<P> The climate of the region varies from semi-arid in the north to tropical in most of the region with distinct wet and dry seasons . Rain falls during the monsoon season from about June to October . March to June can be very dry and hot, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40 ° C. The Deccan plateau is a topographically variegated region located south of the Gangetic plains - the portion lying between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal - and includes a substantial area to the north of the Satpura Range, which has popularly been regarded as the divide between northern India and the Deccan . The name derives from the Sanskrit daksina ("south"). The plateau is bounded on the east and west by the Ghats, while its northern extremity is the Vindhya Range . The Deccan's average elevation is about 2,000 feet (600 m), sloping generally eastward; its principal rivers, the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri, flow from the Western Ghats eastward to the Bay of Bengal . The plateau's climate is drier than that on the coasts and is arid in places . Although sometimes used to mean all of India south of the Narmada River, the word Deccan relates more specifically to that area of rich volcanic soils and lava - covered plateaus in the northern part of the peninsula between the Narmada and Krishna rivers . </P> <P> Having once constituted a segment of the ancient continent of Gondwanaland, this land is the oldest and most stable in India . The Deccan plateau consists of dry tropical forests that experience only seasonal rainfall . </P> <P> On the western edge of the plateau lie the Sahyadri, the Nilgiri, the Anaimalai and the Elamalai Hills, commonly known as Western Ghats . The average height of the Western Ghats, which run along the Arabian Sea, goes on increasing towards the south . Anaimudi Peak in Kerala, with a height of 2,695 m above sea level, is the highest peak of peninsular India . In the Nilgiris lie Ootacamund, the well - known hill station of southern India . The western coastal plain is uneven and swift rivers flow through it that forms beautiful lagoons and backwaters, examples of which can be found in the state of Kerala . The east coast is wide with deltas formed by the rivers Godavari, Mahanadi and Kaveri . Flanking the Indian peninsula on the western side are the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea and on the eastern side lies the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal . </P> <P> The eastern Deccan plateau, called Telangana and Rayalaseema, is made of vast sheets of massive granite rock, which effectively traps rainwater . Under the thin surface layer of soil is the impervious gray granite bedrock . It rains here only during some months . </P>

The southern plateau covers a larger area than the northern plains