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The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura Range and in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats on the sides, which separate the region from the Western and Eastern Coastal Plains respectively. It covers most of the of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh excluding the coastal regions, and minor portions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The plateau is marked by rocky terrain with an average elevation of about . It is subdivided into Maharashtra Plateau, Karnataka Plateau, and Rayalaseema & Telangana Plateau. The Deccan Traps in the north west were formed by multiple layers of igneous rocks laid down by basaltic following a massive volcanic eruption that occurred during the end of the Cretaceous period (66 mya). The underlying bed consists of granite and sedimentary rocks formed during the Precambrian era and the formation of Gondwana.
The region forms one of the major watersheds of India, with many perennial river systems such as Godavari, Krishna River, and Kaveri flowing through the region. The plateau slopes gently from the west to east, resulting in most of the principal rivers flowing eastwards towards the Bay of Bengal. As the Western Ghats blocks the rain bearing winds, the plateau region is drier than the coastal region and has a semi-arid climate.
The Deccan plateau region was ruled by several kingdoms in Indian history such as Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Satavahanas, Chalukya dynasty, Rashtrakutas, Hoysala dynasty, Kadamba dynasty, Kakatiyas, and Western Gangas. In the later middle age, the lower plateau was ruled by the Vijayanagara empire, and the upper portion by the Bahmani kingdom, and its successors, the Deccan sultanates. It later housed the Kingdom of Mysore, Maratha confederacy, and Nizam's dominions. It was under the control of British Raj for nearly two centuries before Indian Independence in 1947. The Reorganisation of Indian states in the 1950s resulted in the creation of states on linguistic lines.
Several dynasties such as the Pandyas of Madurai, the Cholas of Thanjavur, the of Kozhikode, the Satavahanas of Amaravati, the Pallavas of Kanchi, the Kadambas of Banavasi, the Western Gangas of Kolar, the of Manyakheta, the Chalukya dynasty of Badami, the Hoysalas of Belur, and the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal ruled over the region from the 6th century BCE to the 14th century CE. In the Late Middle Ages, Vijayanagara empire conquered most of the southern part of the pleateu region. The upper portion was ruled by the Bahmani kingdom, and later by its successors, the Deccan sultanates.
The Europeans arrived in the 15th century CE and by the middle of the 18th century, the French and the British were involved in a protracted struggle for military control over the region. The Maratha Empire founded by Chatrapati Shivaji, briefly captured the region in the early 18th century CE. After the defeat of Mysore Kingdom in the late 18th century CE and the Vellore Mutiny in 1806 CE, the British East India Company consolidated their power over much of the region. The British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857.
During the British Raj, the region was divided between the Madras Presidency, Bombay Presidency, Hyderabad State, and Mysore. The region played a major role in the Indian independence movement. (2009). 9781112451843, Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781112451843 After Indian Independence in 1947, majority of the region was organised into four states Bombay State, Hyderabad State, Madras State, and Mysore State. The Reorganisation of Indian states on linguistic lines in the 1950s resulted in the creation of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Telangana was created in 2014 by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
The eruption event occurred during the end of the Cretaceous period (66 mya) and is the second largest volcanic eruption ever recorded on land. Scientists state that the volcanic event would have released large amounts of ash, dust and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The release would have blocked sunlight resulting in lower temperatures and caused major climatic changes on Earth. The eruption would have resulted in high levels of sulfur, chlorine and other toxic gases in the atmosphere. Researchers argue that the volcanic event would have contributed to the extinction of various species including some of the dinosaurs.
The volcanic deposits stretch more than encompassing neighbouring central highlands. The deposits consist of three subgroups based on the time and level of deposition. Underlying the lava deposits are granite and sedimentary rocks formed during the Precambrian era and the formation of Gondwanaland. The Indo-Gangetic Plain rests on hard crystalline rocks which connect the Himalayas with the plateau region. Apart from granite, parts of the region consists of metamorphic rocks such as gneiss, and schist.
The Deccan Plateau region is rich in mineral deposits like iron ore, coal, and mica. Precious stones and semi precious stones have also been mined from the region. Large uranium deposits have been discovered in the region in the 21st century. There are two major soil types, forming distinct sub-regions of the plateau. Most of the region with igneous basaltic rock consists of Chernozem. These soils have a high clay content, retain moisture and are resistant to erosion, but develop cracks during the dry season. The gneiss peneplain region in the low rainfall areas in the eastern vicinity of the Western Ghats consist of infertile red soil.
Geographers have defined the extent of Deccan region using various physical features and indices such as rainfall, vegetation, or soil type. As per a broader geographical definition, the region consists of the peninsular tableland lying to the south of the Tropic of Cancer, marked by the Vindhya Range-Satpura Range ranges in the north. The Deccan is a plateau region extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It is shaped like an inverted triangle with its upper boundary at the Narmada River basin near the Vindhya-Satpura ranges and the lower boundary at the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south.
The region is bound by the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats on the sides, which separate the region from the Western and Eastern Coastal Plains respectively. It covers most of the of Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh excluding the coastal regions, and minor portions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The western side of the plateau is elevated gently slopes towards the east. It is subdivided into Maharashtra Plateau, Karnataka Plateau, and Telangana Plateau.
The region has largely semi-arid climate in the northern parts and tropical climate in most of the other areas. The summer months of AprilMay are dry and hot with maximum temperatures often rising more than . During the dry summer months of AprilMay, heat builds up on the interior of the Deccan Plaeau, which draws air from the sea. The air, which picks up moisture along the way and flows eastward from the Arabian Sea, is blocked by the Western Ghats. The rising air cools and brings about orographic precipitation along the western coast, which signifies the onset of the monsoon season in June.
By the time the air rises above the mountains, it becomes dry, resulting in a rain shadow region with very little rainfall on the leeward side towards the interior of the Deccan plateau. The monsoon winds rounding up the peninsula and moving from the east from the Bay of Bengal pass over the Eastern Ghats and bring some rainfall to the eastern region of the plateau. The region receives most of the rainfall during the months of July to September and the rains feed the rivers that flow into basins and then into the Bay of Bengal.
The total fertility rate in the region was less than the population replacement level and as a result, the proportion of the population of the region to India's total population has declined in the last four decades. The economies of the states in the region registered a growth higher than the national average over the past three decades. While the states have improved in some of the socio-economics metrics, there is wide disparity within the region.
The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. The traditional way of eating a meal involves eating food served on a banana leaf using the right hand. (2025). 9789719175131, Biodiversity International. ISBN 9789719175131 Rice is the staple food in meals of the region. Bhakri made of millets and roti or chapathi made of wheat served with dal are popular in the north and western parts of the region. (2025). 9788179911006, Popular Prakashan. ISBN 9788179911006 Idli and dosa served with sambar and chutney for breakfast and rice served with sambar and rasam for lunch are popular in the eastern and southern parts of the region. (2025). 9781350128644, Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781350128644 Hyderabadi cuisine is popular for its biryani.
The region is home to various music and dance forms such as Kuchipudi, Lavani, Yakshagana, and Bharatanatyam. There are three distinct styles of rock architecture, the Dravidian style of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, the Vesara style of Karnataka, Telangana, and the Nagara style of Maharashtra. In Dravidian architecture, the temples considered of large gate-pyramids or in quadrangular enclosures that surround the temple with large pillared halls. Vimanam are similar structures built over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum of the temple but are usually smaller than the gopurams in the Dravidian architecture. In the Nagara style, the temples had one or more , which are towers similar to the vimanas. The Vesara style is a hybrid of both these architectural styles. (2025). 9788185026534, MARG. ISBN 9788185026534
The Madras Railway was established in 1845 and the Great Indian Peninsular Railway was incorporated in 1849. The construction on the first main line in the South between Royapuram in Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856. In 1879, the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was established which built railway lines across the then Hyderabad State and the Mysore State Railway was established to build an extension of Madras Railway in Mysore State.9781312496477, Lulu.com. . ISBN 9781312496477 In 1880, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway built a railway network radiating from Madras. The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway was founded on 1 January 1908 by merging the Madras Railway and the Southern Mahratta Railway. (1982). 9788125027317, Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788125027317 In 1950, there were about 42 different railway companies across the countrym which were amalgamated in steps to form a single entity named as Indian Railways. On 14 April 1951, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore State Railway were merged to form the Southern Railway, the first zone of Indian Railways. The Western was established on 5 November 1951, the South Central zone on 2 October 1966, and the South Western zone on 1 April 2003. Most of the region is covered by these four zones, with small portions of the coasts covered by East Coast Railway and Konkan Railway. rapid transit and suburban systems are operational in major cities.
Air transport in the region started in the late 1910s with commercial services beginning in the 1930s. The region has multiple international and domestic airports. Chennai International Airport serves as the Southern Regional Headquarters of the Airports Authority of India, the Southern Region comprising the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, and Mumbai International Airport serves the state of Maharashtra. The southern region comes under the purview of the Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force and the north western region comes under the South Western Air Command.
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