Maiwa Plateau (22° 70′ – 25° 10’N and 73°45′ – 79° 14′ E) with a length of 530 km and a width of 390 km, occupies an area of about 150,000 sq. km It is bordered by the Aravallis in the north, the Vindhyan range in the south and the Bundelkhand Plateau in the east. It has a complex geology preserving all the major rock systems of the Peninsula.
The region has two systems of drainage, one towards the Arabian Sea (Narmada, Tapi and Mahi), and another towards the Bay of Bengal (Chambal and Betwa joining the Yamuna). It has four distinct physiographic units.
The Malwa Plateau is enclosed in the west by the Vindhyan Range and its offshoots. To the north of the Vindhyan Range lies a lava landscape overlying a pre-Cretaceous surface (elevation 500-600 m). In the eastern part of the plateau the Vindhyan sandstones are found juxtaposed to the Trap in an irregular surface.
The Western Vindhyas is an escarpment which varies in character and height depending on its structure and lithology. Its general elevation lies between 450 and 600 m (Janpao and Singarchori 884 m). Western Narmada Trough is a graben and a tract of fertile land. It is not one continuous plain but is separated by hills.
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The Western Satpuras separate the Narmada and the Tapi river basins. This mainly consists of the Deccan Traps and is arcuate in form, 20-40 km in width, with many peaks rising above 900 m. (Toran Mai 1150 m. Dongar 1325. m). East of Asirgarh is the Burhanpur Gap through which flows the Tapi. Beyond this Gap lies the Mahadeo Hills (Central Satpuras) overlooking the Narmada trough.
The Pachmarhi stage of rocks form a magnificent scarp above which Pachmarhi town is located. South-west of Pachmarhi is Dhupgarh (1350 m) which is the highest peak of the Satpuras.