Also: Purvanchal, Eastern Hills, Patkai Bum, Naga Hills, Mizo Hills
Definition
The Purvanchal, or Eastern Hills, are the southward-bending extension of the Himalaya along India's border with Myanmar, made up of the Patkai Bum, Naga Hills, Manipur Hills and Mizo (Lushai) Hills, formed mainly of folded sedimentary rocks and covered with dense forest.
At the eastern end of the Himalaya, beyond the deep gorge where the Siang (Tsangpo) turns into India near Namcha Barwa, the mountain system bends sharply south. This arc, the Purvanchal, follows the border of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram with Myanmar. It continues further south into Myanmar as the Arakan Yoma and, under the sea, as the ridge whose peaks form the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The bend is caused by the way the Indian plate pushes into Asia and by the north-eastern corner of the plate, where it is also sliding beneath the Burma plate.
The Purvanchal hills are lower than the Great Himalaya, generally between about 1,000 and 3,000 m in most areas. In the north, the Patkai Bum forms the border between Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar; further south come the Naga Hills, with Saramati peak, then the Manipur Hills around the Imphal valley, and finally the Mizo or Lushai Hills in Mizoram. The ranges run mainly north–south, with long parallel ridges and valleys. The Meghalaya plateau, sometimes discussed with the Northeast hills, is a separate block of the peninsular plateau, not part of the Purvanchal.
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