The Mahadeo Hills are a range of hills in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

 state of central India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The hills form the central part of the Satpura Range

Satpura Range

The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...

.

The Mahadeo Hills run east and west through Betul

Betul District

Betul District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Betul serves as its administrative headquarters. The district is a part of Narmadapuram Division.-Demograpics:...

, Chhindwara

Chhindwara District

Chhindwara district is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Chhindwara town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Jabalpur Division.-General information:...

, and Seoni

Seoni District

Seoni District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Seoni is the district headquarters.-Geography:Seoni district forms part of the Satpura tableland, containing the headwaters of the Wainganga. It is largely covered with forest...

 districts, separating the basin of the Narmada River

Narmada River

The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...

 to the north from that of the Wainganga

Wainganga River

The Wainganga is a river of India, which originates about 12 km from Mundara village of Seoni district in the southern slopes of the Satpura Range of Madhya Pradesh, and flows south through Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in a very winding course of approximatedly 360 miles...

 and Wardha

Wardha River

- Origin :Wardha originates at an altitude of 777 meters Satpura Range near Multai in Betul District of Madhya Pradesh.- Course :From the origin it flows 32 km in Madhya pradesh and then enters into Maharastra. After traversing 528 km, it joins Wainganga together called Pranhita, which ultimately...

 rivers, tributaries of the Godavari

Godavari River

The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...

, to the south. The hills have a gentle northern slope, but drop abruptly to the south onto the Deccan Plateau

Deccan Plateau

The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...

. The hills are home to tropical moist deciduous forests, part of the Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests

Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests

The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of east-central India. The ecoregion covers an area of , extending across portions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Orissa states.-Setting:The Eastern Highlands...

 ecoregion.

Mahadeo Temple

The Mahadeo Hills also conseal a temple near the Narmada River

Narmada River

The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...

 that is dedicated to Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

, the god of destruction in the Hindu system. It is believed that the Narmada River is a daughter of the destroyer god.