Maharashtra - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

7/27/2019 Maharashtra - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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Maharashtra

State

From top-left in clockwise direction: the Gateway of India in

Mumbai, theAjanta Caves in Aurangabad, the Statue of

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and a statue of Lord Ganesha

Seal

MaharashtraFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maharashtra (Marathi: ,/mhrtr/ [mharar] ( listen)), is a state in the western region of India. It is the

second most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the wealthiest state

in India, contributing 15% of the country's industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP (20062007 figures). [5]

Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to

the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the north and northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra

Pradesh to the southeast and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of

the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is India's largest city and the financial capital of

the nation. Nagpur is the second (Winter) capital of the state. Marathi is the state's official language.

Maharashtra is the world's second most populous first-level administrative country sub-division. Were it a nation in its

own right, Maharashtra would be the world's tenth most populous country ahead of Mexico.

In the 17th century, the Marathas rose under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj against the Mughals, who

ruled a large part of India. By 1760, Maratha power had reached its zenith with a territory of over 250 million acres (1

million km) or one-third of the Indian sub-continent. After the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the empire ended and most of

Maharashtra became part of Bombay State under a British Raj. After Indian independence, Samyukta MaharashtraSamiti demanded unification of all Marathi-speaking regions under one state. At that time, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

as of the opinion that linguistic reorganization of states should be done on a "One state One language" principle and

not on a "One language One state" principle. He submitted a memorandum to the reorganization commission stating

that a "single government can not administer such a huge state as United Maharashtra". [6] The first state reorganization

committee created the current Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960 (known as Maharashtra Day). The Marathi-speaking

areas of Bombay State, Deccan states and Vidarbha (which was part of Central Provinces and Berar) united, under the

agreement known as Nagpur Pact, to form the current state.

Contents

1 Etymology

2 History

3 Geography

4 Protected areas

5 Economy

6 Government

6.1 Revenues of government

Coordinates: 18.96N 72.82


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Location of Maharashtra in India

Map of Maharashtra

Coordinates (Mumbai): 18.96N 72.82E

Country India

Established 1 May 1960 (Maharashtra Day)

Capital Mumbai

Largest city Mumbai

Districts 35 total

Government

Body Government of Maharashtra

Governor K. Sankaranarayanan

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan (INC)

7 Judiciary

8 Education and social development

9 Demographics

10 Religions

10.1 Hinduism

10.2 Islam

10.3 Buddhism

10.4 Jains

10.5 Christians

10.6 Sikhism

10.7 Zoroastrians

10.8 Judaism

11 Festivals

11.1 Saints (Sant)

12 Languages

13 Divisions and regions

13.1 Divisions

13.2 Regions

14 Border Dispute

15 Principal Urban Agglomerations

16 Transport

16.1 Roads

16.2 Railways

16.3 Civil Aviation

16.4 Sea Ports

17 Culture

18 See also

19 References

20 External links

Etymology

The etymology of the word "Maharashtra" is uncertain. The various theories include:

Maha (Sanskrit for "great") + rashtra, derived from the name of a clan known as rashtrika (rrika) mentioned in

some of Ashoka's inscriptions. Rashtrika alludes to a people of the Deccan who were progenitors of the Marathi-

speaking people; that the later "Maharashtri Prakrit" is associated with these people


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Legislature Bicameral

(288 + 78 seats)

High Court Bombay High Court

Area

Total 307,713 km2 (118,809 sq mi)

Area rank 3rd

Population (2011)[1]

Total 112,372,972

Rank 2nd Density 370/km2 (950/sq mi)

Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)

ISO 3166 code IN-MH

HDI 0.689 (medium)

HDI rank 12th (2005)

Literacy 82.9% (6th)

Sex Ratio 922 (2001)[2]

Official

languages

Marathi[3][4]

Website maharashtra.gov.in

(http://maharashtra.gov.in)

Language Marathi

Song Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha

Dance Lavani

Animal Indian Giant Squirrel

Bird Yellow-footed Green Pigeon

Flower Lagerstroemia

Tree Mango

Sport Kabaddi

State symbols of Maharashtra

Painting from the Ajanta Caves in

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, sixth

century

Maha ("great") + rashtra, derived from ratta, supposedly a corruption ofRashtrakuta (the name of a dynasty that

held sway over the Deccan from the 8th to 10th centuries).

Maha ("great") and rhra ("nation", "dominion")

Maha ("great") +Rathi orRatha (charioteer).

The word marathi is a corrupt pronunciation of the word "maharathi" who were an prolific warriors during times

of Mahabharata. Along with maharathis, there were AtiRathis, atimaharathis,mahamaharathis.

History

Main article: History of Maharashtra

The Nashik Gazetteer states that in 246 BC Maharashtra is mentioned as one of the places to which Mauryan emperor

Asoka sent an embassy, and Maharashtraka is recorded in a Chalukyan inscription of 580 CE as including three

provinces and 99,000 villages.[7][8] The name Maharashtra also appeared in a 7th century inscription and in the account

of a Chinese traveler, Hiuen-Tsang.[7] In 90 AD Vedishri,[9] 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. It was also ruled by Kharavela, Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas,

Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before Yadava rule.

In the early 14th century the Yadava dynasty, which ruled most of present-day Maharashtra, was overthrown by theDelhi Sultanate ruler Ala-ud-din Khalji. Later, Muhammad bin Tughluq conquered parts of the Deccan, and temporarily

shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Maharashtra. After the collapse of the Tughlaqs in 1347, the local

Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga took over, governing the region for the next 150

years. After the breakup of the Bahamani sultanate, in 1518, Maharashtra split into

and was ruled by five Deccan Sultanates: namely Nizamshah of Ahmednagar,

Adilshah of Bijapur, Qutubshah of Golkonda, Bidarshah of Bidar and Imadshah of

Berar. These kingdoms often fought amongst each other. United, they decisively

defeated the Vijayanagara Empire of the south in 1565. Also present area of Mumbai

was ruled by Sultanate of Gujarat before capturing by Portugal in 1535 and Faruqi

dynasty ruled Khandesh region between 1382 and 1601 before Mughal annexation.Malik Ambar was the regent of the Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmednagar from 1607

to 1626. During this period he increased the strength and power of Murtaza Nizam

Shah and raised a large army. Malik Ambar is said to be the one of proponent of

guerilla warfare in the Deccan region. Malik Ambar assisted Shah Jahan wrestle

power in Delhi from his stepmother, Nur Jahan, who had ambitions of seating her

son-in-law on the throne.

By the early 17th century, Shahaji Bhosale, an ambitious local general in the service of the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur,

attempted to establish his independent rule. His son Shivaji succeeded in establishing Maratha Empire which was further expanded by

Bhonsle of Nagpur, Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior and Peshwas (prime ministers). The Marathas defeated


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Maharashtra, as part of the Bombay

Presidency in 1909

the Mughals, and conquered large territories in Northern and Central parts of the Indian subcontinent. After the defeat at the Third

Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Maratha restored their supremacy and ruled central and north India including New Delhi till the end of

the eighteenth century. The Third Anglo-Maratha war (18171818) led to the end of the Maratha Empire and East India Company ruled

the country in 1819.

The British governed the region as part of the Bombay Presidency, which spanned an area from Karachi in Pakistan to northern

Deccan. A number of the Maratha states persisted as princely states, retaining autonomy in return for acknowledging British suzerainty.

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,

hich 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. However, a large part of present-day Maharashtra, called Marathwada, remained part of the Nizam's Hyderabad Statethroughout the British period. The British rule was marked by social reforms and an improvement in infrastructure as well as revolts

due to their discriminatory policies. At the beginning of the 20th century, the struggle for independence took shape led by extremists

like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and the moderates like Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, Gopal Krishna

Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Nowrojee. In 1942, the Quit India Movement was called by Gandhi which was marked by

a non-violent civil disobedience movement and strikes in the region. The ultimatum to the British to "Quit India" was given in Mumbai,

and culminated in the transfer of power and the independence of India in 1947. BG Kher was the first Chief Minister of the tri-lingual

Bombay Presidency.

After India's independence in 1947, the princely states were integrated into the Union of India. In the case of Hyderabad this was done

in 1948 using military force, in Operation Polo.

After India's independence, 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 from the Central Provinces and Berar. Also, southernmost part of

Bombay State was ceded to Mysore one. From 19541955 the people of Maharashtra strongly protested against bilingual Bombay state

and Samayukta Maharashtra Samiti was formed. Mahagujarat Movement was also started for separate Gujarat state. S.M. Joshi, S.A.

Dange, P.K. Atre and other leaders fought for a separate state of Maharashtra with Mumbai as its capital. On 1 May 1960, following mass protests and sacrifice of 105 human

lives the separate Marathi-speaking state was formed by dividing earlier Bombay state into new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The demand of the local people of merging

some of the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka namely Belgaum, Karwar and Nipani is still pending.

See also: Chronology of statehood of Maharashtra

Geography

See also: Geography of Maharashtra

Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km (119,000 mi), and is the third largest state in India. It 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

agar Haveli sandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's west coast.


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Pune is located at the confluence of

the Mula and Mutha rivers.

The Arabian Sea in Mahad

Rajgad, near Pune.

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 ft). Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik

City is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra. To the west of these hills lie the Konkan

coastal plains, 5080 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 River, which flow

eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India.

Protected areas

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 six are located in Maharashtra.There are 4

project tiger areas in Maharashtra. viz Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Sahyadri and Pench. A large percentage of Maharashtra's forests and

wildlife lie along the western Ghats or western Maharashtra and eastern Vidarbha.

Navegaon National Park, located near Gondia in the eastern region of Vidarbha is home to birds, deer, bears and leopards.

Nagzira wildlife sanctuary lies in Tirora Range of Bhandara Forest Division, in Gondia district of Vidarbha region. The sanctuary

consists of a range of hills with small lakes within its boundary. These lakes guarantee a source of water to wildlife throughout the year,

and heighten the beauty of the landscape.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, a prominent tiger reserve near Chandrapur in Vidarbha. It is 40 km away from Chandrapur.Pench National Park, in Nagpur district, extends into Madhya Pradesh as well. It has now been upgraded into a Tiger project.

Chandoli National Park, located in Sangli district has a variety of flora and fauna. The Prachitgad Fort and Chandoli dam and scenic water falls can be found around the

park.

Gugamal National Park, also known as Melghat Tiger Reserve is located in Amravati district. It is 80 km away from Amravati.

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 an attraction.

Maldhok Sanctuary, situated in Solapur district. Some of its part is in Ahmednagar district. The sanctuary is for the Great Indian Bustard.

Tansa wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Thane district and along the Tansa and Vaitarna river. The major water supplying dams Tansa, Modaksagar and lower vaitarna are

located in the Sanctuary. The fauna include Leopard, barking deer, Hyena, Flying squirrel and Wild boar. There are four forest ranges in the sanctuary-Tansa, Vaitarna,Khardi and Parli. The wildlife division head quarters is at Thane.

Bhimashankar wildlife Sanctuary. This is situated in the western Ghats and is famous for the Malabar Giant squirrel. The sanctuary is located in Thane, Raigad and Pune

district of Maharashtra.

Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state, listed here.[10] 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.


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YearGross domestic product

(millions of )

1980 166,310

1985 296,160

1990 664,330

1995 1,578,180

2000 2,386,720

2005 6,759,150

2011 12,076,732[11]

A view of Nariman Point, Mumbai, a

prime financial district in

Maharashtra

Economy

Main article: Economy of Maharashtra

See also: List of conglomerates in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has three of fifteen most important cities of India, Pune and Nagpur being the other two than the financial capital,

Mumbai.Favourable economic policies in the 1970s led to Maharashtra becoming India's leading industrial state in the last quarter of 20th

century. Over 41% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra's gross state domestic product for 2011 is at $224.12 billion. [12] The state's debt is estimated to be about 209,000 crore

(US$38 billion), i.e. about 17 percent of GDP.[13]

In 2012 Maharashtra reported a revenue surplus of 152.49 crore (US$28 million), with a total revenue of 136,711.70 crore (US$25 billion)

and a spending of 136,559.21 crore (US$25 billion).[14] Maharashtra is the most urbanised state with urban population of 42% of

hole population. The headquarters to the Financial Planning Standards Board India is in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra is India's leading industrial state contributing 15% of national industrial output and over 40% of India's national

revenue.[15] 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 financial capital of India, houses the headquarters of all major banks, financial institutions,

insurance companies, leading airlines in India. India's largest stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange, the oldest in Asia, is also located in the city. Maharashtra has set up

software parks in Pune, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Nashik. Now Maharashtra is the second largest exporter of software products with annual exports of

18,000 crore (US$3.3 billion) and accounts for more than 30 per cent of the country's software exports, with over 1,200 software units based in the state.[16] Jawaharlal Nehru

Port Trust in Navi Mumbai is the busiest port in India. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai is the busiest airport in South Asia as per passenger volume.[17]

Pune is another city in Maharashtra which is considered among the top 10 cities in India. It is the education and IT hub of India. Pune is also called as 'Oxford of the east' for

the quality of education provided by the University of Pune.

The coast of Maharashtra has been a shipbuilding center for many centuries. Companies operating shipyards in the state include Bharati Shipyard at Ratnagiri and the Rajapur

Shipyards at Rajapur, apart from the state owned Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai.

Mumbai is home for the world's largest film industry- Bollywood, Hindi filmmaking industry. 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.[18]


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Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha election results since

1990

Ralegan Siddhi is a village in Ahmednagar District that is considered a model of environmental conservation.[19]

An international cargo hub (Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur, MIHAN) is being developed at Nagpur.[20][21] MIHAN will be used for handling

heavy cargo coming from South-East Asia and Middle-East Asia. Project will also include 10,000 crore (US$1.8 billion) Special Economic Zone (SEZ)[22] for information

technology (IT) companies. This will be the biggest development project in India so far. [23]

Indian and foreign automobile makers in the area include Audi, Fiat, General Motors India, J. C. Bamford, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Skoda Auto, Tata Motors

and Volkswagen. Pune has become an IT hub with the presence of almost all IT leading companies including TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Honeywell, IBM, Infosys,

Cognizant and Microsoft.

Government

Like all states in India, the nominal head of state is the governor, appointed by the Union Government. The Governor's

post is largely ceremonial. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers.

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 Chief Minister is chosen by the

members of the Vidhan Sabha. 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.

The capital city Mumbai is home to the Vidhan Sabha the state assembly and Mantralaya, the administrative offices of

the government. The legislature convenes its budget and monsoon sessions in Mumbai, and the winter session in Nagpur,

hich was designated as the state's auxiliary capital.

After India's independence, most of Maharashtra's political history was dominated by the Indian National Congress.

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 Bharatiya Janata Party (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. Now new parties

emerging in Maharashtra's politics specially Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (Marathi: ) based regional political party operating on the motto of "Sons ofthe Soil"[24] founded on 9 March 2006 in Mumbai by Raj Thackeray after he left the Shiv Sena .

See also: Government of Maharashtra , Maharashtra state assembly elections, 2004, Maharashtra state assembly elections, 2009, and Local government in Maharashtra

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 ( ).[25]


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Prithviraj Chavan is the

current Chief Minister of

Maharashtra

The Bombay High Court, Mumbai

Year Own tax revenues

2000 198,821

2005 532,476

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 ( ).[25]

Year Own non-tax revenues

2000 26,030

2005 40,536

Judiciary

Main article: Bombay High Court

Mumbai is home to the Bombay High Court which has jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territories of

Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, with the benches being at Nagpur and Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Panaji, Goa.

The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa enrolled approximately 90,000 advocates on its roll (2009 data). The Bar Council is

represented by 25 elected members from the above territory; the Advocate General of each state is an ex-officio member of the

Council. This Bar Council elects one representative to the Bar Council of India as its member and also elects a chairman for the

council. The tenure of the entire Council is five years.

Harish Salve has served as the Solicitor General of India.

Ravindra M. Kadam was the Advocate General of Maharashtra till recently.

Darius J. Khambatta is the Additional Solicitor General, (Mumbai)

Education and social development

Maharashtra has good human resource development infrastructure in terms of educational institutions301 engineering/diploma colleges, 616 industrial training institutes an

more than 24 universities[26] with a turnout of 160,000 technocrats every year.[27]

It is home to institutions like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) which developed India's supercomputer, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai,

Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Sardar Patel College of Engineering, University Department of

Chemical Technology, Army Institute of Technology Pune (AIT), College of Engineering Pune (COEP), Vishwakarma Institute of Technology ( VIT, Pune ), Fergusson

College, Pune, Government College of Engineering Aurangabad, Government College of Engineering Amravati, C.S.M.S.S Dental College of Aurangabad Government

College of Engineering Karad, Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli (WCES), Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology Nanded (SGGSIE&T),

[2 ]


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Rajabai Clock Tower at the

University of Mumbai

IIT Mumbai main building

Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT), Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital and top management institutions. [27] 50,000 youth trained

to take up self-employment ventures every year by the Maharashtra Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (MCED), Aurangabad.

The literacy rate is well above the national average at 82.9%. [27] University of Mumbai, one of the

largest universities in the world in terms of the number of graduates. [28] The Indian Institute of

Technology (Mumbai),[29] Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI),[30] and University Institute

of Chemical Technology (UICT),[31] which are India's premier engineering and technology schools, and

SNDT Women's University are the other autonomous universities in Mumbai.[32]

Mumbai is home to Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), National Institute ofIndustrial Engineering (NITIE), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), S P Jain

Institute of Management and Research, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research

(SIMSR) and several other management schools.[33] Government Law College and Sydenham College,

respectively the oldest law and commerce colleges in India, are based in Mumbai. [34][35] The Sir J. J.

School of Art is Mumbai's oldest art institution. [36] College of Engineering Pune, established in 1854 is the third oldest college in Asia.

Mumbai is home to two prominent research institutions: the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Bhabha Atomic Research

Centre (BARC).[37] The BARC operates CIRUS, a 40 MW nuclear research reactor at their facility in Trombay.[38]

The University of Pune, the National Defence Academy, Film and Television Institute of India, National Film Archives, Armed Forces MedicalCollege and National Chemical Laboratory were established in Pune after the independence of India.

ILS Law College, established by the Indian Law Society is one of the top ten law schools in India. Established medical schools such as the Armed Forces Medical College and

Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College train students from all over Maharashtra and India and are amongst the top medical colleges in India. Military Nursing College

(affiliated to the AFMC) ranks among the top nursing colleges in the world.[39]

The University of Nagpur, established in 1923, one of the oldest universities in India, manages more than 24 engineering colleges, 43 science colleges and many colleges in

the Arts and Commerce faculties. Nagpur is the home for Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) (also referred to as NIT, Nagpur, formerly known as

Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering (VRCE), Nagpur) is one of the first six Regional Engineering Colleges established under the scheme sponsored by Government

of India and the Maharashtra State Government and is one of the Institutes of National Importance.

The geographical center of India lies at Nagpur, known as Zero Mile Stone. Nagpur is the headquarter for Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

and an important location for the Dalit Buddhist movement.Nagpur is also called as orange city of India as it have largest productions of oranges. Nagpur is also the home for

ational Fire Institution, Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti (promotion of and for spreading the national language, Hindi) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC-

Western zone).

Maharashtra in total, has 50% India's Internet users and 45% of PC penetration in the country. [16][40]

See also: List of institutions of higher education in Maharashtra and Category:Universities and colleges in Maharashtra


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Population growth

Census Pop. %

1961 39,554,000

1971 50,412,000 27.5%

1981 62,784,000 24.5%

1991 78,937,000 25.7%

2001 96,752,000 22.6%

2011 112,373,000 16.1%

Source:Census of India[41]

Jama Masjid in Nagpur

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 72,481,681 according to the 2011 census. 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 19912001 was pegged at 22.57%

Marathi is the official state language. In Mumbai and suburban areas, apart from the native Marathi and English, Gujarati is also spoken. In thenorthwest portion of Maharashtra, a dialect Ahirani is spoken by 2.5 million people. In south Konkan, a dialect known as Malvani is spoken by

most of the people. In the Desh (inland) region of the Deccan, a dialect called Deshi is spoken[citation needed], while in Vidarbha, a dialect known

as Varhadi is spoken by most of the people.

The Economic Survey of Maharashtra 200809 says the percentage of the states population that names Marathi as its mother tongue has

declined to 68.8% from 76.5% over the past three decades.

Outlining migratory trends in the state, the survey highlights the sharp rise in the Hindi-speaking population in the same period. The number of people citing Hindi as their

mother tongue rose to 11% from 5% in the same period[42]

The total fertility rate in 2001 was 2.23. Hindus 2.09, Muslims 4.09, Christians 1.41, Jains 1.41, Sikh 1.57, Buddhist 2.24, others 2.25, Tribals 3.14.[43] In this

state, 36.7% of children are underweight, 27.0% of the population is undernourished and 4.7% of children who die under the age of 5 die from hunger.[44][45]

Religions

Hinduism

Hindus form 83.2% of total population and Hinduism plays an important role in Maharashtrian people in their day-to-day life. Ganesh is the most

popular deity amongst Marathi Hindus, followed by Krishna in the form of Vithal. They also worship the Shiva Family deities such as Shankar

and Parvati. The Warkari tradition holds strong grip on local Hindus of Maharastra. The public Ganesh festival started by Lokmanya Tilak in thelate 19th century is very popular. Marathi Hindus also revere Bhakti saints of all castes, such as Dnyaneshwar (Deshastha Brahmin), Savata Mali

(Mali), Tukaram (Moray Maratahi-Kunbi), Namdev (Shimpi-Artsian, Vaishya) and Chokhamela (Mahar) and Banjara (Laman,

Gormati),Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj(Sant as well as Philosopher),Sant Gadge Maharaj(Sant as well as Philosopher).

Islam

Islam is the second largest religion in the state with 15 million or (1.5 crore) adherents comprising 12 per cent of the population, as per estimates. Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramzan Eid)

and Eid-ul-Azha (Bakra Eid) are the two important Muslim festivals in the state. Within [[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim) ]Muslims, Sunnis represent an

overwhelming majority. The Muslim population in the state is highly urbanised and is spread across different regions. Significant Muslim population can be found in [[3]

(h // iki di / iki/ h d ) ] h d [[4] (h // iki di / iki/ h d h) ] h d h d


11/23

Deekshabhoomi is a major center of theBuddhist movement In Maharashtra

Jain temple at Ellora

Mount Mary Church,

Very famous for Annual

Feast

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathwada) ]Marathwada, [[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khandesh) ]Khandesh, and

Mumbai-Thane belt. Vidarbha, Western Maharashtra and Konkan region also hold sizeable Muslim population. The urban

character of the community in Maharashtra can be seen from the fact that Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, has 18.5 per

cent Muslims. Similarly, Nagpur the second capital of Maharashtra has 11 per cent Muslim population. In Aurangabad, Muslims

form 39 per cent of the population. Muslims also form a majority in towns like Malegaon and Bhiwandi.

Buddhism

Buddhism is the third largest religion in the state. Most Marathi Buddhists are followers of the Dalit Buddhist movement, a 19th

and 20th-century Buddhist revival movement in India that received its most substantial impetus from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar who

called for the conversion of Dalits to Buddhism to escape a caste-based society that considered them to be the lowest in the

hierarchy.[46] Buddhism accounts for nearly 6% in Maharastra's total population.

Jains

Main article: Jainism in Maharashtra

Jainists are a major group in Maharashtra. Jain community census for 2001 in Maharashtra area was 1,301,843. Cultural roots on Maharashtra for

Jainism explain this numbers, as this more than 2,500-year old religion has some ancient temples in Maharashtra.

Christians

Christians account for 1,058,313 of Maharashtra's population. Most of the Christians are Catholics and Protestants. There are also Goan,

Mangalorean, Keralite and Tamilian Christians in the urban pockets of Mumbai and Pune. There are two ethnic Christian communities in

Maharashtra:

East Indians Majority Catholics, concentrated in Mumbai and in the neighbouring districts of Thane and Raigad. St Bartholomew

preached to the natives of this region in the 1st century AD.

Marathi Christians Majority Protestants found specially in Ahmednagar and Solapur. Protestantism was brought to these areas by

American and Anglican missionaries during the 18th century. Marathi Christians have largely retained their pre-Christian cultural practices.

Sikhism

Sikhism is India's fourth-largest religion and has existed for over 500 years, beginning with the birth of its founder Guru Nanak Dev ji. The Sikhs

are predominantly located in Punjab, however the Sikh community has a sizeable presence in Maharashtra. Sikh community census for 2001 in

Maharashtra was 215,337.[47]

anded, the second largest city in the Marathwada region (after Aurangabad) of Maharashtra, is an important holy place for the Sikh faith and is famous for the Hazur Sahib

Gurudwara. Hazr Shib ("presence of the master"), also spelled Hazoor Sahib, is one of the five takhts (seats of temporal authority) in Sikhism. Located on the banks of the

River Godavari, it is where the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji left human flesh. The Gurudwara within the complex is known Sach-Khand, "Realm of Truth". At a

h di f h H S hib G d h li h L S hib G d hi h i f f i d L I ll


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Interior view of

Gurdwara Sach-Khand

Hazr Shib

Entrance of the Maneckji

Seth Agiary (Fire

Temple) in Mumbai

Ohel David Synagogue

stone-throw distance from the Hazoor Sahib Gurudwara, there lies the Langar Sahib Gurudwara which is very famous for its grand Langar. In all

teh city boasts of 13 major Gurudwaras with historic significance.

Zoroastrians

There are two Zoroastrian communities in Maharahtra.

Parsis, mainly found in Mumbai, have descended from a group of Iranian Zoroastrians who immigrated to Western India during 10th

century AD, due to persecution by Muslims in Iran.Iranis, are comparatively recent arrivals, and represent the smaller of the two Indian-Zoroastrian communities.

Their descendants culturally and linguistically closer to the Zoroastrians of Iran, in particular to the Zoroastrians of Yazd and Kerman.

Consequently, the Dari dialect of the Zoroastrians of those provinces may also be heard amongst the Iranis.

Judaism

The Bene Israel ("Sons of Israel") are a strong community of Marathi Jews originally from villages in the Konkan region who migrated in the late

17th century to the nearby cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the

Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's Jewish population. The native language of the Bene Israel is Marathi and Hebrew. MostBene Israel have now emigrated to Israel, Canada and other Commonwealth countries. Before the great migration after Indian Independence this

community numbered at least 80,000.

Festivals

See also: Cultural activities of Maharashtra

Aashadi Ekadashi is one of most important festivals celebrated across Maharashtra. It is also referred to as 'Wari' and people from all over

Maharashtra, Karnataka and other parts of India walk to Pandharpur from their respective villages.

Lord Ganesha's devotion is celebrated by Ganesh Chaturthi in AugustSeptember of every year.[48] Town of Pen in Raigad district is famous for

Ganesh Idols made of special Shadu Clay. Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati, Lalbaugcha Raja, Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Shri Ashtavinayaka's are

the major holy places for Maharashtrians.

Popular forms of God are Shiva, Krishna and Ganesha. Lord Shiva's devotion is celebrated by taking part in Maha Shivaratri (Great 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 devotions are celebrated in the state-wide Gokul Ashtami (or Krishna Janmashtami,Krishna's birthday) whereby many devotees

fast on the entire day until midnight. The Dahi-Handi is also observed on this day at many places.[49] Lord Krishna's devotion are also celebrated

i Pt K tik A ( Di li) d t N k Ch t d hi th killi f th d N k


13/23

in Pune

Ganesha during Ganesh

Chaturthi, a popular

festival in the state

Hindu GoddessMahalakhsmi in

Mahalakshmi temple

Kolhapur

at Kaartik Aamawasya (or Diwali) and at Narak Chaturdashi as the killing of the demon Narakasura.

The other festivals celebrated on a large scale are Vijayadashami or Dasara (Marathi: ), Navaratri, Holi, Diwali, Eid (Ramzan Eid).Simollanghan is a ritual performed on Dasara or Viajaya Dashami day in Maharashtra. Simollanghan is crossing the border or frontier of a village

or a place. In ancient times, kings used to cross the frontier of their kingdom to fight against their rivals or neighbor kingdoms. They used to

performAyudha Puja on Dasara and begin the war season. On Dasara, people cross the borders of their places (Seemollanghan) and collect the

leaves of Apta tree ( ) and exchange among their friends and relatives as gold ( ).[50] People worshipShami tree and its leaves ( ) on this day.

Saints (Sant)

Maharashtra has produced or been closely associated with many saints throughout its history. These have risen from all across the several castes.

Some of the very revered examples of Bhakti saints are Dnyaneshwar, Eknath, Savta Mali, Tukaram, Namdev, Gora Kumbhar, Samarth Ramdas

and Chokhamela. There have also been several other Harijan saints such as Sant Banka Mahar, Sant Bhagu, Sant Damaji panth, Sant Kanhopatra,

Sant Karmamelam, Sant Nirmala, Sant Sadna, Sant Sakhubai, Sant Satyakam Jabali,and Sant Soyarabai, . It has also been the birthplace and home

of world-reputed saints like Sai Baba of Shirdi, Gajanan Maharaj of shegaon, Swami Shukadas Maharaj, Swami Samarth Maharaj, and Meher

Baba, whose tomb-shrine in Meherabad has become a place of world pilgrimage. Maharashtra is also equally famous for ardent devotees (or

Bhaktas). For example, Namdev Mahar and his wife Bhagubai from Kharagpur[51] are both devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba. The Sai Baba template in

Shirdi is the second richest one in the country, [52][53] a close second after the Lord Tirupati temples at Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.

Languages

See also: Languages of India

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra. According to the 2001 census, it is the native language of 68.89% of the population. Other

languages that are the native language of more than one percent of the population are:[54]

Language Percentage in state

Marathi 68.89

Hindi 11.50

Urdu 7.13

Gujarati 2.39

Telugu 1.45

Kannada 1.3

Other languages 4.6

Di i i d i


14/23

Gopuram of a Pandharpur temple

near Vithoba's central temple.Divisions and regions

Main article: List of districts of Maharashtra

Maharashtra is divided into six revenue divisions, which are further divided into thirty-five districts.[55] These thirty-five districts are further

divided into 109 sub-divisions of the districts and 357 Talukas in Maharashtra.[56]

Divisions

The six administrative divisions in Maharashtra state are Amravati Division, Aurangabad Division, Konkan Division, Nagpur Division,ashik Division, and Pune Division.

Division Districts

Mumbai (Konkan)

Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban (Mumbai

Upanagar), Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri,

and Sindhudurg

Pune (Western

Maharashtra)

Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and

Kolhapur

Nashik

(Khandesh)

Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar,

and Nandurbar

Aurangabad

(Marathwada)

Aurangabad, Jalna, Latur/Lattalur,

Nanded, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Hingoli,

and Beed

Amravati

(Vidarbha)

Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana

and Yavatmal

Nagpur (Vidarbha)Nagpur, Chandrapur, Wardha, Bhandara,

Gondia, and Gadchiroli

Regions

Geographically, historically and according to political sentiments, Maharashtra has five main regions :

Vidarbha (Nagpur and Amravati divisions) (Central Provinces and Old Berar Region)

Marathwada (Aurangabad division)

Khandesh (Nashik Division)

Desh (Pune division) and

Kokan (Konkan Division) (including Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban Area)


15/23

Mumbai, the Administrative Capital

of Maharashtra, is also the financial

capital city of India.

"Zero Mile Stone" located at Nagpur

Kokan (Konkan Division) (including, Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban Area).

Border Dispute

Main article: Belgaum border dispute

Maharashtra has a border dispute with the neighbouring state of Karnataka over the district of Belgaum, Karwar and Nipani. Belgaum was incorporated into the newly formed

Mysore state (now Karnataka) with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act(1956), which reorganised India's states along linguistic lines despite having about three-

fourths of the total population[57] speaking Marathi. Since then, Maharashtra has continued to claim the district. While the case is awaiting a verdict in the Supreme Court of

India, the Government of Maharashtra wants the Central government to declare Belgaum and adjoining 865 villages as a Union Territory.[58] Karnataka has rejected the move,insisting that Marathis in Karnataka were safe and lived in harmony.[59]

Principal Urban Agglomerations

Maharashtra has one of the highest level of urbanization of all Indian states. [60] 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 (42.4 per cent) contrasts

starkly with the national average of developing metros and many large towns. [61] Mumbai is the state capital with a population of

approximately 15.2 million people. The other large cities are Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur,

Amravati, Kolhapur, Sangli and Nanded.

Mumbai: Mumbai (including Thane and Navi Mumbai in its metropolitan area) is the financial and commercial capital of India

and is the Administrative Capital of Maharashtra. It has the largest proportion of taxpayers in India and its share markets transact

almost 70 per cent of the countrys stocks. It offers a lifestyle that is rich, cosmopolitan and diverse, with a variety of food,

entertainment and nightlife. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai is the biggest and the second busiest

airport in India. The new airport, the state of the art Navi Mumbai International Airport coming up at Panvel, Navi Mumbai will

have all modern facilities. The city is India's link to the world of telecommunications and the Internet. VSNL (Now Tata

Communications Limited) is the terminal point in India for all telephone and internet traffic. Mumbai is India's flagship port

destination. It is also home to the Indian Navy's Western Command (INS). The film industry of India Bollywood is associated in

Mumbai.

Pune: Pune, the second largest city in Maharashtra and the seventh 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, Pune blossomed into a centre of art and learning. 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 Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Pune also has very important military cantonments as well as the HQ of the Southern Command, the National

Defence Academy, the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, CME, and the Indian Air Force base at Lohegaon too. Pune is a major information technology hub of India as

ell as a foremost destination for automobile manufacturing and the component industry.

N i th thi d l t it i M h ht d 13th l t i I di [citation needed] Th t hil it l f th N


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Nashik

Aurangabad is a tourist

destination.

Sri Sidhheshwar Temple, Solapur

Nagpur is the third largest city in Maharashtra and 13th largest in India.[citation needed] The erstwhile capital of the Nagpur

Province since 1853 in British India, in 1861 it was made the capital of Central Province, in 1903 it was made capital of CP &

Berar, in 1935 it was made capital of a provincial assembly with same name Central Provinces and Berar providing for an

election by, Government of India Act, passed by British Parliament. After Independence of India, the CP & Berar was kept a

separate entity with Nagpur as capital.

In 1950 Nagpur became the capital of Madhya Pradesh. In 1956, Nagpur and the Marathi-speaking southern region Vidarbha was ceded

to Bombay state. Nagpur was recommended as capital of Vidarbha state by Hon. Fazal Ali commission for reorganisation of states.

agpur was described by the first Prime Minister of India Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, as the "Heart of India" [citation needed]. Nagpur is the

nerve centre of Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra), Nagpur the Orange City as it is known is located in the centre of the country and isa geographical center of India, with a population of about 2.4 million people (2.1 million as per census 2001). It is the second

administrative capital of Maharashtra.

agpur is home of many industries, ranging from food products and chemicals to electrical and transports equipment. An international cargo

airport, MIHAN is being builton the outskirts of the Nagpur city which will house number of service industries in its SEZ. The Maintenance

Command of Indian Air Force is located in Nagpur. The "Zero Mile Stone" or the geographical center of India is located in Nagpur.

Deekshabhoomi, Sitabardi Fort, Ambazari Lake, Seminary Hills, Ramtek Temple, Khindsi Lake, Pench National Park are some of the tourist

attractions in and around Nagpur.Nagpur is increasing as a sport center in Vidarbha.Football and cricket are the games prominently played in

agpur.

Nashik: is the fourth largest and third most industrialized city in the Maharashtra. One of the holy cities of the Hindu tradition, Nashik lieson the banks of the sacred river Godavari and has a population of about 1.8 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 hosts the Kumbhmela once every twelve years. Nashik is the wine

capital of India with many vineyards thriving owing to the favorable climate for grapes. Nashik is dubbed the Napa Valley of India.

Aurangabad: The city means "built by the throne", once capital of India, named after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, is a city in

Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. It is fourth most industrialized city in Maharashtra. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded

with historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as

Bibi Ka Maqbara. The administrative headquarters of the Aurangabad Division or Marathwada region, Aurangabad is said to be

a 'City of Gates', as one can not miss the strong presence of these while driving through the city. Aurangabad is also one of the

fastest growing cities in the world.[62] http://santeknath.org/paithan.html

Kolhapur It is the 6th most industrialised city in maharashtra. It is the "historical capital " of maharashtra .It is a princely state

and one of the main cities during the prince Shivaji rule. The famous tourist attractions are the Mahalaxmi temple, Jyotiba

Temple, Rankala lake, Shalini Palace, New Palace, Panhala fort and much more. About 3 million tourists visit kolhapur every

year. The city is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and is known as 'Dakshin(south) Kashi'. It is also famous as "city of palaces & wrestlers".The coastal line

(western) is only 75 km away from Kolhapur & hence is known as 'Door of Konkan'.

Kolhapur is well known for its " sugar production ","kolhapuri saaj"(an ornament worn in traditional maharashtrian wedding), silver jewellery, jaggery, "kolhapuri chappals"

(footwear),"kolhapuri pheta"(turban), "wrestling", kolhapuri masala (spices), cuisines mainly the non-vegetarian variety. Another field that Kolhapur prides itself of is films.

In certain circles Kolhapur was and is still considered the capital of the Marathi film industry It has been credited as the place where Raja


17/23

Amba Devi, Amravati

The New Palace, Kolhapur

The Mumbai Pune

ExpresswayA Central Railway Train near Pune

In certain circles, Kolhapur was and is still considered the capital of the Marathi film industry. It has been credited as the place where Raja

Harishchandra, the first feature film ever produced in India was conceptualised. It is not only famous as a tourist destination but also it is one of

the most important places for "foundry businesses" in India. It also hosts "textile mega cluster " which is the largest in maharashtra & one of

the largest in India .It has progressed to the status of a very important industrial city being the centre for sugar production, textiles, automobile

and ancillaries, engineering and manufacturing, chemicals and dairy & milk industries in the region.

Amravati is a center for sporting activities in Maharashtra. The popular tourist destination in city are Ambadevi temple, Hanuman

vyayam prasarak mandal,Chatri lake and Wadali lake.Amravati district also holds prominent tourist destination like Chikhaldara and

Bairam.

Transport

Roads

Maharashtra has the largest road network in India at 267,452 kilometers. [63] 17 National Highways connect Maharashtra to six

neighbouring states.[64] The length of National Highways in Maharashtra is 3688 kilometers. [65] Maharashtra has a large state highway

network. 97.5 per cent of the villages in the state were connected by all-weather roads as of March 2010. The Yeshwantrao Chavan

Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the first access controlled toll road project in India was made fully operational in April 2002.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has been providing passenger road transport service in the public sectorsince 1948, linking most of the towns and villages in and around the state with a large network of operation. These buses, popularly called ST

(State Transport), are the preferred mode of transport for much of the populace. In addition to the government run buses, privately run luxury

buses also ply between major towns. Other modes of public transport, such as a seven-seater tempo have gained popularity in semi-urban areas.

Railways

The state is well-connected to other parts of the country with a railway network spanning 5,983 km

between four Railways.

The Central Railway and the Western Railway zones of the Indian Railways that are headquartered inMumbai, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Churchgate respectively,

The Nanded division of the South Central Railway that caters to the Marathwada region of Maharashtra

and

The Konkan Railway, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways based in CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai that

serves the Konkan coastal region south of Mumbai and continues down the west coast of India.

Maharashtra also has suburban railway networks that carry around 6.4 million passengers every day. [66]

Civil Aviation

See also: List of airports in Maharashtra


18/23

Chhatrapati Shivaji International

Airport is among the busiest airports

in India

See also: List of airports in Maharashtra

The booming Indian economy, growing tourism industry, entry of low cost airlines, liberalization of international bi-lateral agreements

and liberalization of civil aviation policy at the centre has resulted in an unprecedented growth in air traffic. Most of the State's airfields

are operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) while Reliance Airport Developers (RADPL), currently operate five non metro

airports at Latur, Nanded, Baramati, Osmanabad and Yavatmal on a 95-year lease.[67] The Maharashtra Airport Development Company

Limited (MADC) that was set up by the Government in 2002 will take up development of Airports in the state that are not under the

AAI or the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). MADC is playing the lead role in the planning and

implementation of the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) project.[68]

Maharashtra has three international airports-

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (among the busiest airports in India)

Pune's civil enclave international airport with flights to Dubai and Frankfurt

Nagpur's Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.

Other city airports such as, Aurangabad and Nanded, are served by scheduled domestic services.

Additionally, there are smaller airports like those at Akola, Amravati, Baramati, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gondia, Jalgaon, Karad, Kolhapur, Latur, Nashik, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri,

Solapur and Yavatmal that do not have any scheduled air services. There are also private airstrips at Aamby Valley City and Shirpur.[69]

A Greenfield airport is being built by the MADC at Shirdi and another one by CIDCO at Navi Mumbai is being built for a whopping 9,000 crore (US$1.7 billion).[70]

The New Pune International Airport is being planned near Pune[71] while plans are afoot for greenfield airports at Boramani (near Solapur) and Gadchiroli,[68]

Sea Ports

Maharashtra has three major ports at Mumbai (operated by the Mumbai Port Trust), the JNPT lying across the Mumbai harbour in Navi Mumbai, and in Ratnagiri, which

handles the export of ores mined in the Maharastra hinterland. Additionally, there are 53 minor ports. Ferryboat services also operate at Mumbai, linking the city to

neighbouring coastal towns. Minor ports in the state will be developed by the State government with the participation of the private sector under the Maharashtra Maritime

Board. Seven minor ports are being developed in Phase-I.[72]

Culture

See also: Maharashtrian cuisine, Bollywood, and Marathi cinema

Further information: Tourism in Maharashtra and Cultural activities of Maharashtra

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra. Maharashtrians take great pride in their language and history, particularly the Maratha Empire, its founder Chhatrapati Shivaji

Maharaj is considered a folk hero across Maharashtra. 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


19/23

Kailash Temple in Ellora Caves.

Ajanta Caves

Elephanta Caves

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. A National

Geographic[73] edition reads, "The flow between faiths was such that for hundreds of years, almost all Buddhist temples, including the

ones at Ajanta, were built under the rule and patronage of Hindu kings." 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 as well as Elephanta Caves near Mumbai

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, Sindhudurg, Pratapgad, Sinhagad. Majority of

the forts in Maharashtra are found along the coastal region of Konkan.

Maharashtra, like other states of India, has its own folk music. The folk music viz. Gondhal Lavani, Bharud and Powada are popularespecially in rural areas, while the common forms of music from the Hindi and Marathi film industry are favoured in urban areas.

The earliest instances of Marathi literature is by Sant Jnyaneshwar with hisBhawarthadeepika (popularly known asJnyaneshwari).

The compositions written during this period are spiritually inclined. The other compositions are by Sant Tukaram, Sant Namdev, and

Sant Gora Kumbhar. The compositions are mostly in poetic form, which are called bhajans. These bhajans by saints are popular and

part of day to day life. During same period of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a great patriotic saint wandered in the soil of Maharashtra,

Samarth Ramdas.He wrote many books such as Dasbodh, Atmaram, Manache shlok, and also enriched Marathi liturature by using

almost all types of Vruttas like Karunashtake, sawaya, shatakas, ashtakas, manas, purvarambha, panchikarana etcThe modern Marathi

literature has been enriched by famous poets and authors like P. L. Deshpande, Kusumagraj, Prahlad Keshav Atre and Vyankatesh

Madgulkar. This literature has been passed on to the next generations through the medium of large numbers 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. Dada Kondke was the most popular name in 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 is known as Natyasangeet. It is during this era of the Marathi theatre that great singer-actors like Bal Gandharva, Keshavrao Bhosle,

Bhaurao Kolhatkar and Deenanath Mangeshkar thrived.

Some of the popular Marathi television news channels are IBN Lokmat Star Majha Zee Talkies Zee Chovis Taas and entertainment


20/23

View of Shri Hazoor SahibGurudwara

Some of the popular Marathi television news channels are IBN Lokmat, Star Majha, Zee Talkies, Zee Chovis Taas and entertainment

channels areMi Marathi, DD Sahyadri, Zee Marathi, Zee Talkies, ETV Marathi, Star pravah and Saam TV 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,

owar and bajra. Puran Poli, Bakarwadi, plain simple Varan Bhat (a dish cooked with plain rice and curry), Modak and chivada are a

few dishes to name. Chicken and mutton are also widely used for a variety of cuisines. Kolhapuri Mutton is a dish famous 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 womenin 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 throughout Maharashtra, as it is the most widely followed and played sport. Kabaddi and hockey are also

played with fervor. Childrens games include Viti-Dandu (Gilli-danda in Hindi) and Pakada-pakadi (tag).

Hindus in Maharashtra follow the Shalivahana Saka era calendar. Gudi Padwa, Diwali, Rangapanchami, Gokulashtami and Ganeshotsav are some of the festivals that are

celebrated in Maharashtra. Ganeshotsav is one of 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 deva (like guardian angel ) of learning and knowledge

under the one supreme lord . A large number of people walk hundreds of kilometers to Pandharpur for the annual pilgrimage in the month of Ashadh.

See also

Tourism in Maharashtra

Maratha Empire

List of Maratha dynasties and states

Maratha

Marathi people

Marathi language

India at Wikipedia books

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Deekshabhoomi, the largest hollow stupa or the largest dome shape monument and an important place of dalit buddhist movement, is located in Nagpur. [60] Every year on

the day of Vijayadashmi i.e. Dasehara, followers of Ambedkar visit deekshabhoomi. The 14 April, which is birth date of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is celebrated. Deekshabhoomi

External links

Maharashtra travel guide from Wikivoyage

Maharashtra (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/India/Maharashtra/) at the Open Directory Project

Maharashtra Government Website (http://maharashtra.gov.in/english/Pages/Home.aspx)

Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra (http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/)

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