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Himalayas - - -› Rivers
of Himalayas
Rivers of Himalayas
Indus
River
The Trans Himalayan Indus River rises near the Mansarovar Lake on the Tibetan
plateau. It enters the Himalayas in southeastern Ladakh near its confluence
with the River Gurtang at an elevation of 4,200m. Thereafter it follows a north
by northwest course between the towering Ladakh range in the north and the Zanskar
Range in the south. There are a number of human settlements that lie along the
Indus River in Ladakh, namely Leh, Marol, Skardu and Bunji. ....
Sutlej River
River Sutlej takes birth on the southern slopes of the holiest of mountains
- Kailash, near the holiest of lakes Mansarovar. After a long run, parallel
to the Himalayas, it finally penetrates these at Shipki pass. Later it cuts
through the Zanskar range, makes a diagonal thrust through the Himalayas and
blasts a deep gorge at the base of the Kinner Kailash massif. Within Kinnaur
district, the Sutlej runs parallel to the Hindustan-Tibet Road. At Karcham,
in Kinnaur, it is joined by the crystal clear, blue river Baspa that drains
the Sangla valley .....
Chenab River
Chandra River is one of the two rivers; the other one is Bhaga, which merges
to form the Chenab in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh. It rises in the
snows lying at the base of the main Himalayan range in the Lahaul and Spiti
district. The picturesque lake of Chandra Tal forms at this rivers source site
.....
Beas River
The
Beas forms the valleys of Kullu and Kangra, famed for their beauty. But ironically,
its source is an insignificant looking igloo like structure near Rohtang Pass
in Pir Panjal range to the north of Kullu. The main thrust of this river is
southward to Larji and then to the west. Where it enters Mandi district and
further still into Kangra......
Ravi River
There is something intrinsically romantic about the river Ravi. In divided Punjab
used to ring with the haunting strains of love songs sung on the banks of the
Ravi, which flowed past the elite city of Lahore. Now one only has to hear the
outpourings of young hearts in Chamba celebrating the beauty of love and nature
to know that the spirit of the Ravi is the same everywhere. Chamba town rests
on a mountain shelf on the right bank of the river. As a settlement it is Indian
to the core. Here, as in many ancient towns, flourished a civilisation that
provided patronage to the arts so that the temple sculptures of Chamba are truly
amazing.......
Jhelum River
The Jhelum flows from the spring known as Verinag, 80-km south of Srinagar.
This wide, swift flowing, muddy but picturesque river sweeps through Srinagar
and is famed for its nine old bridges among many things else ......
Spiti River
The valley of Spiti derives its name from the Spiti River, which rises just
below the 16,000 ft high Kunzum Pass. After flowing for about 60 miles, it joins
the Sutlej River near the village of Namgiya in Kinnaur district ......
Ganga River
The
holiest of all the rivers, Ganga or the Ganges is a perennial river, which is
held in high regard by the Hindus. The Ganga river has an exalted position in
the Hindu ethos. The Gangotri Glacier, a vast expanse of ice five miles by fifteen,
at the foothills of the Himalayas (14,000 ft) in north Uttar Pradesh is the
source of Bhagirathi, which joins with Alaknanda, to form Ganga at the craggy,
canyon-carved town of Devprayag.
Yamuna River
Yamuna, also called as “Jamuna”, originates from the Bundar Poonch
glaciers in district Uttarkashi of the state of Uttaranchal. It rises from Jamunotri,
in the Himalayas. River Tons, which flows along the boundary of Himachal Pradesh,
west of district Tehri Garhwal joins Yamuna River at Kalsi and thereafter joins
the plains. From Kalsi, the river flows along the boundary of Himachal Pradesh.
Yamuna flows in a southerly direction through the Himalayan foothills and onto
the northern Indian plain, along the Uttar Pradesh-Haryana State border. The
Eastern and Western Yamuna canals are fed from the river at that point.
Brahmaputra River
One of the great rivers of Asia, the Brahmaputra commences its 3,000-km journey
to the Bay of Bengal from the slopes of Kailash in western Tibet. As Tibet's
great river, the Tsangpo, transverses east across the high-altitude Tibetan
plateau north of the Great Himalayan Range, carving out myriad channels and
sandbanks on its way. As it tumbles from the Himalayan heights towards the plains
of the subcontinent it twists back on itself, cutting a deep and still unnavigated
gorge, until finally turning south it emerges in Arunachal Pradesh as the Dihong.
Just beyond Pasighat, it meets the Dibang and Lohit where it finally becomes
the Brahmaputra.
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Himalayas - - -› People
& Tribes of Himalayas
People & Tribes of Himalayas
The
population, settlement, and economic patterns within the Himalayas have been
greatly influenced by the variations in topography and climate, which impose
harsh living conditions and tend to restrict movement and communication. People
living in remote, isolated valleys have generally preserved their cultural identities.
However, improvements in transportation and communication, particularly satellite
television programs from Europe and the United States, are bringing access from
the outside world to remote valleys. These outside influences are affecting
traditional social and cultural structure.
Nearly 40 million people inhabit the Himalayas. Generally, Hindus of Indian
heritage are dominant in the Sub-Himalayas and the Middle Himalayan valleys
from eastern Kashmir to Nepal. To the north Tibetan Buddhists inhabit the Great
Himalayas from Ladakh to northeast India.
In central Nepal, in an area between about 1830 and 2440 m (between about 6000
and 8000 ft), the Indian and Tibetan cultures have intermingled, producing a
combination of Indian and Tibetan traits. The eastern Himalayas in India and
nearby areas of eastern Bhutan are inhabited by animistic people whose culture
is similar to those living in northern Myanmar and Yunnan province in China.
People of western Kashmir are Muslims and have a culture similar to the inhabitants
of Afghanistan and Iran.
The economy of the Himalayas as a whole is poor with low per capita income.
Much of the Himalayas area is characterized by a very low economic growth rate
combined with a high rate of population growth, which contributes to stagnation
in the already low level of per capita gross national product. Most of the population
is dependent on agriculture, primarily subsistence agriculture; modern industries
are lacking.
Mineral resources are limited. The Himalayas has major hydroelectric potential,
but the development of hydroelectric resources requires outside capital investment.
The skilled labor needed to organize and manage development of natural resources
is also limited due to low literacy rates. Most of the Himalayan communities
face malnutrition, a shortage of safe drinking water, and poor health services
and education systems.
Agricultural land is concentrated in the Tarai plain and in the valleys of the
Middle Himalayas. Patches of agricultural land have also been carved out in
the mountainous forested areas. Rice is the principal crop in eastern Tarai
and the well-watered valleys. Corn is also an important rain-fed crop on the
hillsides.
Other cereal crops are wheat, millet, barley, and buckwheat. Sugarcane, tea,
oilseeds, and potatoes are other major crops. Food production in the Himalayas
has not kept up with the population growth.
The
major industries include processing food grains, making vegetable oil, refining
sugar, and brewing beer. Fruit processing is also important. A wide variety
of fruits are grown in each of the major zones of the Himalayas, and making
fruit juices is a major industry in Nepal, Bhutan, and in the Indian Himalayas.
Since 1950 tourism has emerged as a major growth industry in the Himalayas.
Nearly 1 million visitors come to the Himalayas each year for mountain trekking,
wildlife viewing, and pilgrimages to major Hindu and Buddhist sacred places.
The number of foreign visitors has increased in recent years, as organized treks
to the icy summits of the Great Himalayas have become popular. While tourism
is important to the local economy, it has had an adverse impact on regions where
tourist numbers exceed the capacity of recreational areas.
Historically, all transport in the Himalayas has been by porters and pack animals.
Porters and pack animals are still important, but the construction of major
roads and the development of air routes have changed the traditional transportation
pattern.
Major urban centers such as Kathmandu, Simla, and Srinagar, as well as important
tourist destinations, are served by airlines. Railways link Simla and Darjiling,
but in most of the Himalayas there are no railroads. The bulk of goods from
the Himalayas, as well as goods destined for places within the Himalayas, generally
come to Indian railheads, located in the Tarai, by road. The pack animals and
porters transport goods from road heads to the interior and back.
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