ABSTRACT
The Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain systems, still retaining some relief, in the world; their tight-packed synclinoria in quartzites and schists of Delhi–Dharwar age were probably first uplifted in pre-Vindhyan times. Camels are important west of the main Aravalli axis, goats everywhere, with deleterious effects on what vegetation cover there is. From Sambhar to Udaipur the Aravallis form the Gangetic/Cambay watershed; the tributaries of the Mahi, with only about one-tenth as far to go to base-level as the Banas headstreams, have dissected southern Udaipur into a very confused terrain of innumerable valleys. Malwa forms a great triangle, based on the Vindhyan Hills and bounded on the northwest by the Great Boundary Fault of the Aravallis, on the east by the sharply-defined scarp overlooking Bundelkhand. Historically Malwa displays a curious duality: the Deccan Lavas provide the only really extensive agricultural base in central India, and so it has retained its individuality.
