<P> Around September , with the sun fast retreating south , the northern land mass of the Indian subcontinent begins to cool off rapidly . With this air pressure begins to build over northern India , the Indian Ocean and its surrounding atmosphere still holds its heat . This causes the cold wind to sweep down from the Himalayas and Indo - Gangetic Plain towards the vast spans of the Indian Ocean south of the Deccan peninsula . This is known as the Northeast Monsoon or Retreating Monsoon . </P>
the cold dry winds that blow over northern india in winter are called
the Northeast Monsoon or Retreating Monsoon