UPPSC 2020 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 52 of 150

Correct — B, the Sutlej. A trans-Himalayan (antecedent) river is one that rises on the Tibetan side, north of the Great Himalaya, and is older than the mountains — it kept its course, carving deep gorges, as the range rose. The Sutlej rises from Rakshastal, near Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash in Tibet (about 4,570 m), flows north-west as the Langchen/Langqên Zangbo, then turns and enters India through the Shipki La pass at Khab in Himachal Pradesh — the textbook trans-Himalayan pattern. The three great trans-Himalayan rivers of the subcontinent are the Indus, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra.

• (a)Jhelum — The Jhelum rises at the Verinag spring in the Kashmir Valley, within the Himalayas — a Himalayan river, not one that originates beyond the range in Tibet.
• (c)Ganga — The Ganga (as the Bhagirathi) rises from the Gangotri Glacier at Gaumukh in Uttarakhand, on the southern Himalayan slopes; it is entirely a Himalayan river, not trans-Himalayan.
• (d)Ravi — The Ravi rises in the Bara Bhangal area of the Himachal Himalaya and flows within Indian Himalayan territory; its source is not north of the Great Himalaya, so it is not trans-Himalayan.

Trans-Himalayan (antecedent) rivers pre-date the Himalaya: they were flowing before the range was uplifted and maintained their southward course by cutting gorges across it. Their sources lie north of the main Himalayan axis, on the Tibetan Plateau. In the Indian subcontinent the three classic examples are the Indus, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra (Tsangpo). Purely 'Himalayan' rivers, by contrast, rise from glaciers or springs within the Himalayan ranges themselves.

The trick is 'Himalayan' vs 'trans-Himalayan'. All four options are north-Indian rivers, but only the Sutlej has its source beyond the Great Himalaya, in Tibet — so it alone is trans-Himalayan. Anchor: 'Sutlej rises at Rakshastal (Tibet) and enters India via Shipki La'.

• Sutlej source: Rakshastal, near Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash, Tibet (~4,570 m)
• Enters India through the Shipki La pass at Khab, Himachal Pradesh
• It is an antecedent river — it existed before the Himalayas rose
• The three main trans-Himalayan rivers are the Indus, Sutlej and Brahmaputra
• The Bhakra Dam (Bhakra-Nangal project) is built on the Sutlej

• Treating every Punjab river as trans-Himalayan — only the Sutlej (and the Indus itself) qualify; the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Beas rise within the Himalaya
• Confusing 'Himalayan' with 'trans-Himalayan' — the test is where the source lies relative to the Great Himalaya

UPSC/UPPSC ask which river is trans-Himalayan/antecedent, or which one does NOT originate in India — the answer keys on the source lying north of the Great Himalaya (Tibet).

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which one of the following is NOT a trans-Himalayan river?

  • (a)Indus
  • (b)Sutlej
  • (c)Brahmaputra
  • (d)Ganga

  Answer(d) Ganga — it rises from the Gangotri Glacier within the Himalaya, whereas the Indus, Sutlej and Brahmaputra rise beyond it in Tibet.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Sutlej river enters India from Tibet through which of the following passes?

  • (a)Zoji La
  • (b)Shipki La
  • (c)Nathu La
  • (d)Rohtang Pass

  Answer(b) Shipki La — the Sutlej enters Himachal Pradesh at Khab via the Shipki La pass.