The Himalayas is the highest and one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. Its origin can be traced in the Jurassic Era, which is about 80 million years ago. That time the world's landmasses were divided into Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Laurasia was in the Northern hemisphere, and Gondwanaland in the southern hemisphere. The landmass, which is now India separated from Gondwanaland and collided with Asia and thus created the highest mountain range in the world. The Himalayas are mainly young folded mountains. It extends from west to east for about 2,500 km in a curve. The main mountain range, which divides the subcontinent of Indian from Nanga Parbat in the west stretches till Sikkim and Bhutan in the east. In the west the part of this range divides Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh from Ladakh. The highest mountain ranges here are Nun and Kun. In Kashmir the subsidiary point of the Himalayas include the Kolahoi, Amarnath and North Sonarmarg ranges. If we go further east we will see that the Himalayas extends till the Baralacha range in Himachal Pradesh before it merges with the Parbati range to the east of the Kullu valley. It then further extends across kinnaur Kailas to the swargarohini and Bandarpunch ranges in Uttaranchal. The further east has distinct features of snow-capped range north of the Gangotri glacier and the huge peaks of Nanda Devi.

The Main Himalayan Ranges are: