TheLower Himalayan Range, also called theLesser Himalayas and Mahabharat Lekh orHimachal, is one of the four parallel sub-ranges of theHimalayas.[1][2] It has theGreat Himalayas to the north and theSivalik Hills to the south. It extends from theIndus River Basin to theBrahmaputra Valley, traversing acrossAfghanistan,Pakistan,India,Nepal,China andBhutan.[3] The sub-range has an average elevation of 3,700–4,500 m (12,100–14,800 ft).[4]
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Southern slopes of the Himachal Range are steep and nearly uninhabited due to a majorfault system called the 'Main Boundary Thrust".[5] The crest and northern slopes slope gently enough to supportupland pastures and terraced fields. Nepal's densely populatedMiddle Hills begin along the crest, extending north through lower valleys and other "hills" until population thins out above 2,000 m andcereal-based agriculture increasingly gives way to seasonal herding and cold-tolerant crops such aspotatoes.
Most ethnic groups found along the Himachal Range and northward into the Middle Hills haveTibeto-Burman affinities includingNepalese origins ofNewar,Magar,Gurung,Tamang,Rai andLimbu, however the most populous ethnic group is Indo-EuropeanHindus calledPaharis, mainly of the upperBrahman, andKshatriya, orChhetri castes. Lower terrain south of the escarpment was historicallymalarial and inhabited by apparently aboriginal peoples with evolved immunity, notably theTharu andMaithil 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 theKarnali in the west, theGandaki or Narayani in central Nepal, and theKosi in the east. With temperatures persisting around forty degrees Celsius in the plains of India from April until the onset of thesummer monsoon in June, but ten to fifteen degrees cooler atop the Himachal Range, varioushill Stations have developed in the region.
28°45′N83°30′E / 28.750°N 83.500°E /28.750; 83.500
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