Mahendragiri Hills

Mahendragiri Hills Latest News

Recently, environmentalists warn of unchecked tourism projects in Odisha’s Mahendragiri hills

About Mahendragiri Hills

• Location: It is located in the Gajapati district of Odisha in the middle of Eastern Ghats.
• It was declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site in 2022 due to its rich flora and fauna.
• It is part of an almost unbroken chain of hills between the Mahanadi and the Godavari rivers.
• It is situated amongst the Eastern Ghats at an elevation of 1,501 metres above sea level.
• Tribal Communities: It is home to the Saora (Saura) and Kondh tribes.
• Biodiversity: It supports 1,348 species of plants and 388 species of animals, many of them endemic and threatened.
• Rivers: The major river in the area is the Mahendra Tanaya, originating from the hill top of Mahendragiri.
• Vegetation: The vegetation of the region is marked with the presence of tropical dry and wet deciduous forest range.
• The principal rock types of the hill range are granite, charnokite, khondalite with intrusive veins of chert, chalcedony, quartz of both crystalline and opec forms.
• The site also attracts pilgrims to its Panchpandava temples.

Source: DTE

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