Mountain Ranges of India and Their Highest Peaks

India features diverse mountain systems formed during different geological eras. These ranges include the young fold mountains of the Himalayas and the Trans-Himalayan ranges in the north, alongside ancient relict and block mountains across peninsular India. These mountain chains determine regional river drainage basins, monsoon wind patterns, and geographical boundaries across Indian states.

Major Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan Ranges

Karakoram Range

The Karakoram forms part of the Trans-Himalayan complex running along the northernmost border of India. It hosts the greatest concentration of high peaks and glaciers outside the polar regions.

• Highest Peak: Mount K2, also known as Godwin-Austen, stands at 8,611 meters as the second-highest peak in the world.
• Geographical Span: Extends across the Union Territory of Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Xinjiang.
• Key Features: Hosts major glaciers including Siachen, Baltoro, Biafo, and Hispar. The range acts as a watershed between the Indus and Tarim river basins.

Great Himalayas (Himadri)

The Great Himalayas constitute the continuous, highest inner mountain arc of the Himalayan mountain system.

• Highest Peak in India: Kanchenjunga rises to an elevation of 8,586 meters on the Sikkim-Nepal border.
• Geographical Span: Extends from Nanga Parbat in the west to Namcha Barwa in the east across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Key Peaks: Nanda Devi (7,816 m) in Uttarakhand, Kamet (7,756 m), Saltoro Kangri (7,742 m), and Saser Kangri (7,672 m).

Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar Ranges (Lesser Himalayas)

The Lesser Himalayas, or Himachal, run parallel to and south of the Great Himalayas.

• Highest Peak: Indrasan (6,221 m) forms the highest point in the Pir Panjal Range, while Hanuman Tibba (5,982 m) is the highest in the Dhauladhar Range.
• Geographical Span: Stretches across Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
• Key Passes: Banihal Pass, Pir Panjal Pass, and Rohtang Pass cut through these ranges.

Zanskar Range

The Zanskar Range lies south of the Indus River and north of the Great Himalayas in the Trans-Himalayan zone.

• Highest Peak: Mount Kamet (7,756 m) marks its eastern culmination near the Uttarakhand-Tibet border.
• Geographical Span: Extends through Ladakh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and northern Himachal Pradesh.
• Key Passes: Photu La and Shingo La provide strategic routes across this terrain.

Ladakh Range

The Ladakh Range lies north of the Indus River, separating it from the Shyok River valley.

• Highest Peak: Mount Stok Kangri (6,153 m) is the prominent summit visible from Leh.
• Geographical Span: Spans south-central Ladakh toward the Kailash Range in Tibet.
• Key Pass: Khardung La crosses this range to link Leh with the Nubra Valley.

Patkai and Purvanchal Hills

The eastern extension of the Himalayas bends sharply southward beyond the Dihang gorge, forming the Eastern Highlands.

• Highest Peak: Mount Saramati (3,841 m) in the Naga Hills along the Nagaland-Myanmar border.
• Sub-Ranges: Comprises the Patkai Bum (Arunachal Pradesh), Naga Hills (Nagaland), Mizo Hills or Lushai Hills (Mizoram), and Manipur Hills.
• Blue Mountain (Phawngpui): Reaches 2,157 meters as the highest peak in the Mizo Hills.

Peninsular Mountain Ranges and Hills

Aravalli Range

The Aravallis represent one of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world, now eroded into relict hills.

• Highest Peak: Guru Shikhar reaches 1,722 meters on Mount Abu in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan.
• Geographical Span: Runs southwest to northeast for nearly 692 km across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
• Key Rivers: Originates the Luni and Banas rivers and marks the western limit of the northern plains.

Vindhya Range

The Vindhya Range forms an east-west chain of relict block mountains acting as a traditional divide between North and South India.

• Highest Peak: Sadbhawna Shikhar, also called Kalumar Peak or Goodwill Peak, stands at 752 meters near Damoh in Madhya Pradesh.
• Geographical Span: Extends across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar (Kaimur Hills).
• Drainage Role: Forms the northern boundary of the Narmada Rift Valley.

Satpura Range

The Satpura Range is a series of seven block mountains running parallel to the Vindhyas between the Narmada and Tapti rivers.

• Highest Peak: Mount Dhupgarh stands at 1,350 meters near Pachmarhi in the Mahadeo Hills of Madhya Pradesh.
• Structural Units: Comprises Rajpipla Hills in the west, Mahadeo Hills in the center, and the Maikal Range in the east.
• Amarkantak Plateau: Reaches 1,048 meters in the Maikal Hills, serving as the source for both the Narmada and Son rivers.

Western Ghats (Sahyadri)

The Western Ghats form an unbroken escarpment along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau. They are a UNESCO World Heritage site and a global biodiversity hotspot.

• Highest Peak: Anamudi reaches 2,695 meters in the Anaimalai Hills of Kerala.
• Geographical Span: Runs 1,600 km across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• Key Peaks: Kalsubai (1,646 m, highest in Maharashtra), Mullayanagiri (1,930 m, highest in Karnataka), Kudremukh (1,894 m), and Doddabetta (2,637 m, in the Nilgiri Hills).
• Nilgiri Mountains: The junction where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats meet.

Eastern Ghats

The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous, highly eroded chain of relict hills dissected by major peninsular east-flowing rivers.

• Highest Peak: Jindhagada Peak, also known as Arma Konda, rises to 1,690 meters in the Araku Valley of Andhra Pradesh.
• Geographical Span: Extends through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
• Regional Names: Known locally as Maliya Hills in Odisha, Nallamala, Velikonda, and Palkonda Hills in Andhra Pradesh, and Javadi and Shevaroy Hills in Tamil Nadu.

Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills

Geologically an outlying segment of the Peninsular Indian Shield, this plateau is separated from the Chhota Nagpur Plateau by the Malda Gap.

• Highest Peak: Shillong Peak rises to 1,961 meters in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.
• Nokrek Peak: Stands at 1,412 meters as the highest summit in the Garo Hills.

Mountain Ranges and Highest Summits Matrix

Key Facts and Points

• Kanchenjunga is the highest mountain peak located entirely within the territory administered by India.
• Nanda Devi is the highest mountain peak situated completely within a single Indian state (Uttarakhand), with no part crossing an international border.
• Anamudi is known as the “Everest of South India” and lies inside the Eravikulam National Park in Kerala.
• Palghat Gap (Palakkad Gap) is a major break in the Western Ghats between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and the Anaimalai Hills to the south.
• Thal Ghat and Bhor Ghat are two mountain passes in Maharashtra that connect Mumbai to Nashik and Pune respectively.
• The Malda Fault or Garo-Rajmahal Gap was formed by tectonic down-faulting, which separated the Meghalaya Plateau from the main Peninsular Block.
• Mount Harriet, renamed Mount Manipur in 2021, is the third-highest peak in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is located in South Andaman.
• Mount Abu is separated from the main Aravalli Range by the valley of the West Banas River.
• Parasnath Hill, with an elevation of 1,365 meters in the Giridih district of Jharkhand, is the highest peak of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau.
• The Satpura and Vindhya ranges run parallel to each other and enclose the Narmada River in a rift valley formed by tectonic faulting.
• Doddabetta is the second-highest peak in South India and the highest point of the Nilgiri Hills.
• Barren Island in the Andaman Sea is the only active volcano in the Indian subcontinent.