ObjectiveTo investigate and compare the essential oil constituents of three most popular cultivars from sub Himalayan region namely, gorubathane, shingboi and thingria. MethodsVolatile oils were isolated using Clevenger trap and characterized by analytical gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. ResultsEighty one constituents accounting for 95.24%, 97.1% and 97.03% of the gorubathane, shingboi and thingria oils respectively, were identified. ConclusionsThe major compounds of gorubathane oil were zingiberene (32.2%) and β-sequiphellandrene (10.9%). The main constituents in thingria oil were zingiberene (12.58%) and ar-curcumene (9.89%) and of shingboi oil were geranial (20.07%) and neral (9.44%). This is the first report on the essential oils composition of three Sub Himalayan ginger cultivars.