View source for Lower Himalayan Range

{{Short description|Inner mountain range of the Himalayas}}
{{distinguish|Sub-Himalayan Range}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date = August 2019}}
[[File:Mahabharat Range at Tansen 2.jpg|thumb|Lower Himalayan Range in [[Tansen, Nepal]] with the [[Great Himalayas]] in the background.]]
The '''Lower Himalayan Range''', also called the '''Lesser Himalayas and Mahabharat Lekh''' or '''Himachal''', is one of the four parallel sub-ranges of the [[Himalayas]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Biomes|publisher=[[Elsevier]]|chapter=Biogeography of the Mountain Ranges of South Asia|author1=S. Sathyakumar|author2=Mansi Mungee|author3=Ranjana Pal|year=2020|pages=543–554|isbn=978-0-124-09548-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Himalayas/Physiography|title=Physiography of Himalayas|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> It has the [[Great Himalayas]] to the north and the [[Sivalik Hills]] to the south. It extends from the [[Indus Basin|Indus River Basin]] to the [[Brahmaputra Valley]], traversing across [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], [[India]], [[Nepal]] [[China]] and [[Bhutan]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nag|first1=Prithvish|last2=Sengupta|first2=Smita|title=Geography of India|year=1992|publisher=Concept Publishing|isbn=978-8-170-22384-9|page=40}}</ref> The sub-range has an average elevation of {{cvt|3700-4500|m}}.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lesser-Himalayas|title=Lesser Himalayas|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>

== Background ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2024}}
Southern slopes of the Himachal Range are steep and nearly uninhabited due to a major [[Fault (geology)|fault]] system called the 'Main Boundary Thrust".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Engineering |first=LibreTexts |date=2020 |title=The Himalayas |url=https://eng.libretexts.org/Under_Construction/Climate_Lessons%3A_Environmental_Social_Local/03%3A_Communities_and_Climate_Change/03.03%3A_The_Himalayas |journal=LibreTexts Engineering |pages=1 |via=California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program}}</ref> The crest and northern slopes slope gently enough to support [[upland pasture]]s and terraced fields. Nepal's densely populated [[Middle Hills of Nepal|Middle Hills]] begin along the crest, extending north through lower valleys and other "hills" until population thins out above 2,000 m and [[cereal]]-based agriculture increasingly gives way to seasonal herding and cold-tolerant crops such as [[potato]]es.

Most ethnic groups found along the Himachal Range and northward into the Middle Hills have [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman]] affinities including [[People of Nepal|Nepalese]] origins of [[Newar]], [[Magar people|Magar]], [[Gurung]], [[Tamang people|Tamang]], [[Rai (ethnic group)|Rai]] and [[Limbu people|Limbu]], however the most populous ethnic group is Indo-European [[Hindu]]s called [[Pahari people (Nepal)|Paharis]], mainly of the upper [[Brahmin|Brahman]], and [[Kshatriya]], or [[Chhettri|Chhetri]] castes. Lower terrain south of the escarpment was historically [[malaria]]l and inhabited by apparently aboriginal peoples with evolved immunity, notably the [[Tharu people|Tharu]] and [[Maithils|Maithil people]].

The Himachal Range is an important hydrographic barrier crossed by relatively few rivers. Drainage systems have evolved candelabra configurations with numerous tributaries flowing south from the Himalaya through the Middle Hills, gathering immediately north of the Himachal Range and cutting through in major gorges as the [[Karnali River|Karnali]] in the west, the [[Gandaki River|Gandaki]] or Narayani in central Nepal, and the [[Kosi River|Kosi]] in the east. With temperatures persisting around forty degrees Celsius in the plains of India from April until the onset of the [[Monsoon|summer monsoon]] in June, but ten to fifteen degrees cooler atop the Himachal Range, various [[List of Indian hill stations|hill Stations]] have developed in the region.

== References ==
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[[Category:Mountain ranges of the Himalayas|L]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of India]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Nepal]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Pakistan]]


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