Group velocities for a period range of 6–60 s for the fundamental mode of the Rayleigh wave passing across the Himalaya–Karakoram–Tibet orogen are used to delineate the structure of the upper lithosphere using the data from 35 broadband seismic stations. 2D tomography velocity maps of group velocities were obtained at grids of 1° separation. Redefined local dispersion curves are inverted non-linearly to obtain 1D velocity models and to construct a 3D image of the S-wave structure down to a depth of 90 km.The Moho discontinuity is correlated with c. 4.0 km s−1 S-wave velocity. The results depict a NE-dipping trend of the Moho depth from c. 40 km beneath the frontal part of the Himalaya to up to c. 70–80 km beneath the collision zone before shallowing substantially to c. 40 km beneath the Tarim Basin. The study also reveals thick deposits of sediments in the Indo-Gangetic plains and the Tarim Basin. A broad low-velocity zone at mid-crustal depth in the western Tibetan Plateau, the Karakoram region and the surface-collision part of the India–Eurasia tectonic plates is interpreted as the effect of partial melting and/or the presence of aqueous fluid. The high velocities in the southern deeper part indicate that the lower crust and uppermost mantle of the Indian Plate are dense and cold.

Surface wave dispersion data is used to infer the shear wave velocity structure variation in the north‐east Himalaya and Indo‐Burmese arc regions. We have used 25 earthquakes data from four groups with a magnitude range of 5.0–6.7, epicentral distance range 368–800 km, and focal depth less than 50 km. Ray paths from the earthquake location to the seismic station are transversely passing different geotectonic units of the Himalayas, Indo‐Gangetic plains, and Indo‐Burma collision zones. The weighted average dispersion curve and the path averaged shear wave velocity models are computed for the four groups located at different azimuths around Shillong seismic station. Non‐linear least‐square inversion is performed to obtain the shear wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle from joint inversion of Rayleigh and Love waves group velocities. Subsequently, Rayleigh and Love waves group velocities are inverted separately to obtain vertical and horizontal components of S‐wave velocity. Next, using these components anisotropy coefficient values at different depths for each path are also estimated. A high variation of dispersion curves and the shear wave velocity models from one group to another indicates that the region is geotectonically very complex. An approximately 80 km‐thick zone beneath the study region has shear wave velocity as low as 1.7 km/s in the uppermost crust in the southern part and ~4.7 km in the uppermost mantle beneath the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS). Inferred velocity is also lower than that of PREM and AK135 global models with a much thicker crust beneath the study region. Radial anisotropy varies even within the northern part from the Indo‐Eurasian collision zone to EHS and northern to southern Indo‐Burma ranges. Anisotropy is comparatively stronger in the deeper part below ~40 km for the three paths, except for the EHS, where the result is contrary.

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