6. The South Deccan

The South Deccan consists of several plateaux:

(i) Karnataka Plateau: This plateau spans in the state of Karnataka and the Cannanore and Kozhikode districts of Kerala. It shows dominance of Archaean and Dharwar formations. This plateau has an average elevation of 600-900 metres. Mulangiri (1913 metres) is the highest peak in Baba- Budan Hills, followed by the Kudermukh (1892 metres) peak.

The northern upland of the Karnataka plateau is known as Malnad, while the southern part is called a Maidan. It is drained by the Kaveri and the Tungbhadra rivers. The Nandi valley is a summer resort in this region.

(ii) The Telengana Plateau: The plateau of Telengana consists of Dharwar and Cuddapah formations. Hyderabad, the capital and cultural city of the state lies in Telengana.

(iii) The Tamil Nadu Uplands: This upland lies between the South Sahyadri and Tamil Nadu coastal plains. It is largely covered by the Archaean rocks. The charnockites are found in Javadi and Shevaroy hills. Moreover, there are Cuddapah and alluvial formations. Between Coimbatore and Anaimalais, there is a broad gap, known as Palakkad Gap (Palghat), about 25 km wide, through which flows the Gayitri river from east to west joining Tamil Nadu with the coast of Kerala.