New data for the gravity anomalies and the uplift rate in the Himalaya and the Tibet Plateau have imposed strict constraints on acceptable models for present tectonic processes in this region. Through two-dimensional finite element modeling, incoroprating realistic rheology for the crust and upper mantle, a model is found which satisfactorily predicts both the observed uplift rate and the changes of the gravity anomalies. This model shows that (1) the Himalaya is dynamically supported, (2) the northern margin of the Indian plate underthrusts the Himalaya and, at the same time, the entire Tibet thickens at a rate of 2 mm/yr, (3) the partition of the total shortening across the region is about 15% in the Ganges Basin, 30% in the Himalaya and 55% in Tibet, and (4) the extent of deformation reaches beyond the northern boundary of Tibet.