The Himalayas are known as the "Snow Storehouse" because they are the abode of snow. Snow covers around 33,000 square kilometres of the Himalayas' total area of five lakh square kilometres. There is plenty of evidence of enormous snow regions in the past. The active glaciers and surrounding environment provide a good setting for studying historic glacial change. Clearly, Pleistocene ice was significantly more extensive than modern ice. Between the two syntaxial bends in the east and west, the Himalayas have roughly 15,000 glaciers. The snow line, or the lowest point of perpetual snow, varies greatly depending on latitude, precipitation, and topography in different sections of the Himalayas. While the glaciers of Kanchenjunga in Sikkim rarely drop below 3,965 metres, and those of Kumaon and Lahul to 3,660 metres, the Kashmir Himalayan glaciers may drop to 2,500 metres above sea level. While elaborating on the causes of these variations, T.D. La. Touche has suggested that part of it is due to the increase in latitude from 280 in Kanchenjunga to 360 in the Karakoram, and part is due to the fact that the eastern Himalayas rise abruptly from the plains without the intervention of high ranges, whereas the western Himalayas rise gradually from the plains through a series of mountain ranges such as the Pir Panjal, Great Himalaya, Zas Even though the total precipitation in the western Himalayas is substantially lower, it all falls in the form of snow. Because the southern slopes of the Great Himalayan mountains are steeper and get more precipitation than the northern slopes, the snow line is lower on the southern slopes than on the northern slopes.

1. Glaciers of the Karakoram Range:

The Karakoram Range is where glaciers form the most. This range covers over 16,000 sq km, or roughly half of the Himalayan region's snow-covered area. This range has some of the greatest glaciers outside of the polar and sub-polar areas. The southern edge of this range supports a variety of massive glaciers, some of which are only surpassed in size by Greenland's huge Humboldt. The Siachen Glacier, which stretches over 75 kilometres through Nubra Valley, is the world's largest glacier outside of the polar and sub-polar areas. Its primary tributaries are Lolofond and Teram Shehr. The Fedchenko Galcier, which is 74 kilometres long, is the second largest. It is located in the northwestern Pamir and covers an area of 450 square kilometres with an ice depth of about 550 metres. The Hispar Glacier is the third. It runs for 62 kilometres and is a tributary of the Hunza River. It joins the 59-kilometer-long Biafo Glacier, which covers around 65 square kilometres of Braldoh Valley. The Hispar Glacier's Kunyong or Lak (24 km) is a major tributary. The Baltoro Glacier, which flows west, also runs through the Braldoh valley. The thickness of solid ice near the end of the Baltoro Glacier is roughly 120 metres, although it might be much greater in the centre. Three sides of K2 are drained by the enormous Godwin Austen glacier, which joins the Baltoro Glacier. In the Braldoh valley, the Punmah Glacier also runs. The top levels of this 27-kilometer-long glacier include a complicated system of forks. The Batura glacier, which drains the Hunza, is 58 kilometres long and, along with Baltoro, is the fifth longest glacier outside of the polar and sub-polar areas. The 50-kilometer-long Chogo Lungma glacier in the Rakaposhi Range is the world's sixth largest glacier outside of the polar and sub-polar areas. It ends at a height of 2075 metres, the lowest ever recorded in the Himalayas. The pasu (25 km) and sasaini or Ghulkin glaciers are the other two glaciers that pour into the Hunza Valley (18 km). The Rimo Glacier, which occupies the shyok valley, is approximately 40 kilometres long. The 20-kilometer-long Yarkand Rimo connects it to the north. The Chong Kumdan (21 km), Kichik Kumdan (11 km), and Aktash Glaciers are the other glaciers in the Shyok valley (8km). In Shingshal Valley, the Khurdopla Glacier is 47 kilometres long. Virjerab Glacier (40 km), Mombil Yaz (32 km), Yazghil (31 km), and Malangutti Yaz are the valley's other glaciers (23 km) The Gasherbrum and Kyagar rivers in the Shaksgam valley are both 21 kilometres long. The Urdok Glacier, which lies beneath these two glaciers, stretches for about 23 kilometres.

2. Glaciers of the Pir Panjal Range:

In comparison to the Karakoram Range, the Pir Panjal glaciers are fewer in number and smaller in size. In the Chandra Valley of Lahul and Spiti, the longest Sonapani glacier is only 15 kilometres long. It rises at roughly 4000 metres near the Rohtang Pass and flows in a south-west direction, forming a dry lake basin 2.5 kilometres long and 1.5 kilometres wide right below the ice cliff. The Chandra Valley is also home to the Bara Shigri Glacier. Its length is estimated to be between 10 and 20 kilometres. The Gangri Glacier, which is 13 kilometres long, is the largest glacier in the Nun Kun massif. The Nanga Parbat massif's glaciers are tiny in size and move quickly because to the high slope. The chungphar, Rakhiot, Buzhi, and Tashan glaciers are significant.

3. Glaciers of the Kumaon- Garhwal Region:

The Gangotri Glacier, which is the source of the holy Ganga, is the largest in the Kumaon-Garhwal region of the Himalayas. It is 30 kilometres long. Five tributary glaciers feed it, the longest of which is 24 kilometres long. The Milam Glacier, which lies in the Gori Ganga River basin, is the region's second largest glacier. It is 20 kilometres long and is made up of nine tributary glaciers. The Mana Glacier (18 km), Bhagirath Kharak Glacier (18 km), Satopanch (16 km), Sankapla Glacier (12 km), and Raikane Glacier (12 km) are the other glaciers in this region (9km).

4. Glaciers of Central Nepal:

The mountain ranges between Cho Oyu and Dhaulagiri make up central Nepal. The Gosainthan, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Dhaulagiri mountains surround the lesser-known glaciers in this region. The Gosainthan Mountain is home to the 13.5-kilometer-long Yepokangara glacier. The Lidanda and Chhuling glaciers, both on the Manaslu's south-eastern flank, are 11 kilometres long. In the Annapurna mountain range, the Annapurna glacier can be found. The Mayondi glacier, which is 11 kilometres long, is located to the north of the Dhaulagiri.

5. Glaciers of the Kanchenjunga- Everest Region:

Rongbuk Glacier is located on the northern flank of Mount Everest in the Kanchenjunga-Everest area. This is the longest outside of the Karakoram, measuring 52 kilometres. The Khumbu Glacier, located 20 kilometres south of Everest, is another notable Everest glacier. At the start of the Zemu River, the 25-kilometer-long Zemu glacier runs eastward. It's about a kilometre broad and 180 metres thick. The Kanchenjunga Glacier, which is 21 kilometres long and occupies the head of the Kanchen River, falls from the same-named peak. The Zemu and Kanchenjunga glaciers are formed by the joining of many branches that descend from the peaks. The Yalung Glacier, which flows south-west from Kanchenjunga summit, is 16 kilometres long. The Talung Glacier flows southwestwards as well (13 km). A ridge separates this glacier from the Alukthang Glacier. Even though it is only 5 kilometres long, the Alukthang Glacier is remarkable in that it can be seen from Darjeeling at the foot of Kanchenjunga in clear weather. The 19-kilometer-long Knagshung Glacier runs east of Mount Everest. The Barun Glacier, which flows down the Baruntse summit, is approximately 15 kilometres long.