Eastern Ghats – Old, Dissected, Low Hill System of Peninsular India

Syllabus: Indian Geography (UPSC Prelims)

The Eastern Ghats, also known as Purva Ghat or Mahendra Parvatam in the south, are older and more eroded than the Western Ghats. They form a discontinuous chain of low, fragmented hills running parallel to the Bay of Bengal from Odisha to Tamil Nadu.

Geographical Extent

• Stretch from northern Odisha through Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and into Tamil Nadu.
• Bounded by the Mahanadi basin in the north and the Cauvery basin in the south.
• Average elevation around 600 m with highly uneven relief.

Major Hills and Peaks

• Highest peak: Jindhagada near Araku, Andhra Pradesh.
• Gali Konda¹ is the second highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.
• Important ranges: Nallamala, Velikonda, Palkonda, Erramala, Javadi, and Shevaroy Hills.
• The Godavari and Krishna cut deep gorges across the system.

Rivers and Lakes

• Crossed by major rivers: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery.
• Important lakes: Chilika, Pulicat, Kolleru.

Climate and Soils

• Tropical monsoon climate influenced by both SW and NE monsoons.
• Less rainfall than Western Ghats.
• Soils: Red, black, laterite, alluvial.
• Rainfall exceeds 1500 mm in northern sections and declines southwards.

Vegetation and Biodiversity

• Contains moist deciduous, dry deciduous, dry evergreen and scrub forests.
• Home to around 2,500 flowering plant species.
• Supports species such as tiger, gaur, sloth bear, chousingha, and several endemic plants.

Protected Areas

• Important reserves include Simlipal, Satkosia, Coringa, Sri Lankamalleswara, Sathyamangalam, Pench–Nallamala landscape.

Environmental Concerns

• Large-scale mining of bauxite and iron ore.
• Deforestation, shifting cultivation, illegal logging (sandalwood, rosewood).
• Spread of invasive species like Lantana camara.
• Increasing forest fires and climate stress.

1. Question Reference
   (HPAS PYQ 2025) ↩︎