Peninsula of India south of the Narmada River. It is marked by
the tableland between the Western and Eastern Ghats ranges. Its
average elevation is about 2,000 ft (600 m). Its principal
rivers, the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri (Cauvery), flow from
the Western Ghats eastward to the Bay of Bengal. Its early
inhabitants were a Dravidian-speaking population not reached by
the 2nd-millennium-BC Aryan invasion. Ruled by Mauryan (4th–2nd
centuries BC) and Gupta (4th–6th centuries AD) dynasties, it
became an independent Muslim kingdom in 1347. Later split up
into five Muslim sultanates, the Deccan was largely conquered by
the Mughal dynasty in the 17th century. In the 18th century it
was the scene of rivalry between the British and French and
subsequently of the British struggle against the Maratha
confederacy. It remained under British control until India
gained independence in 1947. Learn more about Deccan with a free
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