| Vindhya Range | |
|---|---|
| Vindhyachal, Vindhyas | |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 752 m (2,467 ft) |
| Coordinates | 23°28′0″N79°44′25″E / 23.46667°N 79.74028°E /23.46667; 79.74028 |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | "Obstructor" or "Hunter" (Sanskrit) |
| Geography | |
  Vindhya Range Topographic map of India showing the highest point of the Vindhya range | |
| Country | India |
| States |
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| Borders on | |
TheVindhya Range (IPA:[ʋɪnd̪ʱjə], also known asVindhyachal) is a complex, discontinuouschain of mountainridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateauescarpments in west-centralIndia.
Technically, the Vindhyas are among the highest mountain ranges in India. The exact extent of the Vindhyas is loosely defined, and historically, the term covered a number of distinct hill systems incentral India, including the one that is now known as theSatpura Range. Today, the term principally refers to theescarpment and its hilly extensions that runs north of and roughly parallel to theNarmada River inMadhya Pradesh. Depending on the definition, the range extends up toGujarat in the west,Uttar Pradesh andBihar in the north, andChhattisgarh in the east. The average elevation of the Vindhyas is also dependent on different sources.
The Vindhyas have a great significance inIndian mythology andhistory. Several ancient texts mention the Vindhyas as the southern boundary of theĀryāvarta, the territory of the ancientIndo-Aryan peoples. Although todayIndo-Aryan languages are also spoken south of the Vindhyas, the range continues to be considered as the traditional boundary betweennorth andsouth India. The formerVindhya Pradesh was named after the Vindhya Range.
According to the author of a commentary onAmarakosha, the word Vindhya derives from theSanskrit wordvaindh (to obstruct). A mythological story (seebelow) states that the Vindhyas once obstructed the path of the sun, resulting in this name.[1] TheRamayana states that the great mountain Vindhya that was growing incessantly and obstructing the path of the Sun stopped growing any more in obedience to Agastya's words.[2] According to another theory, the name "Vindhya" means "hunter" inSanskrit, and may refer to thetribalhunter-gatherers inhabiting the region.[3]
The Vindhya range is also known as "Vindhyachala" or "Vindhyachal"; the suffixachala (Sanskrit) orachal (Hindi) refers to a mountain.[4][5] In theMahabharata, the range is also referred to asVindhyapadaparvata. The Greek geographerPtolemy called the range Vindius or Ouindion, describing it as the source of Namados (Narmada) and Nanagouna (Tapti) rivers. The "Daksinaparvata" ("Southern Mountain") mentioned in theKaushitaki Upanishad is also identified with the Vindhyas.[6]
The Vindhyas do not form a single range in the propergeological sense: the hills collectively known as the Vindhyas do not lie along ananticlinal orsynclinal ridge.[7] The Vindhya range is actually a group of discontinuous chain of mountainridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateauescarpments. The term "Vindhyas" is defined by convention, and therefore, the exact definition of the Vindhya range has varied at different times in history.
Earlier, the term "Vindhyas" was used in a wider sense and included a number of hill ranges between theIndo-Gangetic Plain and theDeccan Plateau. According to the various definitions mentioned in the older texts, the Vindhyas extend up to theGodavari in the south and theGanges in the north.[1]
In certainPuranas, the term Vindhya specifically covers the mountain range located between theNarmada and theTapti rivers; that is, the one which is now known as theSatpura Range.[3][8] TheVaraha Purana uses the name "Vindhya-pada" ("foot of the Vindhyas") for the Satpura range.
Several ancient Indian texts and inscriptions (e.g. theNasik Prasasti ofGautamiputra Satakarni) mention three mountain ranges in Central India: Vindhya (or "Vindhya proper"),Rksa (also Rksavat or Riksha) andPariyatra (or Paripatra). The three ranges are included in the sevenKula Parvatas ("clan mountains") ofBharatavarsha, that is, India. The exact identification of these three ranges is difficult due to contrasting descriptions in the various texts. For example, theKurma,Matsya andBrahmanda Puranas mention Vindhya as the source ofTapti; whileVishnu andBrahma Puranas mention the Rksa as its source.[9] Some texts use the term Vindhyas to describe all the hills in Central India.[citation needed]
In one passage,Valmiki'sRamayana describes Vindhya as being situated to the south ofKishkindha (Ramayana IV-46. 17), which is identified with a part of the present-dayKarnataka. It further implies that the sea was located just to the south of the Vindhyas, andLanka was located across this sea. Many scholars have attempted to explain this anomaly in different ways. According to one theory, the term "Vindhyas" covered a number of mountains to the south of the Indo-Aryan territories at the time Ramayana was written. Others, such asFrederick Eden Pargiter, believe that there was another mountain in South India, with the same name.[10]Madhav Vinayak Kibe placed the location of Lanka inCentral India.[11]
TheBarabar Cave inscription of theMaukhari ruler Anantavarman mentions the Nagarjuni hill ofBihar as a part of the Vindhyas.[6]
Today, the definition of the Vindhyas is primarily restricted to the Central Indian escarpments, hills and highlands located to the north of theNarmada River.[3] Some of these are actually distinct hill systems.[12]
The western end of the Vindhya range is located in the state ofGujarat, near the state's border withRajasthan andMadhya Pradesh, at the eastern side of theKathiawar peninsula. A series of hills connects the Vindhya extension to theAravalli Range nearChampaner. The Vindhya range rises in height east ofChhota Udaipur.[13]
The principal Vindhya range forms the southern escarpment of the Central Indian upland. It runs roughly parallel to the Naramada river in the east-west direction, forming the southern wall of theMalwa plateau in Madhya Pradesh.
The eastern portion of the Vindhyas comprises multiple chains, as the range divides into branches east of Malwa. A southern chain of Vindhyas runs between the upper reaches of theSon and Narmada rivers to meet the Satpura Range in theMaikal Hills nearAmarkantak. A northern chain of the Vindhyas continues eastwards asBhander Plateau andKaimur Range, which runs north of theSon River.[14] This extended range runs through what was onceVindhya Pradesh, reaching up to theKaimur district of Bihar. The branch of the Vindhya range spanning acrossBundelkhand is known as the Panna range.[6] Another northern extension (known as the Vindhyachal hills) runs up toUttar Pradesh, stopping before the shores ofGanga at multiple places, includingVindhyachal andChunar inMirzapur District.
TheVindhyan tableland is a plateau that lies to the north of the central part of the range. TheRewa-Panna plateaus are also collectively known as the Vindhya plateau.
Different sources vary on the average elevation of the Vindhyas, depending on their definition of the range. M. C. Chaturvedi mentions the average elevation as 300 metres (980 ft).[15] Pradeep Sharma states that the "general elevation" of the Vindhyas is 300–650 metres (980–2,130 ft), with the range rarely going over 700 metres (2,300 ft) during its 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) extent.[14]
The highest point of the Vindhyas is the Sad-bhawna Shikhar ("Goodwill Peak"), which lies 752 metres (2,467 ft) above the sea level.[16] Also known as the Kalumar peak or Kalumbe peak, it lies nearSingrampur in theDamoh district, in the area known as Bhanrer or Panna hills.[7] Historical texts includeAmarkantak (1,000 m+ or 3,300 ft+) in the Vindhyas, but today, it is considered a part of theMaikal Range, which is considered as an extension of the Satpuras.[17]
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The Vindhyas are regarded as the traditional geographical boundary between northern and southern India,[18] and have a distinguished status in both mythology andgeography of India.[1] In the ancient Indian texts, the Vindhyas are seen as the demarcating line between the territories of theIndo-Aryans and that of the others.[3] The most ancient Hindu texts consider it as the southern boundary ofAryavarta.[1] TheMahabharata mentions that theNishadas and otherMleccha tribes reside in the forests of the Vindhyas.[19] Although the Indo-Aryan languages (such asMarathi andKonkani) spread to the south of Vindhyas later, the Vindhyas continued to be seen as the traditional boundary between the north and the south of India.[1][20]
Vindhyas appear prominently in the Indian mythological tales. Although the Vindhyas are not very high, historically, they were considered highly inaccessible and dangerous due to dense vegetation and the hostile tribes residing there.[21][22] In the older Sanskrit texts, such as theRamayana, they are described as the unknown territory infested withcannibals anddemons.[23] The later texts describe the Vindhya range as the residence of fierce form ofShakti (goddessKali orDurga), who has lived there since slaying the demons. She is described asVindhyavasini ("Vindhya dweller"), and a temple dedicated to her is located in theVindhyachal town ofUttar Pradesh.[24][25] TheMahabharata mentions the Vindhyas as the "eternal abode" of Kali.[26]
According to one legend, the Vindhya mountain once competed with theMount Meru, growing so high that it obstructed the sun. The sageAgastya then asked Vindhya to lower itself, in order to facilitate his passage across to the south. In reverence for Agastya, the Vindhya lowered its height and promised not to grow until Agastya returned to the north. Agastya settled in the south, and the Vindhya mountain, true to its word, never grew further.[27]
The Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki's Ramayana mentions thatMaya built a mansion in the Vindhyas.[28] InDashakumaracharita, the King Rajahamsa of Magadha and his ministers create a new colony in the Vindhya forest, after being forced out of their kingdom following a war defeat.
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The Vindhyas are one of the only two mountain ranges mentioned in thenational anthem of India, the other being the Himalayas.[29]
Several tributaries of the Ganga-Yamuna system originate from the Vindhyas.[20] These includeChambal,Betwa,Dhasan,Sunar,Ken,Tamsa,Kali Sindh andParbati. The northern slopes of the Vindhyas are drained by these rivers.
Narmada andSon rivers drain the southern slopes of the Vindhyas. Both these rivers rise in theMaikal Hills, which are now defined as an extension of the Satpuras, although several older texts use the term Vindhyas to cover them (seeHistorical definitions above).
The "Vindhyan Supergroup" is one of the largest and thickestsedimentarysuccessions in the world.[30]
The earliest knownmulticellularfossils ofeukaryotes (filamentous algae) have been discovered from Vindhya basin dating back to 1.6 to 1.7 billion years ago.[31] Shelled creatures are documented to have first evolved in the late Ediacaran, near the start of the Cambrian 'explosion of life,' about 550 million years ago.[32][33]
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