Eastern Ghats

The wooded hills south of Bastar belong to the rugged upland country adjoining the Eastern Ghats. Unlike an unbroken mountain wall, the greater range consists of separate hills and plateaus cut by river valleys. To the south, the Godavari crosses the highlands on its way to the Bay of Bengal. Forest and difficult terrain shaped the routes between Bastar, the Deccan and the eastern lowlands, while the kingdom of Bastar grew around settlements farther north.