A Deccan Odyssey

Legends & lore of the South

/ read / January 16, 2023 / Spotlight

Synonymous with the plateau that covers most of southern India, the Deccan is also an important historical region with a complex, multicultural past. For the 35th issue of Spotlight, we journey across the fabled land of diamonds and other impressive rocks.

Life on the Deccan Plateau – From dinosaurs to diamonds

Like its culture, the geology of the Deccan too is incredibly diverse and supports a dazzling variety of life

Southern feast

Whether we’re talking geology, politics or culture, the historical region of the Deccan offers a sumptuous and varied feast for thought

Empires of the Deccan – 1,000 years of shifting sands

The Deccan’s diversity of art, culture and language is the result of centuries of shifting politics. Let's get to know the prominent early and late-mediaeval kingdoms of this vast region through Sarmaya's rare photographs, coins, books, engravings and maps

Masters of the Universe – Medieval Deccan’s kings & queens

Meet some of the most influential kings and queens of the region and understand their contribution to the language, politics and art of south India

Warlords to Kings – History of the Maratha supremacy

The Maratha identity, which took shape in the 8th century and continued to wield power even under British rule, is one of the most understudied aspects of Deccan history. Travel with us to meet its most influential architects

Singing pillars, living rocks & posh pineapples – Architecture of the Deccan

How medieval Deccani architecture evolved to encompass such a range of marvels, from monolithic cave monasteries to Dravidian temple art to Indo-Islamic minarets

India’s African History – The Siddis of the Deccan

The Siddis are unique among the multicultural communities of the Deccan. Many arrived in India as East African slaves but their lives collided with the volatile politics of the region in ways that would birth new identities

In Kalamkari Country

Art historian Rajarshi Sengupta takes us on a tour of south India's celebrated Kalamkari textile tradition

How to Build a Transnational Deccan City by Jonathan Gil Harris

by Jonathan Gil Harris December 2, 2017 The story of how modern-day Aurangabad was planned and built by an Abyssinian slave

“You can’t visit Hampi in a day”

Respected art historian of the Vijayanagara empire, Dr (Sr) Anila Verghese illustrates what makes the art and architecture of the era unique. Through objects from the Sarmaya collection, she points us in the direction of secrets and stories hidden in plain sight at Hampi

The Hyderabad Affair

Share on Facebook Share on X (Twitter) Share on Email Share on WhatsAppIf you’ve never been to Hyderabad, you might associate certain stereotypical things with it, like the jaw-dropping Nizam’s jewels that leave the vaults of the RBI to make their appearances at crowded exhibitions now and again. Or what many consider the definitive dum... Read more »

Deccan Chronicles: The Seven Nizams (and one Diwan) of Hyderabad

While the Nizams were alive, neither the Mughals, nor the French, nor the British, could wrest control of Hyderabad. On their watch, the city swayed to its own rhythm, breathing new life into Deccani art, music, dance and poetry