Nallamalla Hills
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The Nallamalas (also called the Nallamalla Range) are a section of the
Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...
which forms the eastern boundary of
Rayalaseema Rayalaseema (IAST: ''Rāyalasīma'') is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, and ...
region of the state of
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
and
Nagarkurnool Nagarkurnool is a town and is the district headquarters of Nagarkurnool district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located at nearly 120 km from the state capital, Hyderabad. The town has a great history and it was a district headqua ...
district of the state of
Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...
, in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. They run in a nearly north–south alignment, parallel to the
Coromandel Coast The Coromandel Coast is a coastal region along the southeastern front of the Indian peninsula. Its delimitations are numerous, but generally admitted to be bounded by the Krishna River, Krishna river River mouth, mouth to the north, the Bay of B ...
for close to 430 km between th rivers,
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
and
Pennar Penna (also known as Pinakini, Penneru, Penner, Pennar, Pennai) is a river of southern India. After originating from Nandi hills, it flows as two different streams, one in North and South directions. The Penna rises in the Nandi Hills in Chi ...
. Its northern boundaries are marked by the flat Palnadu basin while in the south it merges with the Tirupati hills. An extremely old system, the hills have extensively weathered and eroded over the years. The average elevation today is about 520 m which reaches 1100 m at Bhairani Konda and 1048 m at Gundla Brahmeswara. Both of these peaks are in a north westerly direction from the town of Cumbum. There are also many other peaks above 800m. There are several sites in this forest such as Ahobilam and Tungabhadra valley.


Geology

The rocks of the Nallamala ranges belong to the Kadapa system which is a series some 20,000 ft. thick. The primary rocks are
quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...
overlaid with an irregular slaty formation. Some
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
is also to be found. The rocks here are very irregular and soft in texture thus rendering commercial exploitation impossible. These rocks are among the oldest in the world and have been formed as a result of large scale volcanic activity hundreds of millions of years ago. The evidence of the volcanic forces are evident in the foldings into which the rocks have been forced. Rock age : proterozoic


Climate

The Nallamalas have a rather warm to hot climate throughout the year. Rainfall averages about 90 cm and is concentrated in the months of the
Southwest monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
(June–September). The fissured rocks prevent any water from percolating underground and hence most of the discharge runs off as mountain streams to join the
Gundlakamma River The Gundlakamma River is a seasonal waterway that flows through the east-central part of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It arises in the Nallamala Hills, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats. Gundlakamma is the largest of all the rivers that ...
, the largest river to arise in these hills. Winters are mostly cool and dry with the average temperature around 25 degrees Celsius. Summers are very hot, with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius.


Gallery

File:Nallamalla forests at Srisailam.jpg, Nallamalla forests at Srisailam Image:Nallamallafar.JPG, The Nallamallas from a distance during the dry season Image:Sunflowernallamalla.JPG, Sunflower cultivation at the foot of Cumbum at the Nallamalas File:Afternoon in Nallamalla forest Krishna River.jpg, After noon in Nallamalla Forest Image:Start of the Nallamala.JPG, The railway curves into the Nallamalas at the Nandikamma Pass, Cumbum Image:Cumbum Lake 1.JPG, A view of the Cumbum Lake File:Nallamalla forests at Ahobilam 01.jpg, Nallamalla forests at
Ahobilam Ahobilam (Telugu: ఆహోబిలం, Tamil: திருசிங்கவேள் குன்றம், Sanskrit: अहोबिलम्‎) is a revered town, collection of temples, and a sacred pilgrimage site nestled within the rugge ...
File:Ugra stambham rock at Ahobilam 02.jpg, Ugra stambham rock at
Ahobilam Ahobilam (Telugu: ఆహోబిలం, Tamil: திருசிங்கவேள் குன்றம், Sanskrit: अहोबिलम्‎) is a revered town, collection of temples, and a sacred pilgrimage site nestled within the rugge ...
File:Nallamalla hills on rainy day 01.jpg, Nallamalla hills on rainy day near Atmakur File:Chenchu tribal hunting.jpg, Chenchu tribal hunting picture from Nallamala Hills File:Pre Historic Mid Krishna-Tungabhadra Valley sites.jpg, Pre Historic Mid Krishna-Tungabhadra Valley sites File:Morning in Nallamalla Forest.jpg, Morning in Nallamalla Forest File:Tribals staying in Nallamalla Forest.jpg, Tribals staying in Nallamalla Forest File:Evening at Nallamala.jpg, view on Sun set time File:Trek to Ugra stambham at Ahobilam.jpg, Trek to Ugra stambham at Ahobilam in Nallamala Forests File:View From Boat Jouney towards caves.jpg, View From Boat Journey towards caves File:Dirt road along Nallamala Forests near Ahobilam.jpg, Dirt road along Nallamala Forests near Ahobilam


Flora and fauna

These hills are almost completely covered with open jungle. Lack of water prevents the growth of large trees and the prevalent vegetation consists of
dry deciduous forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...
with the trees ''
Terminalia Terminalia may refer to: * Terminalia (festival) Terminalia () was an ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Terminus, who presided over boundaries. His statue was merely a stone or post stuck in the ground to distinguish between propert ...
,
Hardwickia ''Hardwickia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the subfamily Detarioideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The only species is the anjan, ''Hardwickia binata'', a tree which is native to India and Bangladesh, and which grows to height o ...
'' and ''
Pterocarpus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yi ...
'' predominant.
Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
is almost non existent apart from isolated patches near villages where
subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occ ...
is practiced. The Nallamala Forests are probably the largest stretch of undisturbed forest in South India apart from the Western Ghats and were particularly rich in game till the 1970s. A large part of the forest is a part of the
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India encompassing an area of in five districts: Nandyal, Prakasam, Palnadu, Nalgonda and Mahabub Nagar districts of Andhra Pradesh. Its core area is . Geography The h ...
that has a viable tiger population. Leopard sightings too are not uncommon. Many of the adventures of the popular wildlife writer, Kenneth Anderson are set in these forests.


Population

The uneven terrain and the scarcity of water has prevented the growth of any large cities in this region.
Nandyal Nandyal, commonly called as Nandyala, is a city and the district headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of the Andhra Pradesh. It is a Municipal corporation and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division. Dem ...
is the largest city in this region. The indigenous population consists of the
Chenchu The Chenchus are a Dravidian tribe, designated as Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha. They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life been based on hunting and gathering. The ...
s, a forest dwelling tribe who have remained cut off from the modern world even today. Farming is the primary occupation of the people in the plateaus while the Chenchus are still hunter gatherers. The hills were a hotbed of Naxal activities until recently. They once kidnapped young children (evidence?). Police action since 2005 has all but cleared the forest of them.


Transport

A state highway and the Nallapadu-Nandyal line of the
Guntur railway division Guntur railway division is one of the six divisions of the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. The division was sanctioned in 1995–96 and was fully operational on 1 April 2003, with its headquarters at Guntur. The ''Rail Vikas Bhavan ...
pass through the hills. The railway was first built by the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway and is a feat of engineering, having 2 tunnels at Bogada and Chelama and a few viaducts, the most famous being the now abandoned Dorabavi Viaduct. The railway enters the hills at the Nandikama Pass near Cumbum Lake. The highway follows a zig zag alignment and thus avoids any tunnels. The primary exports of this region are forest produce like timber waste, honey and molasses.


Places of interest

Srisailam Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division, Nandyal district, Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the distri ...
on the River Krishna is the site of a large hydroelectric power project as also an ancient temple dedicated to
Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...
.
Mahanandi Mahanandi is a village located east of the Nallamala Hills of Nandyal District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is surrounded by forests. Within 15 km of Mahanandi, there are nine Nandi shrines known as ''Nava nandulu''. Mahanandi is one of t ...
temple and
Ahobilam Ahobilam (Telugu: ఆహోబిలం, Tamil: திருசிங்கவேள் குன்றம், Sanskrit: अहोबिलम्‎) is a revered town, collection of temples, and a sacred pilgrimage site nestled within the rugge ...
Nava Narsimha Temples are situated here. A stream descends down the Gundla Brahmeswara peak and ends in a waterfall and sacred pool called Nemaligundam (Peacock Pool). The
Mallela Theertham Mallela Theertham is a waterfall located in the Nallamala Forest in Nagarkurnool, Telangana, India. The River Krishna flows through this forest. It is located around 58 km from Srisailam and 185 km from Hyderabad. Waterfall Mallel ...
waterfall on the river Krishna is also located in this forest. The Cumbum Lake is one of Asia's oldest man made lakes and dates back to the 15th century. It was built by the Gajapati kings of Orissa for irrigating about 420 km2 farmland by damming a narrow opening between two adjoining hills and later renovated by queen Vardarajamma of Vijayanagara kingdom in the 16th century. Mahanandi Temple View.jpg, Mahanandi Temple along the foothills of Nallamala Srisailam Entrance Gopuram.jpg, Srisailam Entrance Gopuram Mallelatheertham.JPG, Mallelatheertham Waterfalls, Srisailam Upper Ahobilam temple Gopuram 02.jpg, Upper Ahobilam temple Gopuram


Notable incidents

On 2 September 2009, a Bell-430 chopper carrying the
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, with two pilots, a chief security officer and secretary went missing in the Nallamala forest. After nearly twenty four hours of search by police, para military, Indian Army, Indian Air Force, India Space Research Organization personnel among others, the chopper was located in a mangled and charred state on the top of the 800 ft. Pavuralla Konda (Doves' hill). All five died in the crash owing to inclement weather conditions.


See also

*
Gundlakamma River The Gundlakamma River is a seasonal waterway that flows through the east-central part of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It arises in the Nallamala Hills, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats. Gundlakamma is the largest of all the rivers that ...
*
Guntur railway division Guntur railway division is one of the six divisions of the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. The division was sanctioned in 1995–96 and was fully operational on 1 April 2003, with its headquarters at Guntur. The ''Rail Vikas Bhavan ...
*
Nallamala Forest Nallamala Forest is located in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is part of the Eastern Ghats. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India and is spread across districts of Nandyal, Kadapa, P ...
*
Prakasam District Prakasam district is one of the twelve districts in the coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised on 4 April 2022. The headquarters of the district is ...


References

{{Authority control Hills of Andhra Pradesh Hills of Telangana Eastern Ghats Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Geography of Kurnool district Geography of Guntur district Geography of Prakasam district Geography of Kadapa district Geography of Nellore district Geography of Tirupati district