The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.86

v1.c15.86

The reason for the primitive character of this part of the country, and of many of the districts which extend northward through the hills almost to the valley of the Son, is to be found in the conditions of soil and climate. There have been no volcanic outpourings on the gneissic and granitic rocks hereabouts, and the summer cyclones from the Bay of Bengal strike most frequently upon this coast and travel inland in a north-westerly direction. Some of the Gond tribes of the forests, who may perhaps be described as the aborigines of India, still speak tongues which appear to be older than Dravidian. In the more fertile parts of the upper Mahānadī and Godāvari basins are comprised the Central Provinces of the direct British Raj, whose capital is at Nāgpur. The Central Provinces have an area comparable with that of Italy, though their population is but one-third the Italian population. They must not be confused with the Central Indian Agency.