GEOGRAPHY-THE EASTERN GHATS

THE EASTERN GHATS

We are not so familiar with the Eastern Ghats, as we are with the Western Ghats. The reason is that the eastern mountains are not very high and are scattered in different areas. It branches off, from the Western Ghats at Nilgiri, towards the east- north, ending in Orissa.

There are many major rivers, originating in the Western Ghats and piercing through the Eastern Ghats. Mahanadi, Godawary , Krishna and Kaveri are some of these. The bridge at Vijayawada railway station is something worth seeing

“Hill ranges[edit]

As with the Western Ghats, these mountain ranges also have their local names along the discontinuous hill ranges.

At their southern end, the Eastern Ghats form several ranges of low hills. The southernmost of the Eastern Ghats are the lowSirumalai and Karanthamalai Hills of southern Tamil Nadu.

North of the Kaveri River are the higher Kollimalai, Pachaimalai, Shevaroy (Servaroyan), Kalrayan Hills, Chitteri, Palamalai and Mettur Hills in northern Tamil Nadu state. The climate of the higher hill ranges is generally cooler and wetter than the surrounding plains and the hills are home to coffee plantations and enclaves of dry forest.

The hill station of Yercaud is located in the Shevaroy Hills. The Bilgiri Hills, which run east from the Western Ghats to the River Kaveri, forms a forested ecological corridor that connects the Eastern and Western Ghats, and allows the second-largest wildAsian elephant population in India to range between the South Eastern Ghats, the Biligiri and Nilgiri Hills, and the South Western Ghats.

The Malai Mahadeshwara Hills Temple is situated in Chamarajanagar District in the Karnataka state on the Eastern Ghat.

The Ponnaiyar and Palar rivers flow from headwaters on the Kolar Plateau eastward through gaps in the Ghats to empty into the Bay of Bengal; the Javadi Hills lie between the two rivers. There are waterfalls in remote areas, such as the Kiliyur Falls.^[5]

Some 40 km from the south end of Javadi Hills starts the Kalvarayan Hill range. The name Kalvarayan comes from the native people known as "kalvar". This hill range brings much more rainfall to the eastern part of its surrounding areas during the northwest monsoon. The Thenponnaiyar River divides this Hill range from Javadi Hills in the north. The hills continue as theShervarayon Hills further southwest divided by Manchavaadi Pass. The Komuki River originates in this range and flows into Bay of Bengal along with the Cauvery River.

North of the Palar River in Andhra Pradesh, the central portion of the Eastern Ghats consist of two parallel ranges running approximately north-south. The lower Velikonda Range lies to the east and the higher Palikonda-Lankamalla-Nallamalla Rangeslie to the west. They run in a nearly north-south alignment, parallel to the Coromandel Coast for close to 430 km between theKrishna and Pennar rivers. Its northern boundaries are marked by the flat Palnadu basin while in the south it merges with theTirupati hills. An extremely old system, the hills have been extensively weathered and eroded over the years. The average elevation today is about 520 m which reaches 1100 m at Bhairani Konda and 1048 m at Gundla Brahmeswara.

The Tirumala Hills are located along the Seshachalam-Velikonda Range of the Eastern Ghats. The Palar River cuts through the ranges. The Velikonda Range eventually descends to the coastal plain in northern Nellore district, while the Nallamalla Range continues to the River Krishna.

The Kondapalli Hills are a range of low hills which lie between the Krishna and the Godavari rivers. These hills are located in the Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and Khammam districts of Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River bisects these hills of The Eastern Ghats. The main hill range starts from Nandigama to Vijayawada known as Kondapalli.

The Papi Hills (Papi kondalu) are distributed among Khammam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh and lie in Eastern Ghats.

Madhurawada Dome in the Eastern Ghats mobile belt is formed by a tectonic arrangement with the khondalite suite and quartz Archean rocks along the Eastern Ghats north of Visakhapatnam.^[6]

The Maliya Range is located in the northern portion of the Eastern Ghats. The Maliya Range generally ranges between elevations of 900–1200 m, although some of its summits soar higher. The tallest peak in this range is Mahendragiri (1,501 m).^[7]

The Madugula Konda Range is located in the northern portion of the Eastern Ghats. The Madugula Konda range is higher than the Maliyas and generally ranges between elevations of 1100–1400 m. Prominent summits include the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats - Arma Konda (1680 m), Gali Konda (1643 m) and Sinkram Gutta (1620 m).^[7]

The highest mountain peak in the state of Odisha is Deomali (1672 m), which is situated in the Koraput district of southern Odisha. It is part of the Chandragiri-Pottangi mountain system. The region covers about three-fourth of the entire Odisha State. Geologically it is a part of the Indian Peninsula which was a part of the ancient land mass of Gondwanaland. The major rivers of Odisha with their tributaries have cut deep and narrow valleys.

The Garhjat Hills region mostly comprises the hills and mountains of the Eastern Ghats which rise abruptly and steeply in the east and slope gently to a dissected plateau in the west running from north-west (Mayurbhanj) to south-west (Malkangiri). The Odisha highlands are also known as the Garhjat Hills. This region is well marked by a number of interfluves or watersheds. The Eastern Ghats is interrupted by a number of broad and narrow river valleys and flood plains. The average height of this region is about 900 metres above the mean sea level.
To the north of the Godavari the Eastern Ghats increase again in height, forming the boundary between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The Similipal Massif is considered the farthest northeast extension of the Eastern Ghats”

(courtesy  Wikipedia)