The Eastern Ghats are a series of discontinuous low ranges along the Bay of Bengal coast running from the Mahanadi river valley for about 500 metres up to the Nilgiris in the south and forms the eastern edge of the dissected Deccan plateau .The Eastern Ghats start from the state of West Bengal in the north and culminates in the state of Tamil Nadu in the south. On the way they cover the states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh . They are swept by the four chief rivers of southern India, the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri . The Eastern Ghats are cut into various discontinuous hills by these rivers. They are separated from the Bay of Bengal by the coastal plains .

The elevation of the Eastern Ghats is lower than that of the Western Ghats . They have an average height of 450 metres and rarely exceed 1200 metres. To the southernmost part of the Eastern Ghats are the low Sirumalai and Karanthamalai hills of southern Tamil Nadu. To the north of the Kaveri river are comparatively higher hills like Kollimalai, Pachaimalai, Shevaroy (Servaroyan), Kalrayan Hills, Chitteri, Palamalai, and Mettur hills in the north of Tamil Nadu. The higher hill ranges experience a generally cooler and wetter type of climate than the surrounding plains. These hills harbour many coffee plantations and dry forests. The hill station of Yercaud is located in the Shevaroy Hills. In the Bilgiri Hills, which run east from the Western Ghats to the Kaveri river, there is a wooded ecological strip that connects the Eastern and Western Ghats . This region has the second-largest wild elephant population in India . The Ponnaiyar and Palar rivers flowing through gaps in the Ghats drain into the Bay of Bengal .These two rivers are separated by the Javadhu Hills . Some isolated areas have waterfalls. The Kiliyur Falls is one of them .To the north of the Palar River in Andhra Pradesh, the central portion of the Eastern Ghats consist of two parallel ranges running approximately north-south; the lower Velikonda Range lies to the east, and the higher Palikonda-Lankamalla-Nallamalla ranges lie to the west. The Velikonda range ultimately descends to the coastal plains in the northern Nellore district, while the Nallamalla range continue to the Krishna River. The Krishna and the Godavari are separated by a range of low hills. To the north of the Godavari river the Eastern Ghats record an abrupt increase in height , acting as the boundary between Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.The region possesses fertile soil.The Eastern Ghats are elder than the Western Ghats. The history of its origin is much complicated and takes off from the congregation and fragmentation of the ancient supercontinent of Rodinia and the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.