Q. 2. Fill in the blanks
(1) Many foreign invaders used the route powing through Khytes and
enter ancient India
Answers
Explanation:
The Himalaya has witnessed numerous intriguing and interesting events ranging from the rich exchange of art, science and culture between civilisations of Europe and Asia to threatening wars and disputes that intimidated India. The rugged terrain and the harsh climatic conditions did not discourage travellers such as Fa Hein and Hiuen Tsang from entering India through the many formidable ‘saddle points’ or cols (passes) carved through the snowbound Himalayan mountain range.
Alexander, the Great Macedonian Emperor, came to conquer this country through the Khyber Pass in the Himalaya. Trade and commerce flourished between India and the Central Asian Countries. While Atisha, the great Buddhist monk carried the word of Buddha to parts of Tibet and China and to all those places lying on the Silk Route, Adi Sankara moved through the Himalayan Passes establishing the doctrines of our Sanathana Dharma.
The 2,400 km-long and 400 km-wide Himalaya, stretching from the Karakoram in the West to the Namche Barwa in the East, crosses five countries - India, Bhutan, Nepal, China and Pakistan. The Indian Himalayan arc starts at Kashmir and passes through Himachal Pradesh, Kumaon, Garhwal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Besides this, there are four parallel zones — the Siwaliks at 3,000ft; Pir Panjal and the Dauladhar ranges whose average height is 10,000ft; the Greater Himalaya with giant peaks rising from 18,000ft to the highest summit of Mt. Everest at 29,028ft; and the Trans-Himalayan Range on the rain shadow slopes that holds the Ladakh, Zanskar and the Eastern Karakoram Ranges with peaks between 18,000ft and 28,150ft (K2). There are Passes that help to cross over from East to West and North to South.