Deccan Plateau 1

Deccan Plateau

Deccan Plateau

The Deccan Plateau [1] is a large plateau in India,making up the majority of the southern part of thecountry. It rises a hundred meters high in the north,rising further to more than a kilometre high in thesouth, forming a raised triangle nested within thefamiliar downward-pointing triangle of the Indiansubcontinent's coastline.[2]

It extends over eight Indian states and encompasses awide range of habitats, covering most of central andsouthern India.[3]

It is located between three mountain ranges: theWestern Ghats form its western boundary, and theEastern Ghats its eastern boundary. Each rises fromtheir respective nearby coastal plains and nearly meet atthe southern tip of India. It is separated from theGangetic plain to the north by the Satpura and VindhyaRanges, which form its northern boundary.

The name Deccan is an anglicised form of the Prakritword dakkhin, itself derived from the Sanskrit worddákṣiṇa, meaning "south".[4]

Geography

Hogenakal Falls, Karnataka

The Deccan Plateau lies south of the Indo-Gangeticplain. The Western Ghats Mountain Range is tall andblocks the moisture from the southwest monsoon fromreaching the Deccan Plateau, so the region receivesvery little rainfall.[5] [6] The eastern Deccan Plateau isat a lower elevation spanning the southeastern coast ofIndia. Its forests are also relatively dry but serve toretain the rain to form streams that feed into rivers thatflow into basins and then into the Bay of Bengal.[2] [7]

Most Deccan plateau rivers flow from west to east. TheGodavari River and its tributaries, including theIndravati River, drain most of the northern portion ofthe plateau, rising in the Western Ghats and flowingeast towards the Bay of Bengal. The TungabhadraRiver, Krishna River and its tributaries, including the Bhima River, which also run from west to east, drain thecentral portion of the plateau. The southernmost portion of the plateau is drained by the Kaveri River,

Deccan Plateau 2

Near Hampi

which rises in the Western Ghats of Karnataka andbends south to break through the Nilgiri Hills atHogenakal Falls into Tamil Nadu, then forming theSivasamudram Falls at the island town ofShivanasamudra, the second-biggest waterfall in Indiaand the sixteenth-largest in the world,[8] before flowinginto the Stanley Reservoir and the Mettur Dam thatcreated the reservoir and finally emptying into the Bayof Bengal.

The two main rivers which do not flow into the Bay OfBengal are the Narmada and Tapti. They start in theEastern Ghats and flow into the Arabian sea. AllDeccan plateau rivers depend on the rains and dry up inthe summers.

The climate of the region varies from semi-arid climate in the north to tropical in most of the region with distinct wetand dry seasons. Rain falls during the monsoon season from about June to October. March to June can be very dryand hot with temperatures exceeding 40°C regularly.

GeologyThe volcanic basalt beds of the Deccan were laid down in the massive Deccan Traps eruption, which occurredtowards the end of the Cretaceous period between 67 and 65 million years ago. Some paleontologists speculate thatthis eruption may have accelerated the extinction of the dinosaurs. Layer after layer was formed by the volcanicactivity that lasted many thousands of years, and when the volcanoes became extinct, they left a region of highlandswith typically vast stretches of flat areas on top like a table.The volcanic hotspot that produced the Deccan traps ishypothesized to lie under the present day island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.Typically the Deccan Plateau is made up of basalt extending up to Bhor Ghat near Karjat. This is an extrusiveigneous rock. Also in certain sections of the region, we can find granite, which is an intrusive igneous rock. Thedifference between these two rock types is: basalt rock forms on eruption of lava, that is, on the surface (either out ofa volcano, or through massive fissures—as in the Deccan basalts—in the ground), while granite forms deep withinthe Earth. Granite is a felsic rock, meaning it is rich in potassium feldspar and quartz. This composition iscontinental in origin (meaning it is the primary composition of the continental crust). Since it cooled relativelyslowly, it has large visible crystals. Basalt, on the other hand, is mafic in composition—meaning it is rich inpyroxene and, in some cases, olivine, both of which are Mg-Fe rich minerals. Basalt is similar in composition tomantle rocks, indicating that it came from the mantle and did not mix with continental rocks. Basalt forms in areasthat are spreading, whereas granite forms mostly in areas that are colliding. Since both rocks are found in the DeccanPlateau, it indicates two different environments of formation.The Deccan is rich in minerals. Primary mineral ores found in this region are mica and iron ore in the Chhota Nagpurregion, and diamonds, gold and other metals in the Golconda region.

PeopleThe Deccan is home to many languages and people. Bhil and Gond people live in the hills along the northern and northeastern edges of the plateau, and speak various languages that belong to both the Indo-European and Dravidian families of languages. Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language, is the main language of the north-western portion of the Deccan plateau in the state of Maharashtra. Speakers of Telugu and Kannada, the predominant languages of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka respectively, occupy those states' portions of the plateau. Tamil is the main language of

Deccan Plateau 3

Tamil Nadu to the south of the plateau, and Malayalam that of the hills and coast to the south-west, in the state ofKerala. The city of Hyderabad is an important centre of Urdu language in the Deccan; its surrounding areas also hosta notable population of Urdu speakers. The Urdu dialect spoken in this region is also known as Dakhni or Deccani.The chief crop is cotton, however, sugarcane, rice, and other crops are also common.Apart from the states already mentioned, the state of Chhattisgarh is found in the northeast corner of the plateau. Thetwo large cities in the Deccan are Hyderabad the capital of Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore the capital of Karnataka.Other major cities include Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad (in Maharashtra).

HistoryLittle is known of history in this area before the 13th century. Of the early history the main facts established are thegrowth of the Mauryan empire (250 B.C.) and the invasion (A.D. 100) of the Scythic tribes known as the Sakas,Pahlavas and Yavanas, which led to the establishment of the power of the Kshaharata satraps in western India.Prominent dynasties of this time include the Cholas (3rd c. BC to 12th c. AD), Chalukyas (6th to 12th c.),Rashtrakutas (753–982), Hoysalas (10th to 14th c.), Kakatiya (1083 CE to 1323 CE) and Vijayanagara Empire(1336–1646). Ahir Kings once ruled over the deccan. In a cave inscription at Nasik, references is made to the reignof an Abhira prince named Ishwarsena,son od Shivadatta.[9] [10]

In 1294, Ala-ud-Din Khilji, emperor of Delhi, invaded the Deccan, stormed Devagiri, and reduced the Yadava rajasof Maharashtra to the position of tributary princes (see Daulatabad), then proceeding southward to conquer theTelangana and Carnatic. In 1307, a fresh series of Muslim incursions led by Malik Kafur began in response to unpaidtributes, resulting in the final ruin of the Yadava power; and in 1338 the conquest of the Deccan was completed bySultan Muhammad bin Tughluq. The imperial hegemony was brief, as soon Telingana and Karnataka reverted totheir former masters. These defections by the Hindu states was soon followed by a general revolt of the Muslimgovernors, resulting in the establishment in 1347 of the independent Muslim dynasty of Bahmani.[11] The power ofthe Delhi sultanate evaporated south of the Narmada River.In the power struggles which ensued, the Hindu kingdom of Telingana fell bit by bit to the Bahamani dynasty, whoadvanced their frontier to Golkonda in 1373, to Warangal in 1421, and to the Bay of Bengal in 1472. On thedissolution of the Bahmani empire in 1482, its dominions were distributed into the five Muslim states of Golkonda,Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Bidar and Berar, giving rise to the Deccan sultanates.[11] To the south of these the Hindu stateof Carnatic or Vijayanagar still survived; but this, too, was destroyed, at the Battle of Talikota (1565) by a league ofthe Muslim powers. Berar had already been annexed by Ahmednagar in 1572, and Bidar was absorbed by Bijapur in1609. Mughal interest in the Deccan also rose at this time; Ahmadnagar was partially incorporated in the Empire in1598 and again in 1616, Bijapur in 1686, and Golkonda in 1688.In 1674, Shivaji laid the foundation of the Maratha Empire which within 75 years of his death covered territory ofover 250 million acres (1 million km²) or one-third of the Indian sub-continent. Marathas under Shivaji directlychallenged the foreign rule of the Bijapur Sultanate and ultimately the mighty Mughal empire. Once the BijapurSultanate stopped being a threat to the Maratha Empire, Marathas became much more aggressive and began tofrequently raid Mughal territory. The Marathas had conquered some part of central and western India by ShivajiMaharaj's death in 1680. After Shivaji, Sambhaji defended the Maratha empire from the Mughal onslaught led byAurangzeb. Sambhaji didn't let Aurangzeb gain a single major victory before he was deceitfully captured andexecuted. Thereafter, Peshwas began commanding Maratha armies. After 1707, the Marathas acquired the right tolevy tribute in southern India. After the death of Chhatrapati Shahu, the Peshwas became the de facto leaders of theEmpire from 1749 to 1761, while Shivaji's successors continued as nominal rulers from their base in Satara. TheMarathas kept the British at bay during the 18th century. By 1760, with the defeat of the Nizam in the Deccan,Maratha power had reached its zenith. However, dissension between the Peshwa and their sardars (armycommanders) saw a gradual downfall of the Empire leading to its eventual annexation by the British East IndiaCompany in 1818 after the three Anglo-Maratha wars.

Deccan Plateau 4

A few years later the Aurangzeb's viceroy in Ahmednagar, Nizam-ul-Mulk, established the seat of an independentgovernment at Hyderabad in 1724. Mysore was ruled by Hyder Ali. During the contests for power which ensuedfrom about the middle of the 18th century between the powers on the plateau, the French and British took oppositesides. After a brief course of triumph, the interests of France declined, and a new empire in India was established bythe British. Mysore formed one of their earliest conquests in the Deccan. Tanjore and the Carnatic were shortly afterannexed to their dominions, followed by the Peshwa territories in 1818.In British India, the plateau was largely divided between the presidencies of Bombay and Madras. The two largestnative states at that time were Hyderabad State and Mysore State; many smaller states existed at the time, includingKolhapur, Sawantwari, Travancore, and Cochin.After independence in 1947, almost all native states were incorporated into the Republic of India. Hyderabad refusedto join, and was annexed by the Indian Army in Operation Polo in 1948.[12] In 1956, the States Reorganisation Actreorganized states along linguistic lines, leading to the states currently found on the plateau.

Deccan style Calligraphic emblem of sculptedsandstone – 16th century

Nimmatnama-i Nasiruddin-Shahi (the Bookof Recipes)

Notes[1] Page 46, Dr. Jadoan, Atar Singh (Published September 2001). Military Geography of South-East Asia (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/

books?id=4M_bG9rpXRwC). India: Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.. pp. 270 pages. ISBN 8126110082. . Retrieved 2008-06-08.[2] "The Deccan Peninsula" (http:/ / www. sanctuaryasia. com/ resources/ biogeozones/ decpen. php). sanctuaryasia. . Retrieved 2007-01-05.[3] "The Deccan Plateau" (http:/ / www. rainwaterharvesting. org/ eco/ dp. htm). rainwaterharvesting.org. . Retrieved 2007-01-05.[4] Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 498 (http:/ / www. ibiblio. org/ sripedia/ ebooks/ mw/ 0400/ mw__0498. html) (scanned

image at SriPedia Initiative): Sanskrit dakṣiṇa meaning 'right', 'southern'.[5] "South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests d(IM0209)" (http:/ / www. nationalgeographic. com/ wildworld/ profiles/ terrestrial/ im/

im0209. html). nationalgeographic.com atul atul atul. . Retrieved 2007-01-05.[6] "South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests (IM0209)" (http:/ / www. worldwildlife. org/ wildworld/ profiles/ terrestrial/ im/ im0209_full.

html). worldwildlife.org. . Retrieved 2007-01-05.[7] "Eastern Deccan Plateau Moist Forests" (http:/ / www. panda. org/ about_wwf/ where_we_work/ ecoregions/ edeccan_plateau_moist_forests.

cfm). World Wildlife Fund. . Retrieved 2007-01-05.[8] "Shivasamudram Falls" (http:/ / www. cauvery. com/ ). . Retrieved 2006-11-11.[9] http:/ / books. google. co. in/ books?id=lYSd-3yL9h0C& pg=PA12& dq=deccan+ ahir& hl=en& ei=0zOITYHFBYSIrAeL-JzVDg& sa=X&

oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=4& ved=0CFAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage& q=deccan%20ahir& f=false[10] The castes and tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's dominions, Volume 1 By Syed Siraj ul Hassan-page-12[11] Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2008). India and Its Neighbors, Part 1, p. 335. Tarreytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.[12] Benichou, Lucien D. (2000). From Autocracy to Integration: Political Developments in Hyderabad State (1938—1948), p. 232. Chennai:

Orient Longman Limited.

Deccan Plateau 5

References•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911).

Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.

This file is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of nomore than the life of the author plus 100 years.

External links• Destruction along the Deccan plateau (http:/ / kalyanvarma. net/ essays/ scars)• Photos of Deccan Plateau (http:/ / www. cyclingscholar. com/ decca. html)• Dynasties of Deccan (http:/ / www. kamat. com/ kalranga/ deccan/ deckings. htm)• The Deccan Peninsula (http:/ / www. sanctuaryasia. com/ resources/ biogeozones/ decpen. php)• Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests (http:/ / www. worldwildlife. org/ wildworld/ profiles/ terrestrial/

im/ im0201_full. html)• Geology of Deccan Plateau (http:/ / web. mit. edu/ nchat/ www/ research2a. html)• Deccan South Indian Online (http:/ / www. deccannetwork. com/ )

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Article Sources and ContributorsDeccan Plateau  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=425683335  Contributors: A More Perfect Onion, A3RO, Ahoerstemeier, Ainlina, Aitias, Alansohn, Alren, AnotherPoint,Anupam, Apokryltaros, ArgentTurquoise, Argo Navis, Arminius, Astynax, Atelerix, AxelBoldt, B, Badagnani, Balster neb, BeeTea, Billposer, Bkkbrad, Bobo192, Bzuk, CALR,CanadianLinuxUser, Chaosdruid, Chezhiyan, Cometstyles, D6, Darked, Darth Panda, David Eppstein, Deb, Der Eberswalder, Deville, Dewan357, Dineshkannambadi, El C, Epbr123, Fabartus,Fconaway, Fratrep, Fundamental metric tensor, Ganeshk, Garzo, Gaurav, Gene Nygaard, GeoWriter, Ghousebarq, Grafen, Gurubrahma, Hadal, Hamtechperson, Hellohottie123, HenkvD,HenryLi, Hmains, Hugo999, Idleguy, Imc, Imz, Instinct, Iridescent, Islander(Scandinavia), Ivan Štambuk, J.delanoy, J04n, Jeroen, John of Reading, Jojit fb, Jonoikobangali, Joseph Solis inAustralia, Joshua Issac, Kaal, Kalyanvarma, Kesangh, Kintetsubuffalo, Kotjze, Kumargsa, LeaveSleaves, Lightmouse, Lost tourist, Mac Davis, Mana Excalibur, Marcelo-Silva, MarvelMarble,Matilda, Mattbr, Mattisse, Mausy5043, Maximus Rex, Michael Devore, Mike4ty4, Mild Bill Hiccup, Millahnna, Mimihitam, Mishac, Ms2ger, Nataraja, New Rock Star, Nichalp, Nick Number,Onef9day, Owlindaylight, Pamri, Pancho Fierro, PhilKnight, Philip Taron, Piiscool123, Plastikspork, Pnayak73, Podzemnik, Ppntori, R'n'B, RainbowOfLight, Rajaramraok, Rama's Arrow,Ranveig, Ratiocinate, RedWolf, Richard Keatinge, Rjwilmsi, Roland zh, Sahodaran, Sanket ar, Sardanaphalus, Shivap, Snowolf, Srikeit, Sripathyrao, Stercus.caput, Stwalkerster, Sumitkachroo,Tabletop, Tiddly Tom, Tide rolls, Tmyn, Tom Radulovich, Tuncrypt, Tyler, Ukstranger, Ulalena, Upstatepolyglot, Vmjaishankar, Vsmith, Waerth, Wbfergus, Wikipelli, Woohookitty,YellowMonkey, Zariane, Zaslav, 244 anonymous edits

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