The Northern Plains: doab, bhangar and khadar
The Northern Plains are a huge, flat alluvial plain built by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. Learn three terms: doab, bhangar and khadar.
How the plains were formed
Rivers from the Himalayas carry fine soil called silt. Over a very long time they spread it over the low land south of the mountains. This deposition built a flat plain of alluvium, the fertile soil laid down by rivers. Three river systems did the work: the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. The plain mainly covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. It ranks among the world's largest and most fertile plains. With good irrigation it grows wheat, rice, sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds and jute, and gives a large share of India's food grains. Early river valley civilisations, such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, grew on plains because they had fertile land and river water.
Two parts of the Northern Plains
| Part | Formed by | Where | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western plain | The Indus system, mainly the Satluj, Beas and Ravi | West of the Aravallis: Punjab and Haryana | Has many doabs |
| Ganga-Brahmaputra plain | The Ganga and Brahmaputra systems | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam | Very fertile and settled since ancient times |
Khadar and bhangar
Doab is a third term: the land between two rivers that come together, such as the Ganga-Yamuna doab in Uttar Pradesh or the Bist doab between the Beas and the Satluj in Punjab.
On the map
- Punjab-Haryana plain: the north-west part of the plains, between the Yamuna and the Pakistan border, crossed by the Satluj, Beas and Ravi.
- Ganga-Yamuna doab: western Uttar Pradesh, between the two rivers until they meet at Prayagraj (Allahabad).
- Ganga plain: across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to the Ganga delta on the Bay of Bengal.
- Brahmaputra plain (Assam valley): a long, narrow plain in Assam, between the Himalayas to the north and the Meghalaya plateau to the south.
Much of India's wheat and rice is grown on the Northern Plains of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Farmers sow on khadar land after the floods because the fresh silt renews the soil.
1 marks: “What name is given to the fertile strip of land between two rivers that flow together, as in Punjab?” A doab (do = two, ab = water).
2 marks: “Distinguish between khadar and bhangar.” Khadar is low land near rivers, flooded almost every year and renewed with fresh alluvium. Bhangar is higher land of older alluvium that floods never reach.
2 marks: “Give a reason why the Northern Plains have fertile alluvial soil.” Himalayan rivers bring fine silt and spread it over the plains, and floods renew the khadar land every year. Flat land and plenty of river water add to their value for farming.
Khadar: kept wet by floods every year. Bhangar: beyond the reach of floods.