Maharashtra

Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र Template:IAST, IPA: Template:Audio, English: Great Nation) is India's third largest state in terms of area (after Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh), and second largest in terms of population (after Uttar Pradesh). It is bordered by the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa to the south, and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the north-west. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. Mumbai, India's largest city, is the capital of Maharashtra, whereas the city of Nagpur serves as the second (and winter) capital of the state.

Name

Maharashtra has been referred to as Rashtra in the Rig Veda, Rashtrik in Ashoka's inscriptions, and Maha rashtra afterwards, as attested by Huein-Tsang and other travelers. The name appears to have been derived from Maharashtri, in an old form of Prakrit, an ancient Indian language.

History

Medieval history and Islamic rule

Maharashtra's early history has been lost in antiquity. The first recorded reference to the history of this region dates back to the 3rd century BC, with the use of the Maharastri language, a Prakrit corruption of Sanskrit. The region which is today the state of Maharashtra was also known as Dandakaranya, (the jungle (aranya) which is bound by rules (dandakas). The port town of Sopara, just north of present day Mumbai, was the centre of naval commerce in ancient India, with links to Eastern Africa, Mesopotamia, Aden and Cochin.

This region has been under the rule of the Mauryas during the reigns of Emperors Bindusara and Ashoka The Great, and then passed on to the Satavahanas between 230 BC and AD 225. The Satavahanas were great patrons of their official court language, called Maharashtri which later developed into Marathi. Gautamiputra Satkarni (also known as "Shalivahan") was a prominent ruler of this dynasty who started the Shalivahana era, a new calendar still used by Maharashtrian populace.

Other prominent Hindu kingdoms which have held sway over this region during the middle ages include the Vakatakas (AD 250 to 525), the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas of Badami (till 1189) and finally the Yadavas of Deogiri.

Maharashtra came under Islamic influence for the first time when the Ala-ud-din Khalji and Muhammad bin Tughluq appropriated parts of the Deccan in the 13th century. After the Tughlaqs, the Bahmani Sultanate of Bijapur was the last Indian kingdom to rule the entire region of Maharashtra. By the 16th century, central Maharashtra was ruled by numerous autonomous Islamic kingdoms that owed allegiance to the Mughals, while coastal region was annexed by the Portuguese, in their quest to seize control of the spice trade.

Marathas and Peshwas

By the early seventeenth century the Marathas began to take root. The Marathas were a warrior caste native to western Maharashtra, and were led by their first ruler Shivaji Bhosale, who took the title of Chhatrapati Raje after being crowned king in 1674.

Shivaji's son and successor, Shambhaji Bhosale was captured and executed by Aurangzeb. The Mughals forced Shambhaji's younger brother, Rajaram Bhosale to flee into the Tamil-speaking countryside. He retreated to the fortress of Jinji (sometimes anglicised to Ginjee).

After Rajaram's death, infighting between two branches of the family led to the increasing influence of the Peshwa (titular Prime Minister) in the political and administrative affairs of the Maratha state, gradually reducing Shivaji's Bhosale dynasty to figureheads. After defeating the Mughals, the Peshwas became the dominant rulers of India, extending their realm from Delhi and Panipat in the north, Gujarat (Mehsana), present day Madhya Pradesh (Gwalior and Indore) to the west and Thanjaur to the south.

Beginning with Balaji Vishwanath and his son, Baji Rao I, the Peshwas strengthened their hold over the day to day affairs of the empire by institutionalizing the bureaucracy, the collection of revenue by way of tribute and taxes, as well as the assessment and collection of land revenue. They also built a network of trade links within and outside the Maratha empire, and consolidated the financial, banking and agricultural systems prevalant during the time.

The Marathas are also credited in building the first naval force for the defence of the western coast of India, under the Angre clan.

After being defeated by the Afghan chieftain Ahmad Shah Abdali in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Maratha Confederacy broke into regional kingdoms. Much of the political power was now focussed on individual fiefdoms, such as Gwalior under the Shindes, Indore under the Holkars, Baroda under the Gaekwads and Dhar under the Pawar clan.

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 territories in Maharashtra in 1819, which heralded the end of the Maratha empire.

The British governed the region as part of the Bombay Presidency, which spanned the region from Karachi in present day Pakistan to most of the northern Deccan. Several small principalities in the region which were fiefdoms during the time of the Marathas retained local autonomy in administrative affairs in return for acknowledging British sovereignty over their political affairs. Prominent amongst them were Nagpur, Satara and Kolhapur; Satara was annexed into the British controlled Bombay Presidency in 1848. Nagpur and Berar (till then a part of the Nizam of Hyderabad's kingdom), were occupied by the British in 1853, and eventually integrated into the Central Provinces. A large part of present day Maharashtra, called the Marathwada region, remained part of the Nizam's Hyderabad state during British rule. In the beginning of the 20th century, the struggle for independence from British rule started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and later led by Mahatma Gandhi began to take root from Bombay. In 1942, the Quit India Movement called by Mahatma Gandhi had its origins in Bombay.

After India's independence in 1947, as part of the drive to unify the various princely states into the Indian Union, the Deccan States including Kolhapur were integrated into the State of Bombay, which was created from the former Bombay Presidency in 1950. In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act reorganized the Indian states along linguistic lines. Accordingly, Bombay was made the capital of the new state of Maharashtra on May 1, 1960, which constituted all Marathi speaking regions of the State of Bombay, Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) from erstwhile Hyderabad state and the Vidarbha region (Amravati and Nagpur divisions) from the Central Provinces and Berar. The Gujarati speaking areas of this region were spinned off into the seperate state of 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 and Gujarat to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa to the south, and and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the north-west. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's west coast.

Maharashtra is bound by the Satpura Range to the north and the Western Ghats, known locally as the Sahyadri Range, to the west. The Sahyadri hills bifurcate the state into the Konkan, a narrow coastal strip to the west and the larger Deccan Plateau to the east. The avarage elevation of the western ghats in Maharashtra is 1,200 metres (4,000 feet)) above sea level.

The Sahyadri hills form a major watershed within the state, and is the source of several major rivers flowing east into the Deccan plateau and onward into the Bay of Bengal, and some minor rivers flowing west through Konkan into the Arabian Sea. Notable rivers flowing east include the Godavari and the Krishna rivers.

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. Much of Maharashtra's forests and consequently the wildlife are in Vidarbha region. These are:

• Gugamal National Park, also known as Melghat Tiger Reserve is located in Vidarbha region in Amravati district.
• 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 also in Vidarbha, 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.
• Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, is a prominent tiger reserve near Chandrapur in Vidarbha.

Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wild life sanctuaries spread all over the state, listed here. The Nagzira (Bhandara district), Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary are the important ones.

Economy

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Maharashtra at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Year	Gross State Domestic Product
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 is the most advanced. It also dominates 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. Within Mumbai is located Bollywood, the centre of India's Hindi film and television industry. India's largest stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange, oldest in Asia, is located in the city. After successes in the information technology in the neighbouring states, Maharashtra has set up software parks in Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Nasik, Now maharashtra is second largest exporter of softwares with exports of Rs 18000cr(20% of india's exports).

Maharashtra ranks first nationwide in coal-based thermal electricity as well as nuclear electricity generation with national market shares of over 13% and 17% respectively.

Maharashtra is also introducing Jatropha cultivation and has started a project for the identification of suitable sites for Jatropha plantations.

Ralegaon Siddhi is a village in Ahmednagar District that is considered a model of environmental conservation.

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

See also: List of conglomerates 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 Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. Maharashtra's capital is Mumbai, home to the Vidhan Sabha – the state assembly and Mantralaya, the administrative offices of the government. It is also home to the Bombay High Court which has jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. The legislature convenes its budget and monsoon sessions in Mumbai, and the winter session in Nagpur, which was designated as the state's auxiliary capital.

Maharashtra's legislature is bicameral, one of the few states in India to have a bicameral type. The Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) is the lower house consisting of directly elected members. The Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) is the upper house, whose members are indirectly voted through an electoral college. Maharashtra is allocated nineteen seats in the Rajya Sabha and forty-eight in the Lok Sabha, India's national parliament.

After India's independence, most of Maharashtra's political history was dominated by the Congress party. Maharashtra became a bastion of the Congress party producing stalwarts such as Y.B. Chavan, one of its most prominent Chief Ministers. The party enjoyed near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until 1995 when the right wing Shiv Sena and BJP secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a coalition. After a split in the Congress party, former chief minister Sharad Pawar formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but formed a coalition with the Congress to keep out the BJP-SS combine. The 2004 elections saw the NCP gaining the largest number of seats to become the state's largest party, eroding much of the Shiv Sena's base. Under a pre-poll power sharing agreement, the Chief Minister would be from the Congress while the deputy Chief Minister would be from the NCP. Vilasrao Deshmukh is current CM and R. R. Patil (NCP) is DCM.

Revenues of Government

This is a chart of trend of own tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Maharashtra assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Year	Own Tax Revenues
2000	198,821
2005	332,476

This is a chart of trend of own non-tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Maharashtra assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Year	Own Non-tax Revenues
2000	26,030
2005	30,536

Demographics

A person native to the state is called a Maharashtrian. 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. 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, Hindi, 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) called 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 of Marathi, 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, Budhist - 2.24, Others -2.25, Tribals - 3.14 and Dalits of all religions - 2.42(Hindu Dalits had higher TFR compared to Budhist Dalits). [1]

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[2]. 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 average (25.7 per cent).

The state has one metropolitan city, two mini-metropolises and many large towns. Mumbai is the state capital, with a population of approximately 9.926 million people. The other large cities are Pune, Nasik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Kolhapur.

• 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 4.0 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. Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale's 'Bakar Wadi' and 'Amba Burfi' are famous all over the world.

• 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 0.725 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. The miraculous Infant Jesus Shrine where catholics and people of all faiths come to seek some miracle is situated at Nashik Road.

• 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.Nagpur is a growing industrial centre and the home of several industries, ranging from food products and chemicals to electrical and transports equipment.

• Aurangabad: Malik Ambar, the Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam Shah II, and the then ruler of the Deccan (central parts of Southern India), founded Aurangabad in 1610. The city has a population of about 0.593 million people.

• Kolhapur: In southern Maharashtra, on the banks of the river Panchganga, Kolhapur is an ancient town known for its exquisite palaces and forts. In 1945, archaeological excavations close to a hill near Kolhapur revealed the existence of an ancient town dating back to the times of the Roman empire. Today, Kolhapur is a modern city with a population of about 0.419 million people and a thriving industrial infrastructure.

• Solapur: Solapur is one of the big city in Western Maharashtra. It is famous for 'Solapuri Chadari', 'Shengadana Chatni'. 'Siddheshwar Temple' of Lord Shiva is the attraction of tourists.

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. Nagpur is the second city having an international airport. It has regular flights to Sharjah and Bangkok besides large number of domestic connections. Pune has a limited capacity international airport with flights to Dubai and Singapore. Other large towns such as Aurangabad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and Nashik are served by domestic airlines. Ferry services also operate near the capital, 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. Another major highway linking Mumbai with second capital Nagpur is in the works. 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 & 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 from borrowed from North and South India. The temples also blend themes from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cultures. The temple of Vitthala at Pandharpur may be considered the most important to the Maharashtrian Hindu population. Many of the temples are tourist attractions with the most famous amongst them being the 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. The landscape of Maharashtra is dotted with many forts, like Raigad and Pratapgad which played an extremely important part in the establishment of the Maratha empire and also sea forts like the one at Sindhudurg.

The folk music of Maharashtra is of various types viz. Gondhal, Lavani, Bharud, Powada, etc.

One of the earliest instances of Marathi literature is by Dnyaneshwar with his Bhawarthadeepika (popularly known as Dnyaneshwari). The religious songs called bhajans by saints like Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev are very poular. Modern Marathi literature has its share of great poets and authors. P. L. Deshpande, Kusumagraj, Prahlad Keshav Atre, Vyankatesh Madgulkar are a few of them. A large number of books are published every year in Marathi.

The theatre, movies and television in Maharashtra are chiefly based out of Mumbai with the actors moving freely between the different media. Some notable names in the movie industry include the pioneer of Indian movie industry, Dadasaheb Phalke,writer, director, actor P. L. Deshpande, actor Ashok Saraf, actor Laxmikant Berde, actor & producer, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Mahesh Kothare and actor, producer & director V. Shantaram. 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 and 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, Dinanath Mangeshkar thrived.

Some of the popular Marathi television channels are Zee Marathi and ETV Marathi, with 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 for people living close to the sea. In eastern Maharashtra, the diet is based more on Wheat, Jowar and Bajra. All kinds of lentils, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chilies, garlic and ginger are common ingredients in the cuisine of Maharashtra. Chicken and Mutton are also widely eaten throughout the state.

Women traditionally wear a nine yard sari and men a dhoti or pajama with a shirt. This, however, is changing with women ine urban Maharashtra wearing Punjabi dresses, consisting of a Salwar and a Kurta while men wear trousers and a shirt.

As in all of India, Cricket is widely followed and played. Kabaddi is also played. 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.

See also

• Marathi people
• Timeline of Maharashtra history
• Maratha Empire
• Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra
• Marathas
• Marathi
• Wikipedia in Marathi language

External links

• Official website of the Government of Maharashtra
• Maharashtra tourism development corporation (MTDC) website
• History of Maharashtra
• Govt. of India directory – A directory of websites of the Government of Maharashtra
• Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA)
• District-wise Statistics
• India Picture – Photos from several places in Maharashtra.
• Maharashtra - Society & Culture
• MarathiMati – A Marathi Language and Maharashtra State Culture Resource.
• Maayboli – A bilingual directory of Marathi and Maharashtra related resources.
• Industries Directory of Maharashtra
• Template:Wikitravel

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