Vindhya Range [key], chain of hills, c.600 mi (970 km) long, rising to c.3,000 ft (910 m), Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The Vindhya Range has been the historic dividing line between N and S India, separating the Sanskrit-speaking Aryan invaders from the Dravidian peoples of the Deccan. The massive sandstone of the range, long an important building material, was used for the famous group of Buddhist stupas at Sanchi (built 3d cent. b.c.–11th cent. a.d.), the 11th-century Jain and Brahman temples at Khajuraho, and the 15th-century palaces of Gwalior.
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