Mahendragiri, the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats, is located in which one of the following states?
- (a)Andhra Pradesh
- (b)Odisha
- (c)Telangana
- (d)Tamil Nadu
Correct — B, Odisha. The Eastern-Ghats peak called Mahendragiri (about 1,501 m) stands in the Gajapati district of southern Odisha, near the Andhra Pradesh border, and is one of the highest summits of the northern Eastern Ghats. It is a well-known pilgrimage hill associated with the Mahabharata, which is why this Mahendragiri is placed in Odisha.
- (a)Andhra Pradesh — The Eastern Ghats do run through Andhra Pradesh — and the range's true highest point, Arma Konda, is in AP — but the peak named Mahendragiri lies just across the border in Odisha's Gajapati district, not in AP.
- (c)Telangana — Telangana lies on the inner, plateau side of the Eastern Ghats and has no peak called Mahendragiri.
- (d)Tamil Nadu — A different Mahendragiri exists in Tamil Nadu's far south near Kanniyakumari, but it belongs to the Western Ghats–Cardamom fringe, not the Eastern Ghats, so it is not the peak this question means.
The Eastern Ghats are a broken, discontinuous chain of hills running down India's eastern coast from Odisha to Tamil Nadu. Within their northern Odisha section rises Mahendragiri, a prominent granite peak of about 1,501 m in Gajapati district.
The name is the trap: at least two Indian hills are called Mahendragiri. The question ties the name to the Eastern Ghats, which points to the Odisha peak. Watch that although the question calls it 'the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats', the range's tallest summits are actually Arma Konda and Deomali; the intended state for the Eastern-Ghats Mahendragiri is nonetheless Odisha.
- Mahendragiri (about 1,501 m) is in Gajapati district, southern Odisha.
- It is one of the highest peaks of the northern Eastern Ghats.
- The overall highest points of the Eastern Ghats are Arma Konda (Andhra Pradesh) and Deomali (Odisha).
- A separate Mahendragiri near Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu is unrelated to the Eastern Ghats.
- Two hills share the name Mahendragiri — the Eastern-Ghats one is in Odisha, not Tamil Nadu.
- The tallest Eastern-Ghats peak is Arma Konda; Mahendragiri is high but not the very highest.
Peaks of the Eastern Ghats are asked as a name-to-state item, exploiting duplicate place-names across states.
Which of the following hills are found where the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats meet?
- (a) Anaimalai Hills
- (b) Cardamom Hills
- (c) Nilgiri Hills
- (d) Shevaroy Hills
Answer(c) Nilgiri Hills
Both questions map the Eastern Ghats. UPSC asks where the Eastern and Western Ghats converge (the Nilgiris); the NDA item asks which state holds the Eastern-Ghats peak Mahendragiri (Odisha) — the same peninsular-relief theme.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Arma Konda, generally regarded as the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats, lies in which state?
- (a)Odisha
- (b)Andhra Pradesh
- (c)Tamil Nadu
- (d)Karnataka
Answer(b) Andhra Pradesh — Arma Konda (about 1,680 m) in Visakhapatnam district is the highest Eastern-Ghats summit.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats meet in which hills?
- (a)Anaimalai Hills
- (b)Nilgiri Hills
- (c)Cardamom Hills
- (d)Shevaroy Hills
Answer(b) Nilgiri Hills — the two ranges converge in the Nilgiris of southern India.