Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra महाराष्ट्र | |
|---|---|
state | |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| Population | |
| • Total | 96,752,247 |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Website | maharashtra.gov.in |
Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र mahārāṣṭra, IPA ') is India's third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. It is located in southwestern India and 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, India's most populous city, is the capital of Maharashtra. Maharashtra is the most developed state in India and serves as the financial and entertainment capital of the country.
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[2], 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.[3]
In 17th Century, the Marathas rose under leadership of Shivaji Raje Bhosale against the Mughals who were ruling a large part of India. After a lifelong struggle against Mughals and other rulers (mostly Muslim), he established an independent state, with an efficient administration and a powerful army. By 1680, the year of Shivaji's death, nearly all of the Deccan belonged to his kingdom. He is thus regarded as the father of the Maratha state.
After Indian independence, in 1960 a separate Maharashtra state was carved out from Bombay presidency and Central provinces. The principal 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, i.e. the forest (aranya) bound by rules (dandakas). Later,{needs date} 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.
The 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. Shivaji Raje was the most able, successful, popular and respected king Maharashtra ever had. By the time of his death in 1680, Shivaji has created a kingdom covering most of Maharashtra today (except the aurangabad district which was part of the Nizam) and Gujarat.
Shivaji's son and successor became the ruler of the maratha kingdom in 1680. He Chhatrapatti Sambhaji Bhosale was tortured and killed by Aurangzeb. Sambaji Maharaj accepted painfull death but refused to accept ISLAM, the Mughal emperor in the late 1689s. The Mughals forced Sambhaji's younger brother, Rajaram Bhosale to flee into the Tamil-speaking countryside. He retreated to the fortress of Jinji (sometimes anglicised to Ginjee) thereafter recovering his power in Maharashtra in the early 18th century, in somewhat changed circumstances.
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 Peshwas
The Peshwas, Balaji Vishwanath and his son, Baji Rao I, bureaucratized the Maratha state. They systematized 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, which 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 had 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.
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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
Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 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. However, regions within Maharashtra show wide disparity in development. Apart from 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. There was a movement in Vidarbha to separate from Maharashtra and become a separate state largely owing to lack of development and perceived sense of injustice.
Maharashtra's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $106 billion in current prices. 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, 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 neighbouring 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.[4]
Ralegaon Siddhi is a village in Ahmednagar District that is considered a model of environmental conservation.[5]
Over 41% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Maharashtra.
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.[6]
| 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.[7]
| 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. Marathi is spoken by a vast majority of its populace. In Mumbai however, due to its cosmopolitan nature, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and English, along with a variety of 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 (sometimes called a dialect of Marathi) 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). [2]
It should be noted that about 76% of Hindus of Maharashtra speak Marathi while the rest speak Hindi, Gujarati and other languages. About one half of the Muslim population speak Marathi while the rest speak Urdu, Gujarati and other languages. Almost all of the Buddhist, Jewish and Christian population of Maharashtra speak Marathi.
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 [3]. 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 12.0 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. 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 is rich, cosmopolitan and diverse, with a variety of food, entertainment and nightlife available in a form and abundance comparable to that in world capitals.
- Pune: Pune, the second largest city in Maharashtra, and also the 7th largest in India, is the state's cultural 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 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 NDA too.
- Aurangabad: A tourist capital of Maharshtra of more than 1.4 million, it is 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 nerve centre of Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra), Nagpur - the 'orange city' as it is known - is located in the heart of India, with a population of about 1.7 million people. 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.
- Solapur: A workers place of Maharshtra of more than 1.6 million, it is 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 it's 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 Maharashtra with another coming up at Navi Mumbai. Pune has a limited capacity 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
Hindus form the majority of Maharashtra population and the culture of Maharashtra reflects that. 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 Vitthala at Pandharpur is the most important temple for the Varkari sect. Other important religious places are the Ashtavinayak (eight temple sites of Ganesha), Bhimashankar which is one of the Jyotirlinga (12 important shiva temples). Amongst the cave art and architecture is the famous tourist attraction of Ajanta and Ellora Caves near Aurangabad. A famous example of Mughal architecture is the tomb of the wife of Aurangzeb called Bibi Ka Maqbara also located at Aurangabad.
Architecture
The temples in Maharashtra have their distinct style. The style is influenced heavily by Chola and Hoyasalastyles. Deepmal is an important part of a typcial Maharashtra temple. This pyramid like stone structure is used to place small oil lamps on the festive occasions. The modern state of Maharashtra has adopted picture of a Deepmala as a symbol.
Forts
Maharashtra has a large number of hill, land and sea forts. Forts have played an important role in the history of Maharashtra.
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 Dnyaneshwar with his Bhawarthadeepika (popularly known as Dnyaneshwari). 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 Maharatstra 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, 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 DD Sahyadri, Zee Marathi and ETV Marathi, which host shows ranging from soap operas, cooking and travel to political satire and game shows. Recently (31 Sept 2007) Zee Telefilms launched a new channel Zee Talkies, which will be broadcasting total range of Marathi cinema.
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, 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 is 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.
References
- ^ ""Maharashtra", Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Informatics Center. (NIC)" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-05-01.
- ^ An inscription at Naneghat describes Vedishri as a very brave king and the lord of Dakshinapatha (Deccan). Mirashi, Studies in Indology, vol. I, p. 76 f.]
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Identification of suitable sites for Jatropha plantation in Maharashtra using remote sensing and GIS". University of Pune. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
- ^ "A model Indian village- Ralegaon Siddhi". Retrieved 2006-10-30.
- ^ "Twelfth Finance Commission". Finance Commission of India. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
- ^ "Twelfth Finance Commission". Finance Commission of India. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
See also
- Districts of Maharashtra
- Geography of Maharashtra
- Western Ghats of Maharashtra
- History of Maharashtra
- Timeline of Maharashtra history
- Marathas
- Maratha Empire
- Dhangars
- Marathi
- Wikipedia in Marathi language
- Marathi people
- Marathi cinema
- Maharashtrian cuisine
- Tourism in Maharashtra
- Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra
- List of conglomerates in Maharashtra
- Freshwater ecology of Maharashtra
External links
- Government of Maharashtra
- Marathi Language Web Portal
- Public Works Department Maharashtra State Official Website
- Template:Wikitravel
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