Location, Physiography and Drainage Role
The Maikal Hills are an important highland system of central India, forming the eastern extension of the Satpura Range. They extend mainly across eastern Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Chhattisgarh, especially around Mandla, Dindori, Anuppur and Kabirdham.
The Amarkantak Plateau lies within the broader Maikal highland region and gives the hills major hydrological significance.
- The Narmada originates near Amarkantak and flows westwards.
- The Sone rises nearby and drains north-eastwards into the Ganga system.
- The Johila and several tributaries of the Mahanadi and Narmada systems also drain the wider Maikal landscape.
Thus, the Maikal Hills form an important watershed between the Narmada, Ganga and Mahanadi drainage systems.
The terrain is characterised by:
- dissected plateaus and forested ridges;
- steep escarpments and narrow valleys;
- elevations generally ranging between 600–900 metres, with higher sections around Amarkantak;
- deeply weathered soils and lateritic surfaces in several areas.
Ecological and Tribal Landscape
The Maikal region forms a significant part of the Central Indian forest belt and acts as an ecological link between the Satpura forests and eastern Indian forest systems.
Vegetation is dominated by tropical moist and dry deciduous forests, with extensive sal and teak formations depending on local rainfall, soil and elevation.
The landscape supports:
- tiger, leopard, gaur and sloth bear;
- diverse ungulates and smaller mammals;
- rich bird and medicinal-plant diversity;
- important wildlife corridors connecting protected areas.
A major conservation unit is the Achanakmar–Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, which covers portions of the Maikal landscape in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The hills are also culturally significant because they are inhabited by several Adivasi communities, especially Gonds and Baigas. The Baiga landscape is closely associated with forest-based livelihoods, shifting cultivation traditions, medicinal knowledge and sacred landscapes.
The Baiga Chak region of Dindori district is particularly important as a concentration area of Baiga population and traditional forest culture.
Resources, Development and Environmental Concerns
The Maikal region contains significant natural resources, including:
- forests and non-timber forest produce;
- bauxite and other mineral deposits;
- coal-bearing areas in the adjoining eastern highlands;
- abundant headwater and groundwater resources.
These resources have also produced development pressures.
Major concerns include:
- mining and quarrying;
- forest fragmentation;
- road and infrastructure expansion;
- soil erosion on steep slopes;
- degradation of river-source and spring zones;
- human–wildlife conflict;
- livelihood pressures on forest-dependent tribal communities.
The Maikal Hills are therefore important not merely as a physiographic extension of the Satpuras, but as a hydrological divide, biodiversity corridor, tribal cultural landscape and resource-rich ecological zone. Their location around the Amarkantak source region gives them particular importance for the long-term ecological security of the Narmada, Sone and adjoining river basins.
