Orchidaceae is amongst the most diverse and widespread families of flowering plants. They are known for their incredible diversity in size, shape, forms, colour, attractiveness of their flowers and high keeping qualities upto ten wks. The Eastern Himalayas (including the NorthEast India), the Western Ghats, and the Western Himalayas are the three major centers of orchid diversity in India with a total strength of about 1,256 species of orchids in 155 genera. Presently, an attempt was made to assess the diversity, distribution, threat status, indigenous uses, and conservation status of orchids of Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), NorthWestern Himalaya. A total of 10 orchid species under 7 genera (Cephalanthera, Epipactis, Habenaria, Herminium, Liparis, Malaxis, and Satyrium) belonging to sub-families Orchidoideae and Epidendroideae have been collected from the study area. All of the species were found to be primarily distributed at an elevation range of approximately 1900-2620 m above the sea level. These have medicinal properties and are used to cure several diseases like sores, eczema blood disorders, skin disorders, fever, male sterility, internal haemorrhage, rheumatism, bronchitis etc. These are also used as tonic, aphrodisiac, rejuvenator, spermopiotic etc. As most of the orchids are insect pollinated, the depletion in the populations of insect pollinators may also lead to the depletion in the natural populations of particular orchid species. Further, as these are important both scientifically and commercially, their natural populations are on decline due to lot of other commercial pressures as well besides habitat destructions due to various natural and anthropogenic reasons. Amongst the presently studies species, Habenaria edgeworthii, Herminium lanceum, and Liparis rostrata are categorized as Endangered; Malaxis muscifera as Vulnerable; Habenaria intermedia, Malaxis acuminata, and Satyrium nepalense are Near Threatened; and Cephalanthera longifolia, Epipactis helleborine, and Habenaria latilabris as Least Concerned. Therefore, several conservation measures are being suggested and orchid species are under the protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and enlisted in the appendices I & II of CITES (2012).