The Vindhyas do not form a single range in the proper
geological sense: the hills collectively known as the Vindhyas do not lie along an
anticlinal or
synclinal ridge. The
Varaha Purana uses the name "Vindhya-pada" ("foot of the Vindhyas") for the Satpura range. Several ancient Indian texts and inscriptions (e.g. the
Nasik Prasasti of
Gautamiputra Satakarni) mention three mountain ranges in Central India: Vindhya (or "Vindhya proper"),
Rksa (also Rksavat or Riksha) and
Pariyatra (or Paripatra). The three ranges are included in the seven
Kula Parvatas ("clan mountains") of
Bharatavarsha, that is, India. The exact identification of these three ranges is difficult due to contrasting descriptions in the various texts. For example, the
Kurma,
Matsya and
Brahmanda Puranas mention Vindhya as the source of
Tapti; while
Vishnu and
Brahma Puranas mention the Rksa as its source. Some texts use the term Vindhyas to describe all the hills in Central India. In one passage,
Valmiki's
Ramayana describes Vindhya as being situated to the south of
Kishkindha (Ramayana IV-46. 17), which is identified with a part of the present-day
Karnataka. It further implies that the sea was located just to the south of the Vindhyas, and
Lanka was located across this sea. Many scholars have attempted to explain this anomaly in different ways. According to one theory, the term "Vindhyas" covered a number of mountains to the south of the Indo-Aryan territories at the time Ramayana was written. Others, such as
Frederick Eden Pargiter, believe that there was another mountain in South India, with the same name.
Madhav Vinayak Kibe placed the location of Lanka in
Central India. The
Barabar Cave inscription of the
Maukhari ruler Anantavarman mentions the Nagarjuni hill of
Bihar as a part of the Vindhyas. The western end of the Vindhya range is located in the state of
Gujarat, near the state's border with
Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh, at the eastern side of the
Kathiawar peninsula. A series of hills connects the Vindhya extension to the
Aravalli Range near
Champaner. The Vindhya range rises in height east of
Chhota Udaipur. The principal Vindhya range forms the southern escarpment of the Central Indian upland. It runs roughly parallel to the Naramada river in the east-west direction, forming the southern wall of the
Malwa plateau in Madhya Pradesh. The eastern portion of the Vindhyas comprises multiple chains, as the range divides into branches east of Malwa. A southern chain of Vindhyas runs between the upper reaches of the
Son and Narmada rivers to meet the Satpura Range in the
Maikal Hills near
Amarkantak. A northern chain of the Vindhyas continues eastwards as
Bhander Plateau and
Kaimur Range, which runs north of the
Son River. This extended range runs through what was once
Vindhya Pradesh, reaching up to the
Kaimur district of Bihar. The branch of the Vindhya range spanning across
Bundelkhand is known as the Panna range. Another northern extension (known as the Vindhyachal hills) runs up to
Uttar Pradesh, stopping before the shores of
Ganga at multiple places, including
Vindhyachal and
Chunar in
Mirzapur District. The
Vindhyan tableland is a plateau that lies to the north of the central part of the range. The
Rewa-
Panna plateaus are also collectively known as the Vindhya plateau. == Elevation ==