History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c16.s5.1

v1.c16.s5.1

India to the south of the Nerbudda divides itself into two natural portions the first consisting of Berar, the Nizam State and the Bombay Deccan; and the second consisting of what is practically the present Madras Presidency. The former is usually called the Deccan while the latter is called south India. The language in the first is generally Marathi with the exception of Āndhra in the south-east and of the Southern Maratha country in the south-west. The Deccan, as we have shown, was originally sparsely populated by aboriginies and hence the Aryan invaders who settled the country gave their language to it. Did the Aryans advance into Āndhra and the Kanarese portions and into the country southwards of both? Did they advance in sufficient numbers so as to impress their language upon the people? If so, does not their language now prevail there? We will try to answer these questions in this note as there seems to be a great deal of haziness on this subject.