Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the given hills starting from the north and going towards the south?

Option 3 is correct. The Nallamala Hills are part of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana and lie to the north relative to the Tamil hill systems [1]. The Javadi hills are also an Eastern‑Ghats range in northern Tamil Nadu and occur south of the Nallamala sector [1]. The Nilgiri Hills form the mountain knot where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet and lie south of the Javadi region; immediately south of the Nilgiris (past the Palghat Gap) are the Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats, placing Anaimalai the farthest south in this list [1]. Therefore north→south: Nallamala → Javadi → Nilgiri → Anaimalai.

Sources

1. [1] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Structure and Physiography > The Deccan Plateau > p. 13
2. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > 7. The Western Ghats > p. 58