Mahendragiri, the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats, is located in which one…

Concept: The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous chain of hills running along India's eastern coastline, passing through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and parts of West Bengal and Karnataka; each state along this range has its own well-known peaks.

Application: Mahendragiri, at roughly 1,501 m, lies in the Gajapati district of Odisha, within the state's stretch of the Eastern Ghats near the Andhra Pradesh border. In standard Indian geography references and this exam's official key, Mahendragiri is cited as the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats, so the correct state is Odisha.

Cross-check / Contrast:

• Andhra Pradesh: hosts Jindhagada (also called Arma Konda), a separate Eastern Ghats peak that some newer surveys measure as taller — but Mahendragiri itself is not situated there.

• Telangana: lies mainly on the interior Deccan plateau, away from the coastal Eastern Ghats belt that Mahendragiri belongs to.

• Tamil Nadu: its own stretch of the Eastern Ghats lies much further south along the coast and does not include Mahendragiri.

Note: some recent surveys place Jindhagada/Arma Konda in Andhra Pradesh marginally higher than Mahendragiri, but standard textbooks and this exam's official key retain Mahendragiri as the Eastern Ghats' highest peak, located in Odisha.