The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.33

v1.c15.33

All the southern extremity of India, except the greater heights, is warm at all times of the year, though the heat is never so great as in the hot season of northern India. There is no cool season in the south comparable with that of the north. In most parts of India there are five cool months, October, November, December, January, and February. March, April, and May are the hot season. The remaining four months constitute the rainy season, when the temperature is moderated by the presence of cloud. In the south, almost girt by the sea, some rain falls at all seasons, but along the Malabar coast the west winds of the summer bring great rains. These winds strike the Western Ghāts and the Nīlgiri hills, and drench them with moisture, so that they are thickly forested. At this season great waterfalls leap down the westward ravines and feed torrents which rush in short valleys to the ocean. One of the grandest falls in the world is at Gersoppa in the north-west corner of Mysore.