Physiographic Divisions & Geomorphology of India

India exhibits a diverse geomorphological architecture classified into five primary physiographic divisions: the Northern Mountains (Himalayas), the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Coastal Plains, and the Islands. The Himalayas, formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates during the Cenozoic era, comprise three parallel structural ranges: the Himadri (Greater Himalayas), the Himachal (Lesser Himalayas), and the Shiwaliks. South of the mountains lie the extensive Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra alluvial plains, subdivided into Bhabar, Terai, Bhangar, and Khadar zones. The stable Peninsular Plateau, composed of ancient Gondwana crystalline rocks, is divided by the Narmada rift valley into the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau, flanked by the Western and Eastern Ghats.