Explanation:

Dandakaranya Forest
Dandakaranya is a physiographic region of India which spans over the central and eastern parts of India. It covers a vast area of about 35,600 square miles and encompasses the Eastern Ghats in the east and the Abujhmar Hills in the west along with parts of the Indian states Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It stretches to about 200 miles from north to south and 300 miles from east to west. It has been the home to the people belonging to Gond community.
Geography of Dandakaranya
Major region of Dandakaranya is a sanded-over peneplain, however the land from north to southwest has a gradual slope. Hills in the eastern part of the forest rise abruptly whereas towards the west its elevation decreases gradually. Wide plateaus are covered with dense forest. Certain extensive plains in the forest are drained by the Mahanadi River along with its tributaries including Sandul, Hatti, Udanti, Jonk and Tel as well as Godavari River along with its tributaries Sabari and Indravati. A thin veneer of loamy soils can be found over the plateaus and hillsides. Valleys and plains comprise fertile alluvial soil. Dandakaranya is the home to commercially important moist forests of Sal which spans over half of the forest area. Deposits of manganese, iron ore and bauxite are also common here.