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In the present study, an attempt has been made to delineate anomalous morphotectonic elements in the lower valley of Ravi and Beas rivers of the NW Himalaya by utilising the digital elevation model (DEM) as well as GIS based approach. We selected the surrounding areas of both the rivers as these have developed tectonically formed lakes such as Khajjiar and Rewalsar in late Holocene and lie in the north and south of Kangra re-entrant structure. We generated topographic swath profiles, calculated normalized steepness index (ksn) and hypsometric integral (HI) and conducted lineament analysis and finally correlated the obtained data set with the contemporaneous seismicity to decode the tectonic activity in the region. Based on the calculated HI for both the areas as 0.45 and 0.47, we infer that there are anomalous changes in the steepness, pointing to the presence of active tectonics. By using lineament analysis, geological information and the quantitative analysis, we identified lineaments parallel and oblique to the regional strike of the NW Himalaya, indicating the area as tectonically active. The lower steepness values along the inferred lineaments suggest the presence of strike-slip features that absorb the oblique convergence of the Indian plate with Eurasia. The GPS based additional observations suggest significant amount of deformation, showing higher deformation rate in the vicinity of the Khajjiar as compared to the Rewalsar locality. Based on remote sensing and GIS based approaches, we conclude that the study area is tectonically very active, hence there is need of careful examination of identified structures and impact on the development of infrastructure and seismic hazard assessment of the western Himalaya. [Display omitted] • Pull apart Sundernagar basin and Rewalsar lake were studied. • KJR exhibits higher steepness than the RWL. • Lithology does not affect steepnessand HI distribution locally. • Lineaments with seismicity supports their tectonic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]