Western Ghats

Western Ghats, north–south-running range of mountains or hills in western India that forms the crest of the western edge of the Deccan plateau parallel to the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats are a biodiversity hot spot, a biologically rich but threatened region, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. They play a huge role in India’s monsoon weather pattern. The eastern edge of the Deccan plateau is formed by another of the Ghats, the Eastern Ghats.

The steep seaward slopes of the Western Ghats rise abruptly from the coastal plain of the Arabian Sea as an escarpment of variable height and are deeply dissected by streams and canyonlike valleys. The slopes on the range’s landward side are gentle and transition to wide valleys. The chain, which contains a series of residual plateaus and peaks separated by saddles and passes, extends northward to the Tapti River and southward almost to Cape Comorin at India’s southern tip.

The hill station (resort) of Mahabaleshwar, located on a laterite plateau, is one of the highest elevations in the northern half of the chain, rising to 4,700 feet (1,430 metres). The mountains attain elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet (900 to 1,500 metres) in the north but rise less than 3,000 feet in the area south of Goa. They are higher again, however, in the far south, where they terminate in several uplifted blocks bordered by steep slopes on all sides. There are found the Nilgiri Hills, with their highest peak, Doda Betta (8,652 feet [2,637 metres]); and the Anaimalai, Palni, and Cardamom hills, all three of which radiate from the highest peak in the Western Ghats, Anai Peak (Anai Mudi, 8,842 feet [2,695 metres]). The Western Ghats proper are separated by the Palghat Gap from their southward extension, the Southern Ghats.

Several major rivers—notably the holy Krishna (Kistna), Godavari, and Kaveri (Cauvery) rivers—have their headwaters in the Western Ghats. Because the mountains slope down abruptly to the western maritime plains, theoretically they should be conducive to allowing dams to harness water flowing down the steep slope. However, the rivulets that rise on the summit have an insignificant volume of flow in winter. Nevertheless, some rivers in the Western Ghats have been dammed to produce electric power.

The Western Ghats constitute peninsular India’s principal watershed. The range traps the moisture of winds from the Arabian Sea, creating a tropical monsoon climate along the narrow western littoral and depriving the Deccan of significant precipitation. The early monsoonal airstream piles up against the mountains’ steep slopes and then recedes before piling up again to greater heights. Increasingly thicker clouds are pushed upward until wind and clouds roll over the barrier and, after a few brief spells of absorption by the dry inland air, cascade toward the interior. The Western Ghats are one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet.

The diversity of ecosystems represented in the Western Ghats ranges from tropical wet evergreen forests to montane grasslands, which contain many medicinal plants and significant genetic resources, including wild relatives of fruits, grains, and spices. The region also includes some of the world’s best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests. More than 300 globally threatened flora and fauna species are found in the Western Ghats, which contain more than 30 percent of all plant, fish, bird, and mammal species found in India. Moreover, the Western Ghats are home to some 17 percent of the world’s tigers (Panthera tigris) and about 30 percent of the world’s Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).