Western Ghats

The Western Ghats rise inland from Bhatkal and the Kanara coast, separating the narrow coastal plain from the Deccan plateau. Monsoon rains fall heavily on the western slopes, nourishing evergreen forests and the rivers that descend towards the Arabian Sea. The mountains also shelter the pepper country of Gersoppa, whose produce reached the coast through ports such as Honnavara. Passes and river valleys provided the difficult routes by which goods moved between the forests, the plateau and the sea.