Paper I · 8 Geography & Demography of Telangana · 8.1 Location, physiography and climate
8.1.2 Physiographic divisions and geology of the Deccan plateau in Telangana
Telangana is a part of the Deccan plateau that slopes from about 600 m in the west to below 300 m in the Godavari and Krishna valleys in the east; it divides into the Telangana plateau, the Godavari basin and the Krishna piedmont, and rests mostly on very old granite and gneiss, with Gondwana coal rocks along the Godavari and Deccan basalt in the north-west.
- TGPSC MPSO / ASO · Paper I
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Core facts
- Telangana lies on the Deccan plateau; the part in the state is called the Telangana plateau.
- General slope: west to east (also north-west to south-east). So the Godavari and Krishna flow east across it.
- Three altitude zones: above 600 m (west), 300–600 m (middle), below 300 m (east, the river valleys).
- Three physiographic divisions (areas as given in state books):
- Telangana plateau: about 59,903 sq km, the largest
- Godavari basin: about 37,934 sq km
- Krishna piedmont: about 14,240 sq km, the smallest.
- Highest point: Doli Gutta, about 965 m, on the Mulugu (Telangana)–Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) border, as given by topographic data; there is no state notification of a highest point. Some state books name the Lakshmidevipalli hills (Siddipet) as the highest of the "Eastern Ghats" hills in Telangana.
- Rocks: mostly Archaean granite and gneiss (very old crystalline rocks). Gondwana rocks with coal lie in the Godavari valley. Deccan trap basalt covers parts of the north-west.
- Coal: the Singareni coalfield in the Pranhita–Godavari Gondwana valley; Singareni Collieries has its headquarters at Kothagudem.
- Musi rises in the Ananthagiri hills (Vikarabad).
- Pandavula Gutta (Jayashankar Bhupalpally) is a GSI National Geo-heritage Site.
Explained
1. The plateau and its slope
- The Deccan plateau rises in the west (towards Maharashtra and Karnataka) and falls gently to the east.
- In Telangana the high western upland around Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Sangareddy and Medak stands at about 500–600 m and above.
- The land falls to below 300 m in the Godavari valley (Mancherial, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem) and the lower Krishna valley (Nalgonda, Suryapet).
- This is why most rivers of the state drain east or south-east to the Bay of Bengal (rivers: see TGG-WA-01).
2. Altitude zones (erosion surfaces)
| Zone | Where | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Above 600 m | Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal–Malkajgiri, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Medak, parts of Siddipet and Nagarkurnool | Old worn-down surface (peneplain) on Archaean rocks; granite tors and boulders |
| 300–600 m | Belt between the west and the valleys: Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Warangal region | Tanks and lakes; Krishna–Tungabhadra valley at about 300–450 m |
| Below 300 m | Both banks of the Godavari and the lower Krishna: erstwhile Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda | Valleys, alluvium along rivers, fertile plains |
3. The three physiographic divisions
| Division | Area (approx.) | Districts / places | Rocks and features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telangana plateau | 59,903 sq km | Nirmal (Bhainsa–Nirmal plateau), Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Medak, Sangareddy, Hyderabad, Bhuvanagiri–Ramannapet, Devarakonda, Nalgonda–Miryalaguda, Suryapet–Huzurnagar plateaus | Archaean granite and gneiss; hills and hillocks; uneven surface |
| Godavari basin | 37,934 sq km | Nizamabad, Nirmal, Mancherial, Jagtial, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem | Gondwana sandstone and shale with coal; floods in the rains |
| Krishna piedmont | 14,240 sq km | Narayanpet, Mahabubnagar, Jogulamba Gadwal, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda (Devarakonda, Miryalaguda), Suryapet (Huzurnagar, Kodad) | Exposed rock surfaces; Archaean and Proterozoic rocks |
- The three areas add up to the state's 1,12,077 sq km.
- A piedmont is land at the foot of hills; here, the rocky land sloping down to the Krishna.
4. Hills and ranges by district
| Hills | District | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Satmala (Sahyadri) hills | Adilabad | Offshoot of the Sahyadri–Ajanta uplands entering from Maharashtra |
| Nirmal hills | Nirmal | Mahbub ghat on the Nirmal–Adilabad road is the best-known ghat section |
| Sirpur hills, Kerimeri ghat | Kumuram Bheem Asifabad | Forested north-east |
| Rakhi hills | Jagtial, Rajanna Sircilla | |
| Ramagiri hills | Peddapalli | Ramagiri fort |
| Pandavula Gutta | Jayashankar Bhupalpally | Rock shelters and paintings; GSI geo-heritage site |
| Sirnapalli hills | Nizamabad, Kamareddy | Sirnapalli towards Armoor |
| Boju (Buju) hills | Medak | |
| Lakshmidevipalli hills | Siddipet | Highest of the Eastern Ghats hills in Telangana (books) |
| Ananthagiri hills | Vikarabad | Source of the Musi; Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple; medicinal plants |
| Rachakonda hills | Rangareddy, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Nalgonda | Between Hyderabad and Devarakonda |
| Nallamala and Amrabad hills | Nagarkurnool | Eastern Ghats; Amrabad Tiger Reserve |
| Shabad hills | Rangareddy–Mahabubnagar | |
| Koilkonda hills | Narayanpet–Mahabubnagar | |
| Kanakagiri, Yellandlapadu hills | Khammam |
- Eastern Ghats in Telangana appear only as broken low ranges in the south (Nallamala, Amrabad) and scattered hills; they have no one local name.
- The hills of the Hyderabad–Mahabubnagar upland are grouped by books as the Balaghat range.
5. Geology: the rocks under Telangana
| Rock group | Age | Where in Telangana | What it gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archaean granite and gneiss (Peninsular Gneiss; Eastern Dharwar Craton) | Over 2,500 million years | Most of the plateau: Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Medak, Karimnagar, Warangal | Building granite (Hyderabad, Karimnagar); tors and boulders; red soils |
| Dharwar schists (greenstone belts) | Archaean | Narrow belts within the gneiss | Metal ores in small amounts |
| Proterozoic basins (Cuddapah, Pakhal, Penganga, Bhima) | About 1,800–600 million years | Cuddapah: Nagarkurnool–Nalgonda–Suryapet (Nallamala, Nagarjuna Sagar side); Pakhal: Warangal–Mulugu–Khammam; Penganga: Adilabad; Bhima: Vikarabad (Tandur), on the Karnataka side | Limestone (cement at Adilabad, Tandur, Huzurnagar–Mattampally belt), Tandur stone, quartzite |
| Gondwana | About 300–150 million years | Pranhita–Godavari valley: Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam | Coal (Singareni) |
| Deccan traps (basalt) | About 66 million years (end of Cretaceous) | North-west: Adilabad, Nirmal, parts of Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Sangareddy (Zaheerabad side), Vikarabad | Black cotton soil |
| Alluvium | Recent | Along the Godavari, Krishna and their tributaries | Fertile river plains |
- Hard rocks (granite, gneiss, basalt, old sediments) underlie about 80% of the state (CGWB). Groundwater sits in weathered and fractured rock, so wells fail in drought and tanks matter.
- The Gondwana rocks of the Godavari valley are softer sandstones and shales. They hold coal and form good, multi-layer aquifers.
- The Singareni Collieries Company Limited was incorporated on 23 December 1920 under the Hyderabad Companies Act, taking over the Hyderabad (Deccan) Company, which had acquired the coal-mining rights in 1886; its headquarters is Kothagudem (coal details: TGG-RE-01).
Common traps
- ✗ "The Telangana plateau slopes from east to west." ✓ It slopes from west to east; rivers flow east.
- ✗ "The Godavari basin is the largest physiographic division." ✓ The Telangana plateau (about 59,903 sq km) is largest; the Godavari basin (about 37,934 sq km) is second; the Krishna piedmont is smallest.
- ✗ "Coal in Telangana lies in Dharwar rocks." ✓ Coal lies in Gondwana rocks of the Pranhita–Godavari valley.
- ✗ "Deccan trap basalt covers most of Telangana." ✓ It covers only parts of the north-west; most of the state is Archaean granite and gneiss.
- ✗ "The Musi rises in the Rachakonda hills." ✓ It rises in the Ananthagiri hills, Vikarabad.
- ✗ "Satmala hills are in Khammam." ✓ Adilabad.
- ✗ "Lakshmidevipalli hills are in Mahabubnagar." ✓ Siddipet (formerly Medak district).
- ✗ "Singareni's headquarters is at Ramagundam." ✓ Kothagudem (Bhadradri Kothagudem).
- ✗ "Nallamala hills are in Khammam." ✓ Nagarkurnool (south, along the Krishna).
Quick revision
- Deccan plateau; slope west → east; zones >600 m, 300–600 m, <300 m.
- Divisions: Telangana plateau 59,903 (largest), Godavari basin 37,934, Krishna piedmont 14,240 sq km (smallest).
- Highest point: Doli Gutta, about 965 m, Mulugu–Chhattisgarh border.
- Lakshmidevipalli hills (Siddipet): highest Eastern Ghats hills in TG (books).
- Satmala: Adilabad; Nirmal hills, Mahbub ghat: Nirmal; Sirpur: Asifabad.
- Ananthagiri (Vikarabad) = source of Musi; Nallamala, Amrabad = Nagarkurnool.
- Pandavula Gutta (Bhupalpally) = GSI geo-heritage site.
- Rocks: Archaean granite-gneiss (most), Proterozoic limestone basins, Gondwana coal, Deccan basalt (NW).
- Hard rock under about 80% of state (CGWB).
- Singareni coal, Pranhita–Godavari valley; HQ Kothagudem.
Go deeper: Deeper, Mains writing (beyond what TGPSC MPSO / ASO usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
- Why the slope matters. The west-to-east tilt means rivers cut deep valleys in the east and leave the western upland short of surface water. Hyderabad and the southern districts depend on tanks, lift schemes and groundwater.
- Peninsular India and Gondwana. Peninsular India was part of the old southern landmass Gondwanaland. The Gondwana coal rocks formed in rift valleys, like the Pranhita–Godavari valley, from plant matter buried about 300–150 million years ago.
- Two very different soils from two rocks. Granite and gneiss weather into red sandy and loamy soils (chalkas, dubbas). Deccan basalt weathers into black clay soils (regur) in the north-west. Soils: TGG-LA-01.
- The highest point question. State reference books have named different "highest" places (Lakshmidevipalli, Ananthagiri, an Amrabad hill). Topographic data put Doli Gutta (about 965 m) on the Chhattisgarh border in Mulugu district highest. Online summaries report that a higher summit, Pedda Konda (about 1,360 m), lay in the mandals transferred to Andhra Pradesh in 2014; this is not an official figure.
- Statement-level points.
- The Telangana plateau is the largest division and the Krishna piedmont the smallest.
- The plateau slopes west to east, not east to west.
- Gondwana = Godavari valley = coal. Deccan traps = north-west = black soil.
- Musi rises in the Ananthagiri hills (Vikarabad).
- Satmala hills are in Adilabad; Sirnapalli in Nizamabad; Ramagiri in Peddapalli; Nallamala in Nagarkurnool.
Mains writing Mains writing
- Frame: Telangana's relief and rocks explain its water problem and its mineral wealth. An old hard-rock plateau with a west-to-east tilt has little natural storage, while the Godavari valley holds coal.
- Points:
- Hard rocks under about 80% of the state: shallow aquifers, dependence on tanks (the Kakatiya tank system), and lift irrigation.
- Gondwana coal: Singareni, thermal power at Ramagundam and Kothagudem.
- Proterozoic limestone: cement belts (Adilabad, Tandur, Nalgonda–Suryapet).
- Deccan basalt in the north-west: black soils, cotton.
- Hills: forests and tribal areas (Nallamala, Sirpur, Godavari valley).
- Way forward: groundwater recharge suited to hard rocks; protect tank catchments; plan mining with forest and tribal safeguards; protect geo-heritage such as Pandavula Gutta.
- Model opening line: "Telangana's geography is written in its rocks: ancient granite for its uplands, Gondwana coal for its valleys and basalt for its black soils."
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