Satpura Range
Encyclopedia
The Satpura Range is a range of hill
s in central India
. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea
coast, running east through Maharashtra
and Madhya Pradesh
to Chhattisgarh
. The range parallels the Vindhya Range
to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the Indo-Gangetic plain
of northern India and Pakistan from the Deccan Plateau to the south. The Narmada River
runs in the depression between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, and draining the northern slope of the Satpura range and running west towards the Arabian Sea. The Tapti River
drains the southern slopes of the western end of the Satpura Range. The Godavari River
and its tributaries drain the Deccan plateau, which lies south of the central and eastern portions of the range, and the Mahanadi River
drains the easternmost portion of the range. The Godavari and Mahanadi rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal. At its eastern end, the Satpura range meets the hills of the Chota Nagpur Plateau
.
, constitute the Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests
ecoregion
. The seasonally dry western portion of the range, together with the Narmada valley and the western Vindhya Range, are within the Narmada valley dry deciduous forests
ecoregion.
The Narmada and the Tapi are major rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. The Narmada originates in eastern Madhya Pradesh and flows west across the state, through a narrow valley between the Vindhya Range and spurs of the Satpura Range. It flows into the Gulf of Khambhat
. The Tapi follows a shorter, parallel course, between 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) and 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) south of the Narmada, flowing through the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat to drain into the Gulf of Khambhat.
in the Satpura range is the site of an old fort said to belong to the Nimbalkars Maratha
clan.
Narnala
is a hill fortress, whose earliest fortifications predates 1400 CE. First fortifications are believed to have been built by Naryendrapun, a descendant of the Pandavas and a king of Hastinapur. Further construction and expansion continued under successive rulers, including the Bahmani Sultanate
.
(Panthera tigris), gaur
(Bos gaurus), dhole
(Cuon alpinus), sloth bear
(Melursus ursinus), chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), and blackbuck
(Antilope cervicapra).
Several protected areas have been earmarked in the area, including the Kanha
, Pench
, Gugamal
and Satpura
National Parks
, Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
, Melghat Tiger Reserve
and the Bori Reserve Forest.
The Satpura Foundation, is a grass-roots organization that coordinates conservation efforts in the area, which continue to face challenges from development and infrastructure projects, logging and poaching.
Toranmal
is a hill retreat in Maharashtra
. Its Gorakhnath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and visited by thousands of devotees on Mahashivratri. Pilgrims often walk barefoot for days from surrounding areas in the Nandurbar district and across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to make the yatra
to Toranmal through Shahada
.
Pachmarhi
, another hill retreat in the range, has a range of attractions from its forests, animal reserve, rivers and rocky terrain. It is a popular destination for trekking, fishing and adventure activities.
of the Indian Navy
named for the range.
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
s in central India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
coast, running east through Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
to Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
. The range parallels the Vindhya Range
Vindhya Range
The Vindhya Range is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent, which geographically separates the Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India.- Introduction :...
to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the Indo-Gangetic plain
Indo-Gangetic plain
The northern Plains also known as the Indo - Gangetic Plain and The North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, parts of southern Nepal and virtually all of Bangladesh...
of northern India and Pakistan from the Deccan Plateau to the south. The Narmada River
Narmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
runs in the depression between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, and draining the northern slope of the Satpura range and running west towards the Arabian Sea. The Tapti River
Tapti River
The Tapi River ancient original name Tapi River , is a river in central India. It is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around 724 km...
drains the southern slopes of the western end of the Satpura Range. The Godavari River
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
and its tributaries drain the Deccan plateau, which lies south of the central and eastern portions of the range, and the Mahanadi River
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...
drains the easternmost portion of the range. The Godavari and Mahanadi rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal. At its eastern end, the Satpura range meets the hills of the Chota Nagpur Plateau
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
.
Geography
The eastern portion of the range receives more rainfall than the western portion, and the eastern range, together with the Eastern GhatsEastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...
, constitute the Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests
Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests
The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of east-central India. The ecoregion covers an area of , extending across portions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Orissa states.-Setting:The Eastern Highlands...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
. The seasonally dry western portion of the range, together with the Narmada valley and the western Vindhya Range, are within the Narmada valley dry deciduous forests
Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests
The Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests are a tropical dry forest ecoregion of central India. The ecoregion lies mostly in Madhya Pradesh state, but extends into portions of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh states.-Setting:...
ecoregion.
The Narmada and the Tapi are major rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. The Narmada originates in eastern Madhya Pradesh and flows west across the state, through a narrow valley between the Vindhya Range and spurs of the Satpura Range. It flows into the Gulf of Khambhat
Gulf of Khambhat
The Gulf of Khambhat is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. It is about 80 miles in length, and divides the Kathiawar peninsula to the west from the eastern part of Gujarat state on the east. The Narmada and Tapti rivers empty into the Gulf...
. The Tapi follows a shorter, parallel course, between 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) and 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) south of the Narmada, flowing through the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat to drain into the Gulf of Khambhat.
History
YawalYawal
Yawal is a city and a municipal council in Jalgaon district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.Places in Yawal:*Anjale*Chikhali Bk*Chikhali Kh*Rajore*Bamnod*Padlase*Amode/Amoda*Faizpur*Nhavi*SANGVI BK*KINGAON*MALOD*HAMBARDI-Demographics:...
in the Satpura range is the site of an old fort said to belong to the Nimbalkars Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
clan.
Narnala
Narnala
Narnala also known as "Shahanur Fort" is an Indian hill fortress in Maharashtra, India. Narnala was one of the thirteen sarkar of Berar Subah...
is a hill fortress, whose earliest fortifications predates 1400 CE. First fortifications are believed to have been built by Naryendrapun, a descendant of the Pandavas and a king of Hastinapur. Further construction and expansion continued under successive rulers, including the Bahmani Sultanate
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
.
Ecology
Most of the Satpura range was heavily forested; but the area has been subject to gradual deforestation in recent decades, although significant stands of forests remain. These forest enclaves provide habitat to several at risk and endangered species, including the Bengal tigerBengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
(Panthera tigris), gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
(Bos gaurus), dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
(Cuon alpinus), sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
(Melursus ursinus), chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), and blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....
(Antilope cervicapra).
Several protected areas have been earmarked in the area, including the Kanha
Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. In the 1930s, Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300 km² . Kanha National Park was created on 1 June, 1955. Today it stretches over an...
, Pench
Pench National Park
For Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh, see Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh.Pench National Park, nestling in the lower southern reaches of the satpuda hills is named after Pench river, meandering through the park from north to south...
, Gugamal
Gugamal National Park
Gugamal National Park has an area of 1673.93 square kilometers. Built in 1974, this park is located in Chikhaldara and Dharni Tehsils of Amravati District, Maharashtra, India...
and Satpura
Satpura National Park
Satpura National Park is located in district Hoshangabad of Madhya Pradesh in India. It gets the name from Satpura hill ranges ....
National Parks
National parks of India
This is a list of all national parks of India. India's first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park. By 1970, India only had five national parks...
, Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
The Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is a conservation area in the Satpura Range of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It was created on March 3, 1999 by the Indian Government, and covers parts of Hoshangabad, Betul, and Chhindwara districts....
, Melghat Tiger Reserve
Melghat
Melghat was declared a Tiger Reserve and was among the first nine Tiger Reserves notified in 1973-74 under the Project Tiger. It is located in northern part of Amravati District of Maharashtra State in India. The Tapti River and the Gawilgadh ridge of the Satpura Range form the boundaries of the...
and the Bori Reserve Forest.
The Satpura Foundation, is a grass-roots organization that coordinates conservation efforts in the area, which continue to face challenges from development and infrastructure projects, logging and poaching.
Tourism
The national parks and reserves in the Satpura range attract hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.Toranmal
Toranmal
Toranmal is an Hill Station in the municipal council of the Nandurbar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. One can reach through Shahada. It is a hill station located in the Satpura Range. Its Gorakhnath Temple is the site of a Yatra attended by thousands of devotees on Mahashivratri...
is a hill retreat in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. Its Gorakhnath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and visited by thousands of devotees on Mahashivratri. Pilgrims often walk barefoot for days from surrounding areas in the Nandurbar district and across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to make the yatra
Yatra
' , in Hinduism and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage to a holy site, and is...
to Toranmal through Shahada
Shahada, Maharashtra
Shahādā , one of the 7 Tehsils in the Nandurbar district, is a town situated in the northwest corner of Maharashtra state in India. Shahādā town was in Dhule District until 1 July 1998...
.
Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi is a hill station in Madhya Pradesh state of central India, also known for the Pachmarhi Cantonment. It is widely known as "Satpura ki Rani" , situated at a height of 1000 m in a valley of the Satpura Range in Hoshangabad district...
, another hill retreat in the range, has a range of attractions from its forests, animal reserve, rivers and rocky terrain. It is a popular destination for trekking, fishing and adventure activities.
Other
is a Shivalik class frigateShivalik class frigate
The Shivalik class frigates or Project 17 class frigates are multi-role frigates with stealth features being built for the Indian Navy. They are the first warships being built in India with such features. The lead vessel of the class was commissioned on April 29, 2010.The Shivalik class will be the...
of the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
named for the range.