Deccan, a historical region in the south of the Indian Subcontinent, the bulk of which is today situated within the state of Maharashtra, with parts also located in Hyderabad, Telangana and Karnataka (Joshi, ‘Historical Geography’, 3; Bosworth, 181).

The name ‘Deccan’ appears in the two Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, in the form ‘Dakshiṇaptha’ and ‘Dakshiṇa’, originally meaning the district, land or state of the …