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Maharashtra, the third-largest state of India, both in area and population lies on the western coastline of India along the Indian Ocean. The coastline is approximately 530 km in length. A range of hills, about 30 km wide and 1,200 m high, runs north-south throughout the State, about 40-80 km inland, and is called the Western Ghats, part of the Sahyadri range. The interior of the state is thus a plateau, the Deccan Plateau, which is at an average altitude of 600 m. The coastal belt is called the Konkan.
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Climate:
The state has a tropical monsoon climate with seasonal rains as heavy as 400 cm and more in some regions; floods are common. Despite this fact, close to 40% of the State is drought ridden in its central and east-northeastern areas. Summer starts from late March and carries on up to late October and includes the monsoon or rainy season from June till mid-September. The temperatures in the internal non-coastal and low lands are scorching, with temperatures touching 45-48º C in the shade. Winters are very mild, with the odd cold day at 6º C early morning.
Demographics:
The state covers an area of 307,730 km2, 10 % of the total geographical area of India. Maharashtra is the richest state in India. Mumbai, its capital, is India's largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Marathi is the official and most widely spoken language, followed by Hindi which is similar and English, spoken by a staggering 30% of the overall population and 85% of the urban. Most educational institutions use English as their medium of instruction. The 120 million residents in the state belong to numerous religions and communities. Hinduism is the primary religion, followed by approximately 76 % of the population. Over 13% of Maharashtrians are Muslim. Other major religions practiced in the state are Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Jewish and Zoroastrianism. About 75% of the 64,000 surviving Parsis (Zoroastrians) in the world live in this state. The Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins are of the highest caste, and bear unusual features-they are extremely fair, almost European; they have blue eyes and marry within their caste. |
Geographic Regions:
Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan includes the cities of Mumbai, Thane, etc. Khandesh includes Jalgaon, Dhulia and Bhusawal. Desh, the most significant region of the Maratha state, includes Pune- once the capital of the Maratha Empire- Nashik, Sangli, Sholapur and Kolhapur. Marathwada boasts of Aurangabad as the main city of the region. Nagpur is the main city of Vidarbha. There is a continuous change in features, clothing and characteristics in the inhabitants as you travel north-south.
Cities to Visit:
You simply do not have the time to visit more than two or three cities if your trip is 10 days or less. Each city is so different from the other that you cannot say, “See one, you’ve seen ‘em all.” For example, Nashik is only 16 km from Deolali, but the cultural difference between the two is immediately apparent. The main cities which you must visit are Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Thane, Sangli, Deolali, Solapur, Amaravati, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Shirdi, Pandharpur, Mahabaleshwar, Alibag, Khandala, Lonavala, Matheran, Panchgani, Ahmednagar, Nanded and many more.
Travelling in Maharashtra:
There are 18 airports across the state, not counting grass and PSP sheet airstrips. Three are international, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune, though the latter pair route through either Mumbai or Delhi. Seats are never a problem for most airports. Airlines range from the luxurious to the Ryan Air no-frills kind. Roads connect every city to every other, but are not of international standard in the interior. Buses and taxis abound, and the prices of bus tickets are unbelievably low. An overnight trip of 500 km will cost $3.00 only. Deluxe buses, called Luxury buses in India will charge $5-6.00 only. The Indian train network is the second largest in the world. You can get to anywhere from anywhere. For latest generation trains, pre-booking is mandatory, but foreigners are treated leniently and fined the minimum, which will still keep the cost of the ticket amazingly low.
Where to Stay:
Every city you visit has a decent number of hotels. Prominent cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Khandala, Matheran, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nashik and Mahabaleshwar have 2-5 star hotels. The other cities generally stop at 3 star level. Prices are steep in Mumbai, Pune, and Khandala.
Religious Places:
Every village or district has a religious link to the past, and there are over 1,000 religious places in the state. Prominent sites, numbering 84, are close to the bigger cities, like Ambadevi Temple near Nagpur, Bahubali Temples near Kohlapur, Ganapati Temples in every city, mainly Sangli; Kailash Temple in the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, Nageshwar Temple, one of the many near Pune like the Osho Ashram; Shirdi near Ahmednagar, Sidhi Vinayak in Mumbai, which also houses old churches, Parsi fire temples and the Haji Ali mosque; Shri Hazur Sahib, a Sikh Gurudwara in Nanded....the list is endless.
Forts:
Early Maratha warlords would reside in forts, most of which were on hilltops for added protection. There are more than 30 forts, the most famous being Shanwarada in Pune and Fort Raigad, the capital of Overlord Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's empire, accessible by ropeway.
Festivals:
Some of the prominent festivals are Banganga, Bhaubeej, Elephanta, Ellora, Makar Sankranti, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganga Dashahara, Jiviti Puja, Kalidas Festival, Kojagiri Poornima, Nag Panchami, Narali Poornima, Palkhi Festival, Pola Festival, Shivaji Jayanti, Divali, etc.
Fairs:
Some important fairs are Changdeo Fair, Ganesh Chaturthi, Kala Ghoda Festival, Khuldabad Urs, Kiran Utsav, Nashik Kumbh Mela, Mount Mary Festival, Navaratra Mahalaxmi Fair, Pune Festival, Rath Yatra, Shrirama Rathotsava Fair, Snake Festival, etc.
Arts & Craft:
Sawantwadi Crafts: Sawantwadi is famous for the craft of lacquer ware; Bidri Works: Bidri ware is an ancient craft of Aurangabad, which uses zinc and copper as raw material. It also employs the intricate workmanship of pure silver, either brocaded, overlaid or inlaid on the metal surface; Leather Works: The hand made leather sandals or chappals of Kolhapur are famous all over the world; Weaving; Aurangabad is famous for Mashru and Himru fabrics. These two types of fabrics are made of cotton and silk, but shine like satin; Paithani Saris have been woven through the past 2000 years. Pure silk is used along with gold threads drawn from pure gold. It takes six to eighteen months to weave a brocaded Paithani sari.
Culture:
As Maharashtra is a vast state, the people of this colourful state wear different types of
costumes, have dance forms like Povada, Lavani and Koli with mesmerising music and rhythmic
movements to entertain Maharashtrians. Dhangri Gaja, Dindi, Kala and Tamasha are the
folk dances of the people of this state.
Cuisine:
Maharashtrians consider anna, or food equal to Brahma, the creator of the universe.
Maharashtrians believe in offering their food first to the God as thanksgiving. On festive occasions, specific sweets are offered such as ukadiche modak, satyanarayan puja sheera and shreekhand. Maharashtrian cuisine has two major styles - Konkan and Varadi.Konkani cuisine is a combination of Malvani, Gaud Saraswat Brahmin and Goan cuisines.Varadi cuisine, the food of the Vidarbha region is prepared in strong red chilly powder and garlic. Beef is taboo; mutton and fish are eaten instead.
Caves:
Maharashtra is famous for its caves and has the largest number in India. The caves in
Maharsahtra date back to as early as 1st century BCE. Most of the caves were used as the
viharas (halls) and chaityas (pillared religious caves) by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain priests
and display the intricate crafts of the past long gone. Ajanta, Aurangabad, Elephanta, Ellora, Kanheri, Karla and Bhaja, Pandavleni and Pitalkhora Caves are the best known.
Beaches:
Bassein, Dahanu Bordi, Ganapatipule, Harnai, Juhu, Mandwa, Kihim, Madh Island, Marve Manori, Gorai, Murud, Janjira, Shriwardhan, Tarkali, Velneshwar, Vengurla, Malvan, Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg beaches are frequented.
Monuments:
Agakhan Palace, Chand Minar, Gateway of India, Kesari Wada, Khuldabad, Lal Mahal, New Palace, Raste Wada, Shaniwar Wada and Vishrambag Wada are well known. Bibi ka Maqbara, a 60% scale model of the Taj Mahal is in Aurangabad, a mausoleum for
Aurangzeb's wife, Rabia-ul-Daurani, built by their son Prince Azam Shah in 1651.
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