Everything about Maharashtra totally explained
Maharashtra (
Marathi: महाराष्ट्र,, ') is
India's third largest
state in
area (about the size of
Italy) and second largest in
population. Located in western India, Maharashtra is bordered by the states of
Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh,
Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka,
Goa and the
Union territory of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The
Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast.
Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, is India's largest city and a prime center of economy and culture.
Maharashtra is India's most developed and urbanized state, contributing 15% of the country's industrial output and 14.7% of its
GDP.
Overview
The name Maharashtra first appeared in a 7th century inscription and in the account of a Chinese traveler,
Hiuen-Tsang.
In 90 A.D. Vedishri, son of the
Satavahana king
Satakarni, the "Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty", made
Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. In the early fourteenth century the Devgiri
Yadavs were overthrown by the northern Muslim powers. Then on, the region was administered by various kingdoms called
Deccan Sultanates.
In 17th Century, the
Marathas rose under leadership of
Shivaji Raje Bhosale against the
Mughals who were ruling a large part of India. He is thus regarded as the father of the Maratha Country.
After Indian independence, Maharashtra Samyukta Movement demanded and eventually succeeded in creation of a separate Maharashtra state in 1960. The official language of the state is
Marathi.
History
Pre Medieval history
Not much is known about Maharashtra's early history, and its recorded history dates back to the
3rd century B.C.E., with the use of Maharashtri Prakrit, one of the Prakrits derived from
Sanskrit. In literature Maharashtra is referred to as
Dandakaranya, for example the Jungle (
aranya) of punishment (
dandakas).In times of Ramayana, it was home of deadly creatures & demons. Exiled persons resided here and sages have to cross it in order to reach vindyhachal mountains.Khar dushan & suparnkha has cited to be met Rama in this region. Later,
Maharashtra became a part of the
Magadha empire, ruled by emperor
Ashoka. The port town of
Sopara, north of present day Mumbai, was the centre of ancient India's commerce, with links to
Eastern Africa,
Mesopotamia,
Aden and
Cochin.
With the disintegration of the Mauryan Empire, a local dynasty called
Satavahanas came into prominence in Maharashtra between
230 B.C.E. and
225 C.E. The period saw the biggest cultural development of Maharashtra. The Satavahana's official language was
Maharashtri, which later developed into
Marathi. The great ruler
Gautamiputra Satkarni (also known as "
Shalivahan") ruled around
78 C.E. He started the
Shalivahana era, a new calendar, still used by
Maharashtrian populace and as the
Indian national calendar. The empire gradually disintegrated in the third century.
During (
250 C.E. –
525 C.E.),
Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra, came under the rule of
Vakatakas. During this period, development of
arts,
religion and
technology flourished. Later, in
753 C.E., the region was governed by the
Rashtrakutas, an empire that spread over most of India. In
973 C.E., the
Chalukyas of
Badami expelled the Rashtrakutas, and ruled parts of Maharashtra until
1189 when the region came under the
Yadavas of
Deogiri.
Islamic Rule
Maharashtra came under
Islamic influence for the first time after the
Delhi Sultanate rulers
Ala-ud-din Khalji, and later
Muhammad bin Tughluq conquered parts of the
Deccan in the
13th century. After the collapse of the
Tughlaqs in
1347, the
Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga took over, governing the region for the next 150 years. After the breakup of the Bahamani sultanate, in 1518, Maharashtra was ruled by the breakaway in to 5 Shah's, namely Nizamshah of Ahmednagar, Adilshah of Bijapur, kutubshah of Govalkonda, bidarhshae of Bidar and Imadshah of Berar.
Rise of the Marathas
By the early
seventeenth century the
Maratha Empire began to take root. Shahaji Bhosale, an ambitious local general in the employ of the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur, at various times attempted to establish his independent rule. The attempts succeeded through his son Shivaji Bhosale. Marathas were led by Chhatrapati Raje
Shivaji Bhosale, who was crowned king in
1674. Shivaji constantly battled with the Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb and Adil Shah of Vijapur. By the time of his death in 1680, Shivaji had created a kingdom covering most of Maharashtra today (except the Aurangabad district which was part of the Nizam's territory) and Gujarat.
Shivaji's son and successor became the ruler of the Maratha kingdom in 1680. He
Chhatrapatti Sambhaji Bhosale was captured by
Aurangzeb.
Rajaram's nephew & Sambhaji's son,
Shahu Bhosale declared himself to be the legitimate heir to the Bhosale throne. In 1714, Shahu's
Peshwa (chief minister) Balaji Vishwanath, helped him seize the Maratha throne in 1708, with some acrimony from Rajaram's widow,
Tara Bai.
The Peshwe(prime ministers) played an important role in the strategic development of many forts in Maharastra. They were also decisive in many battles, like Moropant Pingale in 1670’s Dindori battle against the Mughals, Ramchandra Amatya in 1690’s Satara Battle against the Mughals and, the Pant Pratinidhi Peshwa against fort recapturing battles fought between 1702-1706.
Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, of the Bhat family, and his son,
Baji Rao I, bureaucratised the Maratha state. They systematised the practice of tribute gathering from Mughal territories, under the heads of
sardesmukhi and
chauth (the two terms corresponding to the proportion of revenue collected). They also consolidated Mughal-derived methods of assessment and collection of land revenue and other taxes. Much of the revenue terminology used in Peshwa documents derives from Persian, suggesting a far greater continuity between Mughal and Maratha revenue practice than may be politically palatable in the present day.
At the same time,the maritime Angre clan controlled a fleet of vessels based in
Kolaba and other centres of the west coast. These ships posed a threat not only to the new English settlement of Bombay, but to the
Portuguese at
Goa,
Bassein, and
Daman.
On the other hand, there emerged a far larger domain of activity away from the original heartland of the Marathas, which was given over to subordinate chiefs as
fiefs.
Gwalior was given to
Scindia/Shinde,
Indore to
Holkar,
Baroda to
Gaekwad and
Dhar to
Pawar.
After suffering a stinging defeat at the hands of
Afghan chieftain
Ahmad Shah Abdali, in the
Third Battle of Panipat in
1761, the Maratha Confederacy broke into regional kingdoms.
Post-Panipat, the Peshwa's ex-generals looked after the regional kingdoms they'd earned and carved out for themselves in the service of Peshwas covering north-central and Deccan regions of India. Pune continued to be ruled by what was left of the Peshwa family.
British Rule and Post-Independence
With the arrival and subsequent involvement of the
British East India Company in Indian politics, the Marathas and the British fought the three Anglo-Maratha wars between 1777 and 1818, culminating in the annexation of Peshwa-ruled territory in Maharashtra in
1819, which heralded the end of the Maratha empire.
The British governed the region as part of the
Bombay Presidency, which spanned an area from
Karachi in Pakistan to most of the northern Deccan. A number of the Maratha states persisted as
princely states, retaining local autonomy in return for acknowledging British sovereignty. The largest princely states in the territory of present-day Maharashtra were
Nagpur,
Satara and
Kolhapur; Satara was annexed to Bombay Presidency in 1848, and Nagpur was annexed in 1853 to become
Nagpur Province, later part of the
Central Provinces.
Berar, which had been part of the
Nizam of
Hyderabad's kingdom, was occupied by the British in 1853 and annexed to the Central Provinces in 1903. A large part of present day Maharashtra called
Marathwada remained part of the Nizam's
Hyderabad state during British rule. The British rule was marked by social reforms, an improvement in infrastructure as well revolts due to their discriminatory policies. At the beginning of the
20th century, the struggle for independence took shape led by
Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the moderates like Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Agarkar, Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji. In
1942, the
Quit India Movement was called by Mahatma Gandhi which was marked by a non-violent civil disobedience movement and strikes.
After India's independence in
1947, the princely states were integrated into the Indian Union, and the
Deccan States including Kolhapur were integrated into
Bombay State, which was created from the former Bombay Presidency in 1950. In
1956, the
States Reorganisation Act reorganized the Indian states along linguistic lines, and Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly Marathi-speaking regions of
Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) from erstwhile Hyderabad state and
Vidarbha region (
Amravati and
Nagpur divisions) from
Madhya Pradesh (formerly the Central Provinces and Berar). On
May 1,
1960, Maharashtra came into existence when Bombay Presidency State was split into the new linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Geography
km² (119,000
mi²), and is the third largest state in India. Maharashtra is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north,
Chhattisgarh to the east,
Andhra Pradesh to the southeast,
Karnataka to the south, and
Goa to the southwest. The state of
Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of
Dadra and
Nagar Haveli sandwiched in between. The
Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's west coast.
The
Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an average elevation of 1,200
metres (4,000
feet). To the west of these hills lie the
Konkan coastal plains, 50–80 kilometres in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat
Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats form one of the three
watersheds of
India, from which many
South Indian rivers originate, notable among them being
Godavari River, and Krishna, which flow eastward into the
Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India.
The Ghats are also the source of numerous small rivers which flow westwards, emptying into the
Arabian Sea. To the east are major rivers like Vainganga, which flow to the south and eventually into the Bay of Bengal.
There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including
Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects. The plateau is composed of black
basalt soil, rich in
humus. This soil is well suited for cultivating cotton, and hence is often called black cotton soil.
Protected areas of Maharashtra
Several
wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and
Project Tiger reserves have been created in Maharashtra, with the aim of conserving the rich bio-diversity of the region. As of May 2004, India has 92
national parks, of which 5 are located in Maharashtra. A large percentage of Maharashtra's forests and wildlife lie in the
Vidarbha region.
- Chandoli National Park, located in Sangli district has a vast variety of flora and fauna. The famous Prachitgad Fort and Chandoli dam and scenic water falls can be found around Chandoli National Park.
- Gugamal National Park, also known as Melghat Tiger Reserve is located in Amravati district. It is 80 km away from Amravati.
- Navegaon National Park, located near Nagpur in the eastern region of Vidarbha is home to many species of birds, deer, bears and leopards.
- Pench National Park, in Nagpur district, extends into Madhya Pradesh as well. It has now been upgraded into a Tiger project.
- Sanjay Gandhi National Park, also known as Borivali National Park is located in Mumbai and is the world's largest national park within city limits.
- Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, a man made wildlife sanctuary situated 30 km from Sangli. Ancient temples of Lord Shiva and Jain Temple of Parshwanath located in Sagareshwar are a major attraction.
- Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, a prominent tiger reserve near Chandrapur in Vidarbha. It is 40 km away from Chandrapur.
Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state, listed
here
. The Nagzira (Bhandara district), Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, and the
Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary are the important ones.
Apart from the above,
Matheran, a
Hill station near
Mumbai has been declared an eco-sensitive zone (Protected area) by the
Government of India.
Economy
| Year |
Gross Domestic Product (millions of INR) |
| 1980 |
166,310 |
| 1985 |
296,160 |
| 1990 |
644,330 |
| 1995 |
1,578,180 |
| 2000 |
2,386,720 |
Favourable economic policies in the
1970s led to Maharashtra becoming India's leading industrial state. Over 41% of the
S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Maharashtra. However, regions within Maharashtra show wide disparity in development. Mumbai, Pune and western Maharashtra are the most advanced. These areas also dominate the politics and bureaucracy of the state. This has led to resentment among backward regions like
Vidarbha,
Marathwada, and
Konkan.
Maharashtra's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $106 billion in current prices.
In 2007 Maharashtra reported a revenue surplus of INR 810
crore. Maharastra is second most urbanised state with urban population of 42% of whole population.
Maharashtra's is India's leading industrial state contributing 13% of national industrial output. 64.14% of the people are employed in
agriculture and allied activities. Almost 46% of the GSDP is contributed by industry. Major industries in Maharashtra include chemical and allied products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles,
petroleum and allied products. Other important industries include metal products,
wine,
jewellery,
pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, machine tools,
steel and
iron castings and
plastic wares.
Food crops include
mangoes,
grapes,
bananas,
oranges,
wheat,
rice,
jowar,
bajra, and
pulses.
Cash crops include
groundnut,
cotton,
sugarcane,
turmeric, and
tobacco. The net irrigated area totals 33,500
square kilometres.
Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra and the business capital of India, houses the headquarters of almost all major banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and
mutual funds in India. India's largest stock exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange, the oldest in Asia, is also located in the city. After successes in the
information technology in the neighboring states, Maharashtra has set up
software parks in
Pune,
Mumbai,
Navi Mumbai,
Aurangabad,
Nagpur and
Nasik, Now Maharashtra is the second largest exporter of software with annual exports of Rs 18 000cr (20% of India's software exports).
Mumbai is also the centre of India's
Hindi film and television industry (
Bollywood).
Maharashtra ranks
first nationwide in coal-based thermal electricity as well as nuclear electricity generation with national market shares of over 13% and 17% respectively. Maharashtra is also introducing
Jatropha cultivation and has started a project for the identification of suitable sites for Jatropha plantations.
Ralegaon Siddhi is a village in
Ahmednagar District that's considered a model of
environmental conservation.
Government
Like all states in India, the head of state is the
governor, appointed by the Central government. His or her post is largely ceremonial. The
Chief Ministers of Maharashtra is the
head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. Maharashtra's capital is
Mumbai, home to the
Vidhan Sabha – the state assembly and
Mantralaya, the administrative offices of the government. It is also home to the
Bombay High Court which has jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of
Daman and Diu. The legislature convenes its budget and monsoon sessions in Mumbai, and the winter session in Nagpur, which was designated as the state's auxiliary capital.
Maharashtra's legislature is
bicameral, one of the few states in India to have a bicameral type. The
Vidhan Sabha (
Legislative Assembly) is the lower house consisting of directly elected members. The
Vidhan Parishad (
Legislative Council) is the upper house, whose members are indirectly voted through an
electoral college. Maharashtra is allocated nineteen seats in the
Rajya Sabha and forty-eight in the
Lok Sabha, India's national
parliament.
After India's independence, most of Maharashtra's political history was dominated by the
Congress party. Maharashtra became a bastion of the Congress party producing stalwarts such as Y.B. Chavan, one of its most prominent Chief Ministers. The party enjoyed near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until
1995 when the
right wing Shiv Sena and
BJP secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a
coalition. After a split in the Congress party, former chief minister
Sharad Pawar formed the
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but formed a coalition with the Congress to keep out the BJP-SS combine. The 2004 elections saw the NCP gaining the largest number of seats to become the state's largest party, eroding much of the Shiv Sena's base. Under a pre-poll power sharing agreement, the Chief Minister would be from the Congress while the deputy Chief Minister would be from the NCP.
Vilasrao Deshmukh is current CM and
R. R. Patil (NCP) is DCM.
Revenues of Government
This is a chart of trend of own tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Maharashtra assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year |
Own Tax Revenues |
| 2000 |
198,821 |
| 2005 |
332,476 |
This is a chart of trend of own non-tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Maharashtra assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year |
Own Non-tax Revenues |
| 2000 |
26,030 |
| 2005 |
30,536 |
Demographics
As per the
2001 census, Maharashtra has a population of 96,752,247 inhabitants making it the second most populous state in India, and the second
most populous country subdivision in existence, and third ever after the
Russian SFSR of the former
Soviet Union. The Marathi-speaking population of Maharashtra numbers 62,481,681 according to the 2001 census. This is a reflection of the cosmopolitan nature of the state. Only eleven countries of the world have a population greater than Maharashtra. Its density is 322.5 inhabitants per
square kilometre. Males constitute 50.3 million and females, 46.4 million. Maharashtra's urban population stands at 42.4%. Its sex ratio is 922 females to 1000 males. 77.27% of its population is literate, broken into 86.2% males and 67.5% females. Its growth rate between
1991-2001 was pegged at 22.57%.
Marathi is the official state language.
The Marathi language as is spoken in Pune is considered the defacto standard of spoken Marathi.
In Megapolis Bruhan Mumbai,
Marathi,
English,
Hindi and other languages are also spoken. In the northwest portion of Maharashtra, a dialect
Ahirani is spoken by a minority. In south
Konkan, a dialect of
Konkani known as
Malvani is spoken by most of the people. In the
Desh region of the
Deccan, a dialect called Deshi is spoken, while in
Vidarbha, a dialect known as
Varhadi is spoken by most of the people.
The state has a Hindu majority of 80.2% with minorities of
Muslims 10.6%,
Buddhists 6%,
Jains 1.3% and
Christians 1%. Maharashtra has the biggest
Jain,
Zoroastrian and
Jewish populations in India.
The Total Fertility Rate in 2001 was 2.23. Caste Hindus - 2.09, Muslims - 2.49, Christians - 1.41, Jains - 1.41, Sikh - 1.57, Buddhist - 2.24, Others -2.25, Tribals - 3.14 and Dalits of all religions - 2.42 (Hindu Dalits had higher TFR compared to Buddhist Dalits).
(External Link)
Divisions
Maharashtra is divided into thirty-five
districts, which are grouped into six divisions:
Aurangabad Division,
Amravati Division,
Konkan Division,
Nagpur Division,
Nashik Division, and
Pune Division. These are official revenue divisions of government of Maharashtra.
Geographically, historically and according to political sentiments Maharashtra has five main regions:
Vidarbha or Berar (Nagpur and Amravati divisions),
Marathwada (Aurangabad Division),
Khandesh and Northern Maharashtra (Nashik Division),
Desh or Western Maharashtra (Pune Division), and Konkan (Konkan Division).
Principal cities
In contrast to the agrarian economy that characterises India, Maharashtra stands out, with the highest level of urbanisation of all Indian states
(External Link). The mountainous topography and soil are not as suitable for intensive agriculture as the plains of North India; therefore, the proportion of the urban population (38.69 per cent) contrasts starkly with the national averageveloping metro and many large towns. Mumbai is the state capital, with a population of approximately 15.2 million people. The other large cities are Pune, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Amravati, Aurangabad and Nagpur.
Mumbai: Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India and is the megapolis capital of Maharashtra.. It has the largest proportion of taxpayers in India and its share markets transact almost 70 per cent of the country’s stocks. Mumbai offers a lifestyle that's rich, cosmopolitan and diverse, with a variety of food, entertainment and nightlife available in a form and abundance comparable to that in world capitals. Mumbai has the best connectivity to the world and within India. No wonder, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai is the biggest and the busiest airport India. Mumbai is India's link to the world of telecommunications and the Internet. VSNL (Now Tata Teleservices) is the terminal point in India for all telephone and internet traffic. Mumbai is India's flagship port destination. Mumbai is home to the Indian Navy's Western Command (INS).
Pune: Pune, the second largest city in Maharashtra, and also the 7th largest in India, is the state's cultural and heritage capital, with a population of 4.5 million people. About 170-km from Mumbai by road, Pune was the bastion of the Maratha empire. Under the reign of the Peshwas - key ministers in the Maratha Empire - Pune blossomed into a centre of art and learning. Several far-reaching revenue and judicial reforms were also initiated in the city. Shaniwarwada, Saras baug, Aga Khan Palace, Parvati Temple, Khadakwasla Dam, Sinhgad are the most visited places by tourists in Pune. 'Ganeshotsav', a festival of Lord Ganesh is celebrated in Pune with lot of enthusiasm and worship. Pune is connected to Mumbai by the state of the art Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well is connected to the rest of the country by rail and air. Pune also has very important military cantonments as well as the HQ of the Southern Command, the IAF Base at Lohegaon and IAF too.
Aurangabad: A tourist capital of Maharshtra of more than 1.4 million, it's an upcoming industrial hub of Mahrashtra after Pune. Aurangabad is a capital of Marathwada. It is growing rapidly as many projects are coming to Aurangabad.
Nashik: One of the holy cities of the Hindu tradition, Nashik lies on the banks of the sacred river Godavari and has a population of about 1.4 million people. It is believed that Lord Rama, hero of the great Indian epic, the Ramayana, spent a major part of his exile here. Nashik is also a temple town, with over 200 temples.
Navi Mumbai: It is a modern planned city with many Industries around, a new railway terminus, an international airport being constructed here. It was initially developed in the 1970s as a counter magnet to reduce urban congestion on Mumbai island. Navi Mumbai is connected to Mumbai at Vashi and Airoli nodes by rail and road by two massive bridges on the Thane creek. It has a good Highway network. Town planning is done by the Government of Maharashtra agency named CIDCO.
Thane: Thane is a city adjoining Mumbai on the Salsette Island, packed with Mulund in Mumbai on the north east and Thane creek and the Ulhas river on the south. Its a city with a population of 1.5 million people and is one of the most developed as well as most urbanized cities in Maharashtra and India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Thane district. Thane is a major industrial and commercial city with the first industrial estate in Maharashtra the TTC area being established here in the 1960s. Thane is a predominantly Middle class, Marathi speaking and a culturally rich city. The first railway in India ran between Mumbai and Thane in 1853. Thane is also known as the city of Lakes as well as one of the cleanest cities in India.
Nagpur:The erstwhile capital of the CP & Berar and after independence the capital of Madhya Pradesh till 1956. Nagpur is the nerve centre of Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra), Nagpur - the 'orange city' as it's known - is located in the heart of India, with a population of about 2.4 million people (2.1 Million as per census 2001). It is also second administrative capital of Maharashtra. Nagpur is a growing industrial centre and the home of several industries, ranging from food products and chemicals to electrical and transports equipment. An international cargo airport is coming up in Nagpur. The Maintenance Command of Indian Air Force is located in Nagpur. The " Zero Mile Stone" or the geographical centre of India is located in Nagpur. Deekshabhoomi, Sitabardi Fort, Ambazari, Seminary Hills, Dragon Palace Temple, Pench National Park are some of the tourist attractions in and around Nagpur.
Jalgaon: Jalgaon (जळगाव) is a city in western India, to the north of the Maharashtra state in Jalgaon District, which itself is located on the northern Deccan Plateau. Located within the productive, irrigated agricultural region of Khandesh, Jalgaon is a municipal corporation. Formerly part of territory controlled by the Holkar family of Maratha rulers, Jalgaon became part of British India's Bombay Presidency in 1818 and part of independent India in 1947.[citationneeded] Jalgaon is also the hometown of the Smt. Pratibha Patil, President of India.
Solapur: A workers place of Maharshtra of more than 1.6 million, it's an upcoming industrial hub of Mahrashtra after Pune. It is growing rapidly as many projects are coming to Solapur.
Sangli: The 'Turmeric city of India' is the largest trade center for turmeric in the country. Situated on the banks of river [Krishna], Sangli-Miraj twin cities form the largest urban agglomeration in South Maharashtra. Sangli is famous for its grapes and wine park. Miraj is known for Indian classical musical instruments exported all over the world. Ganapati Temple of Sangli and its Ganesh Festival attract tourists from all over India. Sangli houses some renowned engineering and medical institutions. Sangli is now coming up as a major wind power generation hub. Sangli is well known for its sugar factories and dairy farms.
Kolhapur: Kolhapur city situated in the south west corner of Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and provides the location for the Mahalakshmi Temple. The city has strong cultural identity and lends its name to many common terms like Kolhapuri Chappal, Kolhapuri lavangi mirchi, Kolhapuri gur and Kolhapuri cuisine.
Kolhapur is also known as Kalapur for being home for artists (painters, singers, Marathi cinema etc).
Amravati: Amravati (also known as Amrawati or Amraoti) is a city in the state of Maharashtra in India. It is believed to be the city of lord Indra, the king of all gods. It has very historical temples of Goddess Ambadevi and Mahanubhava's Lord ShriKrishna Temple. Amravati is located at 20.93° N 77.75° E.[1] It has an average elevation of 343 metres (1125 feet). It lies 156 km (97 miles) west of Nagpur, and serves as the administrative center of Amravati District and of Amravati Division. As with so many other small cities in India, Amravati is growing rapidly in terms of living quality. New flyovers and roads are being built to renovate the city, and other improvements like new traffic signals are underway under IRDP (Integrated Road Development Programme)implemented by government of Maharashtra.
Transport
The Indian Railways covers most of the Maharashtra and is the preferred mode of transport over long distances. Almost the entire state comes under the Central Railways branch which is headquartered in Mumbai. Most of the coast south of Mumbai comes under the Konkan Railway. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses, popularly called ST or MSRTC, link most of the towns and villages and have a large network of operation. These buses, run by the state government are the preferred mode of transport for much of its populace. In addition to the government run buses, private run luxury buses are also a popular mode of transport between major towns.
Mumbai has the biggest international airport in India with another coming up at Navi Mumbai. Pune has a civilian enclave international airport with flights to Dubai and Singapore, with plans on for a brand new greenfield International Airport. Other large cities such as Nagpur and Aurangabad are served by domestic airlines. Ferry services also operate near Mumbai, linking the city to neighbouring coastal towns. Other modes of public transport, such as a seven-seater tempo have gained popularity in semi-urban areas. Maharashtra has a large highway network and recently built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the first controlled-access toll road project in India. Maharashtra has three major ports at Mumbai (operated by the Mumbai Port Trust), the JNPT lying across the Mumbai harbour in Nhava Sheva, and in Ratnagiri, which handles the export of ores mined in the Maharastra hinterland.
Culture
Marathi is the language of Maharashtrians. Maharashtrians take great pride in their language and history, particularly the Maratha Empire, its founder Shivaji is considered a folk hero across India. About 80% of Maharashtrians are Hindu, and there are significant Muslim, Christian and Buddhist minorities. There are many temples in Maharashtra some of them being hundreds of years old. These temples are constructed in a fusion of architectural styles borrowed from North and South India. The temples also blend themes from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cultures. The temple of Vitthal at Pandharpur is the most important temple for the Varkari sect. Other important religious places are the Ashtavinayaka temples of Lord Ganesha, Bhimashankar which is one of the Jyotirling (12 important shiva temples). Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and famous tourist attractions. Mughal architecture can be seen is the tomb of the wife of Aurangzeb called Bibi Ka Maqbara located at Aurangabad.
In 1708, the year following the death of Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh the tenth spiritual leader of the Sikhs came over to Nanded, his permanent abode. He proclaimed himself the last living Guru and established the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs. This elevates the reverence of Granth to that of a living Guru. A monument has been constructed at place where he breathed his last. Maharaja Ranjit Singh's endowment saw the construction of a beautiful Gurudwara at Nanded around 1835 AD. The Gurudwara features an imposing golden dome with intricate carvings and a breathtakingly beautiful artwork. It is known as Shri Huzur Abchalnagar Sachkhand Gurudwara
Maharashtra has a large number of hill, land and sea forts. Forts have played an important role in the history of Maharashtra since the time of the Peshwas. Some of the important forts in Maharashtra are Raigad, Vijaydurg, Pratapgad, Sinhagad. Majority of the forts in Maharashtra are found along the costal region of Konkan.
Marathi Hindus revere Bhakti saints of all castes, such as Dnyaneshwar (Brahmin), Tukaram (Moray Shudra), Namdev (Chhimba Shudra), and Chokhamela (Mahar).
There were several other Harijan saints of Maharastra. They are Sant Banka Mahar, Sant Bhagu, Sant Damajipanth, Sant Kanhopatra, Sant Karmamelam, Sant Nirmala, Sant Sadna, Sant Sakhubai, Sant Satyakam Jabali, Sant Soyarabai. Other important devotees are Namdev Mahar, devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba, lived in Kharagpur and Bhagubai, the wife of Namdev Mahar, devotee of Sai.
In modern times Nisargadatta Maharaj, a Shudra and bidi-seller, became a Hindu saint of major influence in India.
Popular forms of God are Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesh.
Lord Shiva's devotion is celebrated by taking part in Maha Shivaratri (Night of Shiva) festival. In modern times, the Elephanta island in Mumbai, Lord's Shiva island in local mythology, originated the Elephant Festival. Lord Krishna's devotion are celebrated in the state-wide Gokul Ashtami (or Krishna Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday) whereby many devotees fast on the entire day until midnight. Lord Ganesh's devotion is celebrated by Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesh's birthday) in August.
Entertainment
Maharashtra like other states of India has its own folk music. The folk music viz. Gondhal Lavani, Bharud, Powada,
stand popular especially in rural areas, while the common form of music favored in urban areas is from the Hindi
and Marathi Film Industry.
Like its rich folk culture Maharashtra has equally rich Literature. The earliest instances of Marathi literature is by Sant Jnyaneshwar with his Bhawarthadeepika (popularly known as Jnyaneshwari). The compositions done during this period are spiritually inclined.The other compositions are by Sant Tukaram, Sant Namdev, Sant Gora Kumbhar. The compositions are mostly in poetic form, which are called as Bhajans. These bhajans by saints are popular and part of day to day life. The Modern Marathi literature has been enriched by famous poets and authors like P. L. Deshpande, Kusumagraj, Prahlad Keshav Atre, Vyankatesh Madgulkar. This literature has been passed on to the next generations through the medium of large number of books that are
published every year in Marathi.
The world famous Film industry Bollywood is in Maharashtra located in the economic capital of India Mumbai. The Marathi film industry was once placed in Kolhapur but now is spread out through Mumbai too. The pioneer of Indian movie industry, Bharat Ratna Shri Dadasaheb Phalke, producer & director V. Shantaram, B.R.Chopra, Shakti Samanta, Raj Kapoor, form a few names of the Hindi Film fraternity, while writer, director, and actor P. L. Deshpande, actor Ashok Saraf, actor Laxmikant Berde, actor & producer, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Mahesh Kothare belong to the Marathi Film Industry. The early period of Marathi theatre was dominated by playwrights like Kolhatkar, Khadilkar, Deval, Gadkari and Kirloskar who enriched the Marathi theatre for about half a century with excellent musical plays known as Sangeet Naatak. The genre of music used in such plays known as Natyasangeet. It is during this era of the Marathi theatre that great singer actors like Bal Gandharva, Keshavrao Bhosle, Bhaurao Kolhatkar, Deenanath Mangeshkar thrived.
Some of the popular Marathi television channels are Star Majha, Zee Talkies, Zee Chovis Taas, Mi Marathi, DD Sahyadri, Zee Marathi, ETV Marathi, which host shows ranging from soap operas, cooking and travel to political satire and game shows.
The cuisine of Maharashtra varies according to the region of Maharashtra. The people of the Konkan region have a chiefly rice based diet with fish being a major component, due the close proximity to the sea. In eastern Maharashtra, the diet is based more on Wheat, Jowar and Bajra. Puran Poli (पुरण पोळी), Bakarwadi, plain simple Varan Bhat(dish cooked with plain rice and curry),
Modak are few dishes to name. Chicken and Mutton are also widely used for a variety of cuisines. Kolhapuri Mutton is famous dish for its peculiar spicy nature.
Women traditionally wear a nine yard or five yard sari and men a dhoti or pajama with a shirt. This, however, is changing with women in urban Maharashtra wearing Punjabi dresses, consisting of a Salwar and a Kurta while men wear trousers and a shirt.
The Cricket craze can be seen through out Maharashtra, as it's the most widely followed and played sport. Kabaddi, Hockey are also played with fervor. Children’s games include Viti-Dandu (Gilli-danda in Hindi) and Pakada-pakadi (Tag).
Hindus in Maharashtra follow the Saka era calendar. Gudi Padwa, Diwali, Rangapanchami, Gokulashtami and Ganeshotsav are some of the festivals that are celebrated in Maharashtra. Ganeshotsav is the biggest festival of Maharashtra which is celebrated with much reverence and festivity throughout the state and has since some time become popular all over the country. The festival which continues over ten days is in honour of Ganesha the God of learning and knowledge. A large number of people walk hundreds of kilometers to Pandharpur for the annual pilgrimage in the month of Ashadh.
Further Information
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