A History of Agriculture in India v2.c86.4

v2.c86.4

MAHARASHTRA, the Maratha country, is coterminus with the Deccan lavas, which gave the black cotton soil. On its western side are the Ghats, the flat-topped mountains. Below the Ghats is the coastal strip known as the Konkan. To the eastern side is the Deccan plateau, rising to an average elevation of about 610 metres above the sea level. While there are luxuriant tropical forests on the Konkan side of the Ghats, on their eastern side vegetation is sparse. The monsoon currents deposit most of their moisture in the Western Ghats, and there is very little rain in the middle strip of the Deccan plateau, the rain-shadow area. The main crops are jowar and bajra, which form the staple diet of the people.