Granite Landforms of the Indian Cratons

Abstract

The granite landforms of peninsular India, particularly in the semi-arid continental interior, form rugged clusters of oddly shaped bedrock monoliths and boulders corresponding to stripped weathering fronts. By no means unique to India, the array of landforms typical of most tropical landscapes and commonly described in geomorphology textbooks is present in various associations across the region. Some spectacularly tall inselbergs carved out of poorly jointed, potassium-rich late Archean or younger granitic rocks form mythical landmarks in the scenery. The most unique signature of Indian granitic landscapes, however, arises from the pervasive imprint of human endeavour to harness the amenities of granite landforms for worship (temples), warfare (historical hill forts), runoff agriculture, and dimension-stone quarrying—all of it on a scale rarely encountered among other cultures living amidst granitic landscapes on other continents.