Deccas

Deccas is a term sometimes used to refer to people connected with the Deccan region of India, particularly those associated with the Deccan Plateau that covers much of central and southern parts of the country. It is not a formal demographic label; usage is informal and varies by speaker, context, and literary tradition.

The Deccan Plateau stretches across a large portion of central and southern India, bounded by the Western and Eastern Ghats and reaching toward the Indian Ocean in the south. The name Deccan derives from historical terms for the south, with linguistic roots in Sanskrit dakṣiṇa and adaptations in Persian and Arabic.

The Deccan has a long, complex history with many polities, including ancient dynasties, medieval sultanates, and later regional kingdoms. The region is linguistically diverse, with Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Urdu, and Tamil among its languages, and the Deccani Urdu dialect is a notable cultural marker in parts of the area.

In modern usage, "Deccas" may appear as a regional or cultural demonym in literature, media, or travel writing, but it is not used in official statistics or standardized ethnolinguistic classifications. Regional identities in the Deccan are typically described by state, language, or city rather than a single umbrella term.

Culturally, the Deccan has contributed to architecture, music, cuisine, and literature across its urban centers. Notable culinary traditions include Hyderabadi cuisine, and the region has a rich heritage of vernacular literature and poetry, reflecting its linguistic and cultural diversity.