Maarg Manthan · Topic 14.3

Hill Ranges of the Peninsular Plateau

Geography › India: Plains, Plateau, Coasts and Islands · Topic 14.3

The hill ranges of the Peninsular Plateau are mostly relict or residual hills, the worn-down remains of much older mountains. They include the Aravalli, the oldest fold mountains of India, the Vindhyan and Satpura ranges that flank the Narmada, the Western Ghats or Sahyadris along the west coast, and the broken Eastern Ghats along the east, which meet at the Nilgiris.

7 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · India: Plains, Plateau, Coasts and Islands

At a Glance

Aravalli About 800 km; oldest fold mountains; Guru Shikhar 1,722 m
Vindhyan Over 1,200 km; north of the Narmada
Satpura About 900 km; Dhupgarh 1,350 m
Western Ghats About 1,600 km; Anai Mudi 2,695 m
Eastern Ghats Broken; Mahendragiri 1,501 m
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: India: Plains, Plateau, Coasts and Islands

Where Does It Fit?

This is the third topic of the macro on India’s plains, plateau, coasts and islands. The previous topic described the minor plateaus, and this one covers the hills that separate and surround them. The next topic begins the coastal topics with the emergence and submergence of the coastline. Previous topic: Peninsular Plateau and Minor Plateaus. Next topic: Coastline of India – Emergence and Submergence.

What Are the Northern Ranges: Aravalli, Vindhyan and Satpura?

Range	Extent	Features
Aravalli	About 800 km, from Delhi to Palanpur in Gujarat, trending north-east to south-west	One of the oldest fold mountains in the world and the oldest in India; once much higher, now worn to residual ridges of 400 to 600 m; continuous south of Ajmer; Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu is the highest peak; passes at Pipli Ghat, Dewair and Desuri; a barrier to the advance of the Thar desert and a source of water recharge
Vindhyan Range	Over 1,200 km, from Jobat in Gujarat to Sasaram in Bihar, north of the Narmada-Son trough	Horizontally bedded ancient sedimentary rocks; 300 to 650 m; continues east as the Kaimur and Barner hills; a watershed between the Ganga system and the rivers of the south
Satpura Range	About 900 km, between the Narmada and the Tapti, east-west	Seven mountains; parts are a horst, a block uplifted by faulting; Dhupgarh (1,350 m) near Pachmarhi is the highest; Amarkantak (1,127 m) is the source of the Narmada and Son; the Mahadeo and Maikal hills belong to it

The Narmada and the Tapti flow west in rift valleys between these ranges. The Narmada-Son trough also marks the traditional divide between north and south India. The Aravalli range is now in the news. In November 2025 the Supreme Court accepted a definition under which only landforms 100 m or more above local relief count as Aravalli hills; critics feared it would open much of the range to mining, and on 29 December 2025 the Court put that order in abeyance and ordered a new expert committee, which has been given time until 30 November 2026 to report, so the legal definition remains unsettled. The Aravalli is also the focus of the Aravalli Green Wall, a plan for a belt of green cover to check desertification.

What Are the Western Ghats?

Extent: from the Tapti valley at about 21 degrees north to near Kanyakumari at about 11 degrees north, about 1,600 km, the western edge of the Deccan. They are not true mountains but the faulted edge of the plateau, and rise steeply like a wall to an average of about 1,000 m from the narrow coastal plain, while sloping gently east.
Northern section: made of horizontal Deccan lava, giving a stair-like or trap topography, averaging about 1,200 m. Kalsubai (1,646 m) near Igatpuri is the highest in Maharashtra. Thal Ghat and Bhor Ghat carry road and rail from Mumbai to the plateau.
Middle Sahyadri: from about 16 degrees north to the Nilgiris, dense forests, with Vavul Mala (2,339 m) and Kudremukh (1,892 m). The Nilgiris rise above 2,000 m at the junction of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu; Doda Betta (2,637 m) is the highest, and they meet the Eastern Ghats.
Southern section: separated by the Palghat (Palakkad) Gap, a low rift valley about 30 km wide that carries roads and railways between Kerala and Tamil Nadu and lets the southwest monsoon penetrate inland. South of it rises Anai Mudi (2,695 m), the highest peak of peninsular India, from which the Anaimalai, Palani and Cardamom hills radiate.

The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012 and a global biodiversity hotspot. They are the source of the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, and they cause the heavy orographic rainfall of the west coast, as in Precipitation and Types of Rainfall. Landslides in Wayanad in July 2024 killed hundreds of people and reignited the debate over conservation. The Gadgil committee of 2011 and the Kasturirangan committee of 2013 recommended zoning, and the Ministry of Environment re-issued its seventh draft notification of about 56,826 sq km of ecologically sensitive area in July 2026; it is still a draft, with Karnataka opposing it.

What Are the Eastern Ghats, and How Do They Differ?

The Eastern Ghats run parallel to the east coast from the Mahanadi in Odisha to the Vagai in Tamil Nadu, but they are a series of broken, detached hills, cut through by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. Only between the Mahanadi and the Godavari do they show true mountain character, with the Maliya and Madugula Konda ranges and Mahendragiri (1,501 m); the Araku valley is here. Between the Godavari and Krishna they are low and covered by Gondwana formations of the Krishna-Godavari basin. They reappear as the Nallamalai range in Andhra Pradesh, and farther south as the Javadi, Shevaroy and Biligiri Rangan hills, before merging with the Western Ghats in the Nilgiris.

Feature	Western Ghats	Eastern Ghats
Continuity	Continuous, with only the Palghat Gap	Discontinuous, cut by large rivers
Height	Higher; Anai Mudi 2,695 m	Lower; Mahendragiri 1,501 m
Relation to coast	Close to the coast, with a narrow plain	Farther from the coast, with a broad plain
Rainfall	Very heavy on the windward slope	Moderate; in the rain shadow in the southwest monsoon
Rivers	Short west-flowing streams and the source of the east-flowing rivers	Rivers cross through gaps to the sea

As an analytical point, the ranges explain much of the Indian map: the Aravalli shapes the climate boundary of Rajasthan, the Vindhya-Satpura belt divides the river systems, and the Ghats decide the monsoon rainfall. All of them are old and worn, and the real risk is human: mining, quarrying, plantations and construction on steep slopes make them prone to landslides.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Map-based Peaks and ranges asked
Current affairs Aravalli and Ghats debates
Concept Residual hills

What Came Next?

The next topic begins the study of the coastline with its emergence and submergence. Next topic: Coastline of India – Emergence and Submergence.

Key People and Terms

Relict hill Residual hill from erosion
Horst Uplifted block
Palghat Gap Break in the Western Ghats
Sahyadri Name of the Western Ghats
Anai Mudi Highest peak of peninsular India
Nallamalai Eastern Ghats range in Andhra Pradesh

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Aravalli is the oldest fold mountain in India.
Guru Shikhar is the highest peak of the Aravalli.
Anai Mudi is the highest peak in peninsular India.
Palghat Gap separates the southern Ghats.
Eastern Ghats are broken by rivers.

Do Not Confuse With

Vindhya and Satpura North versus south of the Narmada
Western and Eastern Ghats Continuous and high versus broken and low
Anai Mudi and Doda Betta Highest in the Ghats versus highest in the Nilgiris

Memory Hook

Aravalli is oldest, Vindhya and Satpura frame the Narmada, Western Ghats wall, Eastern Ghats pieces.

Mains Angle

Questions compare the two Ghats and link hills with climate. These points add depth.

Contrast Continuity and height
Climate Orographic rain
Threat Mining and landslides

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Compare the Western and Eastern Ghats and discuss the issues in the conservation of the Western Ghats.”

How to Answer

Ranges Aravalli to Satpura.
Ghats Western versus Eastern.
Role Rain and rivers.
Issues Hazard and ESA.

GS Relevance

Prelims: ranges with highest peaks, passes, Palghat Gap, differences between the two Ghats. GS Paper 1: physical geography; GS Paper 3: Western Ghats conservation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the oldest mountain range of India?

The Aravalli Range, about 800 kilometres long from Delhi to Gujarat, is the oldest fold mountain range in India and one of the oldest in the world. It was once much higher, but long erosion has worn it down to residual hills, with Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu at 1,722 metres as the highest peak.

What is the Palghat Gap?

The Palghat or Palakkad Gap is a low pass, about 30 kilometres wide, in the Western Ghats between the Nilgiris and the Anaimalai hills. It connects Kerala with Tamil Nadu by road and rail, and allows the southwest monsoon winds to blow inland to bring rain to the Coimbatore region.

What is the highest peak of peninsular India?

Anai Mudi, at 2,695 metres in the Anaimalai hills of Kerala, is the highest peak in peninsular India south of the Himalayas. The Anaimalai, Palani and Cardamom hills radiate from it, and it lies south of the Palghat Gap.

How are the Western Ghats different from the Eastern Ghats?

The Western Ghats are continuous, higher, steep on the west and close to the coast, causing heavy rainfall on the windward side. The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous, lower, cut by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, and lie farther from the coast, leaving a broad plain.

Why are the Western Ghats important?

The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They cause heavy monsoon rainfall, give rise to major peninsular rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, and support forests, plantations and hydropower, but are prone to landslides and mining pressure.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Aravalli Range is the oldest fold mountain range in India.

True

It has been worn down by long erosion.

2 The Satpura Range lies north of the Narmada river.

False

It lies south of the Narmada; the Vindhya is to the north.

3 The Eastern Ghats are a continuous range without breaks.