and Cardamom Hills in Kerala
• It is one of the Natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.
• It hosts numerous hill stations like Ooty, Munnar, and Mahabaleshwar.
• Anai Mudi (2,695 m) in Kerala is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and South India. It lies on the Anaimalai Hills.
• Doda Betta (2,637 m) in Tamil Nadu is the highest peak of the Nilgiri Hills.
• The Nilgiri Hills are located at the trijunction of three states – Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• The Western and the Eastern Ghats meet each other at the Nilgiri Hills.

8. Eastern Ghats

• These are a discontinuous range of mountains along India’s eastern coast and are less prominent than the Western Ghats.
• They mostly comprise low hills and are highly eroded by the rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.
• The Eastern Ghats pass through five Indian states: Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
• Some important ranges of the Eastern Ghats:
  • Javadi Hills in Tamil Nadu
  • Palkonda Hills and Seshachalam Hills in Andhra Pradesh
  • Nallamala Hills in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
  • Mahendragiri Hills in Odisha
• Jindhagada Peak (1690 m) and Arma Konda or Sitamma Konda (1,680 m) in Andhra Pradesh and Mahendragiri (1,501 m) in Odisha are some important peaks in this range.