Deccan Plateau

The Deccan Plateau ( DEK-ən ) or Peninsular Plateau, is a plateau that extends over an area of 422,000 km2 (163,000 sq mi) on the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The plateau forms the bulk of the Deccan Peninsula, and stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the Eastern and the Western Ghats mountain ranges on the sides, which separate the region from the Eastern and Western Coastal Plains respectively. The plateau covers most of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, excluding their coastal regions, and includes minor portions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The plateau is marked by rocky terrain with an average elevation of about 600 m (2,000 ft). It is subdivided into Maharashtra Plateau, Karnataka Plateau, and Rayalaseema and Telangana Plateau. The Deccan Traps in the northwest were formed by multiple layers of igneous rock deposited by basaltic lava flows following a massive volcanic eruption occurred at 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, 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 block 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, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Kadambas, Kakatiyas, and Western Gangas. In the later medieval...