The Maikal Hills are range of hills in the state of eastern

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

and

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

India. The Maikal Hills are an eastern part of the

Satpura The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and ends in Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and th ...

s in

Kawardha District Kabirdham district is one of the 33 administrative districts of Chhattisgarh state in central India. The district was earlier known as Kawardha district. The district is located between 21.32' to 22.28' north latitude and 80.48' to 81.48' east lo ...

of Chhattisgarh and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, overlooking the scenic town of

Kawardha Kawardha is a town and a municipality in Kabirdham district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Kabirdham district. Kawardha is also known for the "Temple of Bhoramdeo." The Member of Legislative asse ...

. Their altitudes range from 340 m to 941 m above sea level. This densely forested and thinly populated range gives rise to several streams and rivers including the tributaries of Narmada and Wainganga rivers. The hills are inhabited by two tribal peoples, the Baigas and the Gonds. The hill range is rich in flora and fauna wealth.

History

This region was once ruled by the Panduvamshis of Mekala. Their territory included parts of the present-day

Mandla Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and ...

Shahdol Shahdol is a city in Shahdol district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Shahdol district, The total geographical area of the district is . Demographics India census A census is the procedure o ...

, and Bilaspur districts.

Culture

Folk songs are part of the heritage of the tribal peoples of the Maikal Hills.

Geography

The Maikal are a hilly region in central India. This mountain range is one of the broad topographical divisions of Chhattisgarh. The landscape of Satpuda-Maikal extends for a distance of about five hundred kilometer. To one side of this stretch of landscape, the

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary The Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Mungeli district of Chhattisgarh and in the Anuppur and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh in India. It had been established in 1975, under the provisions of the ''Indian Wildlife Protection ...

of Chhattisgarh is located. On the other side of the Satpuda-Maikal lies the

Melghat Melghat was among the first nine tiger reserves of India to be notified in 1973 under Project Tiger. It is located at in the northern part of Amravati District of Maharashtra. Melghat Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as in 1985. The Tapti Riv ...

Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra. This stretch of land extends along with Satpuda and Maikal range in Chhattisgarh.

Natural Reserves

The following

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

are located in the range:

Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve in the

and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh and located in the Maikal hills of the Satpuras. Besides harbouring a viable population of the

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

, Kanha has distinguished itself in saving the endangered hard ground

barasingha The barasingha (''Rucervus duvaucelii''), also known as the swamp deer, is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent. Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal. ...

from extinction, and supporting the last world population of this deer speciesKanha National Park
/ref>

Geology

The hills are known to contain

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(O ...

, an ore for

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

References

External links

* Hills of Chhattisgarh Kabirdham district {{Chhattisgarh-geo-stub