Peninsular Plateau — Deccan, Malwa, Chhotanagpur, Ghats, and Passes

The Peninsular Plateau is one of the oldest landmasses on Earth and forms the backbone of India south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This topic is regularly tested in Kerala PSC geography sections. Expect 2-3 questions.

Overview of the Peninsular Plateau

Feature	Details
Age	One of the oldest landmasses; part of the Gondwana supercontinent
Rock type	Primarily igneous and metamorphic (granite, gneiss, basalt)
Average elevation	600-900 m above sea level
Slope	General slope from west to east (hence most rivers flow east)
Bounded by	Aravalli Range (NW), Vindhya-Satpura (N), Western Ghats (W), Eastern Ghats (E)
Characteristic	Broad and shallow river valleys, residual hills, peneplain surface
Soil	Black soil (basaltic), red soil, laterite soil

Sub-divisions of the Peninsular Plateau

1. Deccan Plateau

Feature	Details
Location	South of Narmada River; bounded by Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, and Satpura Range
Name origin	”Dakkhina” (Sanskrit for south)
Rock	Basaltic lava flows (Deccan Traps) in the northwestern part
Deccan Traps	Formed by volcanic activity about 66 million years ago; black cotton soil (Regur)
Area	Covers parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
Average height	300-900 m
Major rivers	Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra — all flow west to east
Slope	Tilts from west to east

2. Malwa Plateau

Feature	Details
Location	Between Aravalli Range (west) and Vindhya Range (south); northern part of peninsula
States	Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
Rock	Volcanic (basalt) and sedimentary
Rivers	Chambal, Betwa, Ken — tributaries of Yamuna; flow northward
Characteristic	Broad, flat upland; fertile black soil
Important cities	Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal

3. Chhotanagpur Plateau

Feature	Details
Location	Eastern part of peninsular plateau; Jharkhand, parts of Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh
Composition	Granite and gneiss (oldest rocks in India)
Average height	700 m
Sub-plateaus	Ranchi Plateau, Hazaribagh Plateau, Kodarma Plateau
Mineral wealth	Called “Ruhr of India” — richest mineral belt (coal, iron, mica, copper, uranium)
Rivers	Damodar (“Sorrow of Bengal”), Subarnarekha, Brahmani
Important cities	Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro

4. Meghalaya Plateau (Shillong Plateau)

Feature	Details
Detached from	Main peninsular block by the Garo-Rajmahal gap
Hills	Garo Hills, Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills
Highest peak	Shillong Peak (1,965 m)
Rainfall	Cherrapunji and Mawsynram (world’s wettest places) are on this plateau
Rock	Ancient gneiss and granite

Western Ghats (Sahyadri)

Feature	Details
Other name	Sahyadri
Length	About 1,600 km (Gujarat to Tamil Nadu)
States covered	Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
Average height	900-1,600 m
Highest peak	Anamudi (2,695 m) in Kerala — highest peak in South India
Nature	Continuous range (unbroken except at gaps/passes)
Slope	Steep western slope (escarpment), gentle eastern slope
UNESCO status	World Heritage Site (2012) — 39 serial properties
Biodiversity	One of the world’s 8 “hottest hotspots” of biodiversity
Rainfall	Causes heavy orographic rainfall on the western side
Rivers	Most peninsular rivers originate from Western Ghats

Important Peaks of Western Ghats

Peak	Height	State	Range
Anamudi	2,695 m	Kerala	Anaimalai Hills
Doddabetta	2,637 m	Tamil Nadu	Nilgiri Hills
Mullayanagiri	1,930 m	Karnataka	Baba Budan Hills
Kudremukh	1,894 m	Karnataka	Kudremukh Range
Agastya Mala	1,868 m	Kerala	—
Kalsubai	1,646 m	Maharashtra	Highest in Maharashtra

Important Passes (Gaps) in the Western Ghats

Pass	Between	States Connected	Significance
Thal Ghat (Kasara Ghat)	—	Mumbai - Nashik	Mumbai-Agra highway; railway
Bhor Ghat	—	Mumbai - Pune	Major railway and road route
Pal Ghat (Palakkad Gap)	Nilgiri Hills and Anaimalai Hills	Kerala - Tamil Nadu	Largest gap in Western Ghats (30 km wide); railway and highway; influences Kerala’s climate
Shencottah Gap	Cardamom Hills and Agasthyamalai	Kerala - Tamil Nadu	Railway link between Kollam and Madurai
Aramboli Gap	—	Kerala - Tamil Nadu	Southern end of Western Ghats

Eastern Ghats

Feature	Details
Length	About 1,750 km (discontinuous)
States	Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
Nature	Discontinuous (broken by rivers like Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri)
Average height	600 m (lower than Western Ghats)
Highest peak	Mahendragiri (1,501 m) in Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border (also called Jindhagada in some sources; Arma Konda at 1,680 m in AP is sometimes cited as highest)
Important hills	Javadi Hills, Shevaroy Hills, Palkonda Hills, Nallamala Hills, Mahendragiri
Meet Western Ghats at	Nilgiri Hills (junction of Western and Eastern Ghats)

Western Ghats vs Eastern Ghats

Feature	Western Ghats	Eastern Ghats
Continuity	Continuous	Discontinuous
Average height	Higher (900-1,600 m)	Lower (about 600 m)
Highest peak	Anamudi (2,695 m)	Mahendragiri/Arma Konda (about 1,500-1,680 m)
Rainfall	Heavy (windward side)	Less rainfall (rain shadow)
Rivers	Most peninsular rivers originate here	Broken by major rivers
UNESCO status	Yes (2012)	No
Runs through	Gujarat to Tamil Nadu	Odisha to Tamil Nadu

Important Mountain Passes of India (Non-Ghats)

Pass	State	Altitude	Connects/Significance
Karakoram Pass	Ladakh	5,359 m	Highest motorable pass (traditional); India-China border
Khunjerab Pass	PoK	4,693 m	Pakistan-China (Karakoram Highway)
Zoji La	J&K	3,528 m	Srinagar to Leh road
Banihal Pass	J&K	2,832 m	Jawahar Tunnel connects Jammu to Kashmir Valley
Rohtang Pass	Himachal Pradesh	3,978 m	Kullu to Lahaul-Spiti (Atal Tunnel beneath it)
Shipki La	Himachal Pradesh	4,590 m	India-Tibet border; Sutlej River enters India
Nathula Pass	Sikkim	4,310 m	India-China border; historic Silk Route
Jelep La	Sikkim	4,267 m	India-Tibet route
Bomdi La	Arunachal Pradesh	2,217 m	India-Tibet border
Lipu Lekh	Uttarakhand	5,334 m	India-China border; route to Kailash-Mansarovar

Coastal Plains

Feature	Western Coastal Plain	Eastern Coastal Plain
Width	Narrow (50-100 km)	Broad (100-200 km)
Named sections	Konkan (Maharashtra), Kanara (Karnataka), Malabar (Kerala)	Coromandel (TN-AP), Northern Circars (AP-Odisha), Utkal (Odisha)
Ports	Mumbai, Mangalore, Kochi, Marmagao	Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip
Backwaters	Prominent in Kerala	Not significant
Rivers form	Estuaries	Deltas

PSC Quick Recall

Question	Answer
Highest peak in South India	Anamudi (2,695 m, Kerala)
Largest gap in Western Ghats	Palakkad Gap (30 km wide)
Western and Eastern Ghats meet at	Nilgiri Hills
Chhotanagpur Plateau is called	Ruhr of India (mineral wealth)
Deccan Traps are	Basaltic lava formations (66 million years old)
Malwa Plateau rivers flow	Northward (Chambal, Betwa, Ken)
Western Ghats UNESCO year	2012
Damodar River is called	Sorrow of Bengal
General slope of Peninsular Plateau	West to East
Shencottah Gap connects	Kerala and Tamil Nadu (southern gap)
Highest pass in India	Karakoram Pass (5,359 m)
Banihal Pass is in	Jammu and Kashmir