Bhabar orBhabhar is a region south of the LowerHimalayas and theSivalik Hills inGarhwal andKumaon,India.[1] The Bhabhar region contains some of the largest cities of Kumaon and Garhwal:Dehradun,Haridwar,Haldwani,Rishikesh,Ramnagar,Tanakpur andKotdwar. It is thealluvial apron of sediments washed down from the Sivaliks along the northern edge of theIndo-Gangetic Plain.
The Indo-Gangetic Plains are generally thought of as a flat region with no variations, although this is not true. The plains can be classified into four regions on the basis of relief features. The Bhabar is a belt of 8–16 km lying parallel to the slopes of the Sivaliks, where the river descending from the mountains deposit pebbles. The streams flow through the pebbles the region, hence disappearing from sight. They re-emerge only after some distance south, in the relief featureTerai.
The nameBhabar refers to a local tall-growing grass,Eulaliopsis binata,[2] used for the manufacture of paper and rope.[3]
Bhabar plains are located in Kumaon and Garhwal. TheGanges River lies to the west andSharda to the east.[4] Bhabar is the gently-sloping coarsealluvial zone below the Shivalik Hills (outermost foothills of theHimalayas) where streams disappear into permeablesediments. The underground water level is deep in this region, then rises to the surface in theTerai below where coarse alluvium gives way to less permeablesilt andclay. Due to the top-soil replenishment everymonsoon, It is also a fertile area with large yields per unit area.[citation needed]
Being at the junction of Himalayas and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, Bhabar contains almost all the important trade and commerce hubs of Kumaon, including its largest cityHaldwani.
In 1901 Bhabar was also one of four division ofNainital district.[5] It included 4 towns and 511 villages with a combined population of 93,445 (1901),[needs update] spread over 1,279 square miles (3,310 km2).[6] It corresponded to the current subdivision ofHaldwani. Bhabar lands were used byGujjar cattle herders ofKumaon andGarhwal. They spend their winters in bhabars.
