Deccan Plateau is also called as the Great Peninsular Plateau or the Peninsular Plateau. This is one of the largest plateaus in India which makes up most of the southern parts of the country. This plateau ranges in an elevation from 100 metres in the northern side to 1000 metres to the south. The Deccan Plateau is situated in between three mountain ranges and it also extends over eight of the Indian states. The uplands of this plateau make up a triangle cuddled within the renowned downward-pointing triangle of the coastline of the Indian sub-continent.

Deccan Plateau is a home to a large number and variety of habitats and it covers most of the marts of southern and central India. The western boundary of the Deccan Plateau is formed by the Western Ghats, and it eastern boundary is formed by the Eastern Ghats. Both rise from their respective closely-located coastal plains and roughly reach the tip of southern India. Both the ranges form the southward-aiming vertex of a triangle, which comprehends the plateau with the approximately west-southwest to east-north-east running Vindhya Mountain Range and Satpura Mountain Range shaping the third northern boundary of the Deccan Plateau. The northern ranges separate the Deccan Plateau from the densely populated riverine plains of the northern parts of India. Most of the areas of the Indian state of Karnataka and Maharashtra and some parts of the state of Andhra Pradesh form the Deccan plateau.

This region of the Deccan Plateau is among the most geographically static landmasses of the entire world. The Deccan forms the catchment areas of some of the mighty rivers of India. The name ‘Deccan’ is an anglicized form of the Prakrit word ‘dakkhin’, which is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘south’. The Deccan Plateau is situated to the south of the Indo-Gangetic plain. The mountain ranges of the Western Ghats are tall and block the moisture laden southwest monsoon from getting to the Deccan Plateau, and therefore this region gets very little rainfall. The location of the eastern Deccan Plateau is at a much lower elevation which spreads across India’s southeastern coast. The forests of this plateau are comparatively dry but serve to hold the rain in order to form streams which ultimately feed into rivers flowing into the basins and then into the Bay of Bengal.

The Godavari River along with its tributaries, which include the Indravati River, drains a majority of the northern areas of the plateau, ascending in the Western Ghats and flowing towards east to the Bay of Bengal. The Krishna River, the Tungabhadra River and its tributaries which include the Bhima River, which also runs from the western direction to the east, drain the plateau’s central parts. The Kaveri River drains the southernmost portion of the Deccan plateau, which rises in Karnataka’s Western Ghats and bends to the direction of south in order to move through the Nilgiri hills at Hogenakal Falls into the state of Tamil Nadu, thus making the Sivasamudram Falls at the island town of Shivanasamudra, which is also regarded as India’s second biggest waterfall and the World’s sixteenth largest, before flowing through the Stanley Reservoir and the Mettur Dam which formed the reservoir and lastly emptying its water into the Bay of Bengal. River Tapi and Narmada River are the two rivers which do not flow into the Bay of Bengal. They start their journey in the Eastern Ghats and empty into the Arabian Sea.

The rivers flowing in the Deccan plateau depend on rain water and it is for this reason they dry up in the summer season. Deccan plateau experiences a mixed climate. Here the climate varies from subtropical to the extreme north to tropical climate in a majority of the regions with distinct dry and wet seasons. The plateau experiences rain only at the time of monsoon or wet season from the month of June to October every year. The months from March to June are considered to be very dry hot at this region with temperatures going over 40°C on a regular basis.

The Deccan Plateau’s immense volcanic basalt beds were established in the massive Deccan Traps eruption, which took place towards the end of the Cretaceous period, roughly between 67 and 65 million years ago. Some paleontologists investigated and found that this eruption might have quickened the disappearance of the giant species like dinosaurs. The continuous volcanic activity which lasted for several thousand years at this region resulted in the formation of layer after layer and when the volcanic process came to an end, they left behind an area of highlands with distinctively vast stretches of flat areas on top resembling to that of a table. It is for this region that the region is also called as Table Top. This volcanic hotspot which formed the Deccan traps is assumed to be positioned under the present day Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

Normally, the Deccan Plateau is formed by basalt layer which still extends up to Bor Ghat, in close proximity to Karjat. Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock. It is formed in the areas that are spreading, whereas granite is generally found in areas which are colliding. As both these rocks are found in the Deccan plateau, it thus specifies two different environments of formation. This plateau is also very rich in minerals. Some of the primary mineral ores available in this region are iron ore and mica in the Chhota Nagpur region, and gold, diamonds and other metals in the Golconda region.

The Deccan plateau in India is having a rich in history. The mineral wealth of this plateau led a number of lowland rulers, which include the Mauryan (who ruled from 4th to the 2nd century BC) and Gupta (who ruled from the 4th to the 6th century AD) dynasties, to fight over it. The Satvahanas (who ruled from 28 BC to 250 AD) came out to be the independent power in the Deccan during the first century BC. To the south of the Satvahanna kingdom, other three dynasties surfaced. They were the Cholas of Tanjore, the Cheras along the Malabar Coast and the Pandyas centered in Madurai. The Pandyas, Cheras and Cholas were frequently at war with each other. The interaction of culture in between these kingdoms and the northern region exposed the other parts of India to the south’s rich Sangam literature.

The Satvahanas, Pallavas, Kakatiyas, Eastern Chalukyas and the Vijaynagara kings ruled the region till the same became a part of Golconda’s Qutub Shahi kingdom. Later it went into the rule of Hyderabad’s Nizam Shahi dynasty. From the date of the independence of India in the year 1947 to till date, there is a repeated demand for the formation of a Telangana state, which will be separate from the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The people of the southern parts of India got top know the religious ideas from the people of the north, like the worship of the Vedic gods and the doctrines of Jainism and Buddhism. Several people also follow these religions, but a large number of people till today worshipped their gods and goddesses and exercised the religious ceremonies of their own. It is said that St. Thomas came to India in order to spread Christianity during the first century AD. The Saint spread the message of Christianity among the people living in the Malabar Coast and also in areas close to the present-day city of Chennai.

The states of India which cover the parts of Deccan plateau are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The state of Maharashtra covers a majority of the northern parts of the Deccan Plateau, and state of Chhattisgarh covers the northeast corner of the plateau. Andhra Pradesh state covers the east-central region of this Plateau, and the state of Karnataka covers the west central and a majority of the southern areas of the Deccan plateau, with the extreme south portion in the state of Tamil Nadu. The largest cities situated in the Deccan plateau are Karnataka and Bangalore. Some of the other major cities in the Deccan plateau are Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, Aurangabad, Pune and Nagpur. Along the north and north-eastern edges of the hills of Deccan Plateau, the Bhil and Gond tribe live. These people speak several languages. One of the languages spoken by these people is Urdu, which is also called as Dakhni or Deccani. The major crop grown in this region is cotton; however, rice, sugarcane and a number of other crops are also common.

Deccan plateau is also one of the major tourist attraction and some of the major attractions of this region include Aurangabad. This place has got its name from Aurangzeb, Mughal emperor. It is situated in Maharashtra. It is known for its internationally-acclaimed Ajanta caves and Ellora caves. Another major attraction is the Bibi-ka-Maqbara or the mausoleum of the wife of Aurangzeb and the caves of Aurangabad. Badami was the former capital of the Chalukyas. It is presently a small rural town in the state of Karnataka. This place is famous for its attractive cave temples, engraved into the cliff face of a red sandstone hill. Bidar was once the capital city of Bahamani dynasty of southern India. It is situated in the Karnataka state and famous for its historical monuments. One of the major tourist attractions of Bidar is the fort, which was constructed by Ahmad Wali Shah. A number of other major palaces inside the ramparts of the fort are the Rangin Mahal, the Solah Kambh Masjid or the 16-pillared mosque, the Gagan Mahal, the Takhat Mahal, the Diwan-e-Am and the Royal Pavilion.

Another major place of attraction is the Bijapur city. This is the capital city of the medieval India Adil Shahi rulers. It is located in the southern Karnataka state and famous among the tourists for the presence of several historical monuments. The magnificent and the largest dome in India and the worlds’ second largest one, known as the Gol Gumbaz, present in this city. Other historical monuments include the Ibrahim Roza, an attractive tomb constructed by Adil Shah II in memory of his queen and the remains of Gagan Mahal are something which is a must to be seen site of this place. The Sat Manzil or the seven-storied palace, Bara Kaman or the twelve arches, Jala Manzil or the water pavilion, the Taj Bawdi or the water tank, Mehtar Mahal, Upli Burj or the watch tower and Asar Mahal are some of the other attractions in Bijapur. Situated in the central region of the state of Karnataka, Hampi is famous as one of the world heritage sites where one can get to see the ruins which belong to the erstwhile Vijayanagara kingdom. The monolithic sculptures, temples and monuments, along with the rough landscape draw tourists in large numbers to Hampi. Another famous place of interest in the state of Karnataka is Hassan. It is also the headquarters of the district of Malanad. The original town was close to the village Channapatna. A Palegar by the name of Channa Krishnappa Naik constructed it in the 11th century. The name of Hassan has been derived from the Goddess ‘Hasanamba’ the main deity of this town. The temple of Goddess Hasanamba is opened once in a year at the time of the second Ashwayuja (October). A big jatra or fair is organized on this occasion. Some of the other temples of Hassan are Halebid, Belur and Sharavanabelagola. Shravanabelagola is a renowned Jain pilgrimage having a 17 meter high monolith of the Lord Bahubali. Once, Belur was the capital of the Hoysala kings. The construction work of the Chennakeshava temple took 103 years and is packed with sculptures and intricate carvings.

Some of the other major attractions of the Deccan plateau include Ooty. It is located in the middle of blue mountains of the Nilgiris in the state of Tamil Nadu. This is one of the townships of the erstwhile British Empire in India and a renowned hill station. The picturesque Botanical Gardens, the Wenlock Downs, Ketty Valley and Doddabetta Peak are things worth seeing. In Karnataka state, Bengaluru considered to be the garden city of India. It presents some of the pleasant parks and a number of historical monuments. Belgaum is a little town in the state of Karnataka which is known for the presence of the Masjid Sata mosque and Jain temples. The Sunset Point and Watchtower provide a bird’s eye view of the distant hills and the flat countryside. Kozhikode (Calicut) is situated in the state of Kerala, was known as a commercial trading city during ancient times. Vasco-da-Gama landed in Kappad, a place situated in close proximity to Calicut in the year 1498. The city is renowned as the center of timber industry and for boat building. Gulbarga is placed in the Karnataka state of India. This little town is well-known for its links with the Bahamani kingdom of medieval India. Lists of monuments dating from 13th to the 15th century are present here. The Gulbarga fort is one of the major tourist attractions of this region. The Jama Masjid was believed to have been constructed by Spain’s Moorish architect in the later parts of the 14th century on the lines of the famous Cordoba Mosque in the southern parts of Spain. Other places of interest include the impressive tombs of the Bahamani rulers, the tomb of Khwaja Bande Nawaz (a renowned local Muslim saint), the Haft Gumbaz and the Sharana Basaveshwara temple.

Hyderabad was constructed around the Hussain Sagar Lake. This is the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The city was founded by Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah in the 16th century and afterwards it became the kingdom of the fabled Nizams of Hyderabad. Some of the prominent attractions are the Charminar, the Mecca Masjid, Birla Mandir, and Mahakali Temple, Salar Jung Museum, the Golconda Fort, etc. Bangalore and Mysore are generally called as twin cities. Mysore possesses a number of palaces, boulevards and parks as well as cultural centers and museums. The Vrindavan Gardens is the major attraction for the tourists visiting Mysore.

The reliable history of the Deccan Plateau only starts with the 13th century A.D. In the earlier history, the major facts demonstrated are the emergence and growth of the Maurya Empire and details of the invasion of the Scythic tribes known as the Pallavas, Sakas and Yavanas. Finally, the region witnessed the institution of the power of the Kshaharata satraps in western parts of India. Even if the area of the Deccan Plateau is vast, it mirrors a united taste and culture. The celebrations and festivals of Deccan Plateau have an exclusive similarity and this region of the country still has a beaming prominence in terms of industrial and geographical significance.