ABSTRACT

The Eastern Littoral forms a strong contrast to the Western: instead of the narrow platforms of the west, there is in general a much wider coastal plain, formed in part of the great deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. The contrasts between the interior plateaus, or even many of the really hilly areas, and the coastal lowlands are thus as a rule much softer than on the Western Littoral. The great quadrant of Tamilnad, between the Mysore plateaus, the Southern Blocks, and the sea, is indeed very complex, and it seems best to separate its treatment from the rest of the Eastern Littoral. Flood has been the greatest hazard to Orissan agriculture, but Hirakud and the other great dams will presumably change this. Culturally there is the great distinction between Oriya-speaking Orissa and the Dravidian south, itself divided between the Telugu speakers of Andhra Desa and the Tamils of Madras.