Eastern Ghats of India
The Eastern Ghat (also Purva Ghat in Hindi) is not a continuous range of scrap lands as the Western Ghat. Also scarps are nearly absent here. The range is actually cut up into a number separate circum-denudational hills. The only compact mountainous region is found in Orissa. Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna have cut gaps through Eastern Ghat and have completely broken its continuity. The mountains are much more away from the sea than the Western Ghat.
The northernmost section of the Eastern Ghat is found in the mountains of Orissa. Here the northernmost part is called Simulia hills, the highest peak being Meghasini or Meghasani (1162 meters) or the seat of the clouds. The shape of this circum-denudational hill is circular and the drainage is radial. The valleys of Baitarani and Brahmani south-west of Simulia hills are fertile, broad and well drained. They are densely populated. In between them there are rugged hills and ranges of which the highest peak is Malayagiri (1138 meters).
The Mahanadi River cuts deep gorges through the ranges. Its middle portion around Hirakud dam and reservoir is more open. South-west of Mahanadi the mountains are higher. In fact, they contain five of the highest peaks of the Eastern Ghat. Here is the highest peak of Orissa, Deomali, having an elevation of 1670 meters. Around Koraput the hills in this area are flat topped. In the southern tail of Orissa, Mahendragiri peak is 1500 meters high. The Ghat continuous along Orissa and Andhra Pradesh up to the gorge of Godavari at Bhadrachalam. Here are the hills of Chandragiri and Pottangi. Compared to the Maliya range, the Madugula Konda have high elevation levels. Here the highest peaks is Arma Konda (1680 meters), which is followed by Gali Konda (1643 meters) and Sinkram Gutta (1620 meters).
Between Godavari and Krishna, the Eastern Ghat is not very prominent. They are mainly formed by ancient sedimentary deposits of Cuddapah age. They can be very well viewed from the railway train while travelling from Bellary to Guntur. The ridges are sharp and rugged. The whole hilly area has a crescent shape. Near the northern tip of the crescent, the Krishna across the hills in a deep incised double meander in the shape of an S, just below the famous temple of Srisailam. Here the height is 915 meters. River Penner cuts across the crescent in the middle. At the southern tip of the crescent there are massive sandstone hills rising step by step to the temple of Tirupati situated at a height of 1150 meters.
South of Palar the Eastern Ghat is much eroded and broken up in a number of circum-denudational hills such as Javadi, Shevaroy and Kalrayan. Of them Shevaroy reaches the maximum height of 1628 meters.
The Eastern Ghats may be supposed to end in Palni Hills, south of Kaveri, which flows in a rocky terrain near Srirangam. The highest peak of Palni is Nilakottai (1350 meters).
Note: Recent discoveries suggests that the Jindhagada Peak in Andhra Pradesh has a height of 1,690 meters. If this is proved, then Jindhagada Peak would become the highest point of the Eastern Ghats.
