page_title: Vindhya Range
section_title: Cultural significance
hierarchical_section_title: Vindhya Range / Cultural significance
caption_attribution_description: English: Identifier: memoirsofgeologi71871geol (find matches) Title: Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India Year: 1859 (1850s) Authors: Geological Survey of India Subjects: Geology Mines and mineral resources Publisher: Calcutta&#160;: Pub. by order of the Governor-General of India Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: -Carol. Academy of Natural Sciences&#160;; of the Ids, Dresden; of the Roy, Oeol. Sac. of Cornwall: Edinburgh, &amp;c.; Corr. Mem. of Zool. Soc, lond., &lt;kc,, &amp;e., STTPEEINTENDENT OF THE GEOtOGICAL STTEVET OE IITDIA, CALCUTTA: FEINTED FOR THE GOVEENMENT OF INDIA. SOLD AT THE GEOLOGICAL SITEVET OFFICE, OFFICE OF SUPEEINTENDENT OF GOVEENMENT FEINTING, AND BY ALL B00K3ELLEES&#160;; LONDON&#160;: WILLIAMS AND NOEGATB. MDCCCLXIX. CALCUTTA: OFFICE OF BFPEEINTENDENT OF GOyEENMENT PEINTINO, 1869. CONTENTS. Page. On the ViNDHYAN Series, &lt;is exhibited in the North-Western and Central Provinces of India, hy Fred. R. Mallet, f. g. s..Geological Survey of India ... ... ... ... ... 1 Mineral Statistics of India—Coal, by T, Oldham, l. l. d., f. r. s.. Superintendent, Geological Survey of India ... ... ... 131 Geological Sketch of the Shillong Plateau in North-EasternBengal, by Henry B. Medlicott, a. m., f. g. s.. DeputySuperintendent, Geological Survey of India ... ... ... 151 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Text Appearing After Image: immmmmm MEMOIRS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. On the ViNDHYAJsr Seeies, as exMiited in the Noeth-Western andCentral Peovinces of India, ly Feed. H. Mallet, f. g. s., Geolo-gical Purvey of India. CONTENTS, Page. Chapter 1.—Area: Previous observers ... ... ... 1 „ 2.—Ptysical geography of area ... ... ... 14 „ 3,—Formations overlying and underlying tte Yindhyan ... 21 „ 4.—Sub-division of Yindhyan series ... ... ... 26 „ 5.—Lower Yindhyans ... ... ... ... 29 „ 6.—Upper Yindhyans ... , ... •■• ... 47 , , TT- (Lower... ... ... 48 (a) Kymore group ... (xjpper... ... ... 50 . 7 , Tj T, (Lower... ... ... 62 (h) Rewab „ ... I^pp^^ 73 ^ , -D J . (Lower... ... ... 80 (0) Bundair „ ...&#160;;xjpper... 94 „ 7.—TMckness; area; fossils; age; denudation ... ... 101 „ 8.—Economic geology ... ... ... ... 113 „ 9.—Representatives of Yindhyan series in otlier parts of India... 123 Chaptee 1.—Aeea: Previous Observers. The area to be described in the ensuing pmemoirsofgeologi71871geol Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.
context_page_description: The Vindhya Range is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
  Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the geological sense. The exact extent of the Vindhyas is loosely defined, and historically, the term covered a number of distinct hill systems in central India, including the one that is now known as the Satpura Range. Today, the term principally refers to the escarpment that runs north of and roughly parallel to the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh, and its hilly extensions. Depending on the definition, the range extends up to Gujarat in the west, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the north and Chhattisgarh in the east.
  The Vindhyas have a great significance in Indian mythology and history. Several ancient texts mention the Vindhyas as the southern boundary of the Āryāvarta, the territory of the ancient Indo-Aryan peoples. Although today Indo-Aryan languages are spoken south of the Vindhyas, the range continues to be considered as the traditional boundary between north and south India. The former Vindhya Pradesh was named after the Vindhya Range.
context_section_description: The Vindhyas are regarded as the traditional geographical boundary between north Indian and south India, and have a distinguished status in both mythology and geography of India. In the ancient Indian texts, the Vindhyas are seen as the demarcating line between the territories of the Indo-Aryans and that of the others. The most ancient Hindu texts consider it as the southern boundary of Aryavarta. The Mahabharata mentions that the Nishadas and other Mleccha tribes reside in the forests of the Vindhyas. Although the Indo-Aryan languages (such as Marathi and Konkani) spread to the south of Vindhyas later, the Vindhyas continued to be seen as the traditional boundary between the northern and the southern Indian nations.
  Vindhyas appear prominently in the Indian mythological tales. Although the Vindhyas are not very high, historically, they were considered highly inaccessible and dangerous due to dense vegetation and the hostile tribes residing there. In the older Sanskrit texts, such as the Ramayana, they are described as the unknown territory infested with cannibals and demons. The later texts describe the Vindhya range as the residence of fierce form of Shakti (goddess Kali or Durga), who has lived there since slaying the demons. She is described as Vindhyavasini ("Vindhya dweller"), and a temple dedicated to her is located in the Vindhyachal town of Uttar Pradesh. The Mahabharata mentions the Vindhyas as the "eternal abode" of Kali.
  According to one legend, the Vindhya mountain once competed with the Mount Meru, growing so high that it obstructed the sun. The sage Agastya then asked Vindhya to lower itself, in order to facilitate his passage across to the south. In reverence for Agastya, the Vindhya lowered its height and promised not to grow until Agastya returned to the north. Agastya settled in the south, and the Vindhya mountain, true to its word, never grew further.
  The Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki's Ramayana mentions that Maya built a mansion in the Vindhyas. In Dashakumaracharita, the King Rajahamsa of Magadha and his ministers create a new colony in the Vindhya forest, after being forced out of their kingdom following a war defeat.
  The Vindhyas are one of the only two mountain ranges mentioned in the national anthem of India, the other being the Himalayas.
caption: A map of the "Vindhyan Series" from Geological Survey of India (1871)
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