RAS question
The Satpura Range runs parallel to and south of the Vindhya Range. Its highest peak is:
Correct answer: (B) Dhupgarh (1350m) in the Mahadeo Hills.
Dhupgarh, also spelt Dhoopgarh, in the Mahadeo Hills near Pachmarhi is the highest peak of the Satpura Range.
Explanation
The Satpura Range runs south of and roughly parallel to the Vindhya Range, with the Narmada River flowing between the two systems. Within the Satpuras, the highest peak is Dhupgarh, also commonly spelt Dhoopgarh, in the Mahadeo Hills near Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh. Its height is 1350 m, and Madhya Pradesh Tourism identifies Dhoopgarh as the highest point in the Satpura Range at an altitude of 1350 m. This fits the wider physical-geography frame: Satpura includes the Rajpipla Hills, Mahadeo Hills and Maikal Range, while the Tapti River flows to its south.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Anai Mudi belongs to the Western Ghats, so it is outside the Satpura Range being tested here.
- (C) Guru Shikhar is associated with the Aravalli Range, not with the Satpura system.
- (D) Dodda Betta is in the Nilgiris, so it cannot be the highest peak of the Satpura Range.
Concept
This tests Indian physiography, especially the relative location and major peaks of peninsular hill ranges. RAS repeatedly asks such items because map-based range, river and peak associations are high-yield prelims facts.