Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part 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 ...

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 ...

state, southeastern India. The Seshachalam hill ranges are predominantly present in Annamayya and

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...

districts of the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh.

Geology

The ranges were formed during the

Precambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...

supereon (3.8 billion to 539 million years ago). Minerals contained in these hills include sandstone and shale interbedded with limestone. The ranges are bounded by the

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 ...

uplands to the west and northwest, and the Nandyal Valley to the north.

Religious significance

Tirumala, a major

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

pilgrimage town near the city of Tirupati is located on the hills. The hills contain seven peaks namely, Anjanadri, Garudadri, Narayanadri, Neeladri, Seshadri, Venkatadri and Vrishabhadri, the highest at about 1000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level. The seven peaks are said to represent the seven hoods of Shesha, the king of the serpents in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...

. The

Sri Venkateswara National Park Sri Venkateswara National Park is a national park and biosphere reserve in Tirupati district, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India. The total area of the park is . The park is known for its many waterfalls, including the Talakona, Gundalakona and G ...

is also located in these ranges. The famous Natural Arch, Tirumala Hills is also a part of Seshachalam Hills, which dates back to the period in between Middle and Upper Proterozoic Eon. The Seshachalam hill ranges run North West to South East, to a length about 80 km and width ranging from 32 to 40 km in the two Rayalaseema districts, Tirupati and Kadapa. These ranges have typical gorges and gaps due to faulting and stream erosion resulting in discontinuous ranges. The altitude of Seshachalam hill ranges varies from 168 to 1187 m above MSL. The highest hill summit is Tellaralla penta (1187 m) and most of the other hill peaks are above 900 m MSL.

Protected reserve forest

In 2010, it was designated as a

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. It has large reserves of red sandalwood which is used in medicines, soaps, religious rituals, etc.

Gallery

File:Malwadi Gundam waterfalls on Tirumala hills.jpg, Malwadi Gundam waterfalls on Tirumala hills File:After heavy rain sky has been joined with cirrus and sun.......!.jpg, A scenic view of Seshachalam Hills

In popular culture

*'' Pushpa: The Rise'', a 2021 Indian film is about illegal logging in the Seshachalam Hills region

References

Encyclopædia Britannica

Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve
Hills of Andhra Pradesh Tirupati district Tirupati Eastern Ghats Geography of Tirupati district {{AndhraPradesh-geo-stub