Maharashtra is a state located in the central and western peninsular region in India. This state is known to occupy a large portion of Deccan plateau. This state, in India is the second most populated. Maharashtra was formed in the year 1960 on May 1st. This state was formed after the Bombay state was split. The state of Bombay was present since 1956. And after splitting this became Maharashtra for the Marathi speaking people and Gujarat for those speaking Gujarati. The state of Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts with 6 divisions. Mumbai is the capital of this state and the winter capital is Nagpur. Nagpur is known to host the state legislature’s winter session. The two major rivers of this state are Krishna and Godavari. The common language is Marathi. This is also the official language of the state.
Out of all the land that can be cultivated, 60% is for the ‘grain’ crops in the region of Deccan and in the coastal region of Konkan you find rice.
History
Maharashtra is known to originate from ‘rathi’ which means the ‘chariot driver’. It was in the 2nd century BC that this state entered the ‘recorded’ history. This was due to the Buddhist caves construction. In the account of a traveler from China, Huan Tsang, the ‘Maharashtra’ name appeared in the account. This was in the 7th century.
The Hindu king who ruled this state during the 6th century was based in Badami.
The founder of Maratha Empire, Shivaji Bhosle, struggled lifelong against the Mughals and by the time he died, in 1680, almost the total Deccan belonged to this empire. Known to be one of the best warriors of India he holds a high place in the history of this state.
From 1680 to the year 1707, Maharashtra was unstable as Sambhaji, son of Shivaji, was not as capable as his father.
The Ahmednagar fort fell in 1803 and this marked the Indian rule’s end with the British supremacy reigning in the Deccan in the year 1804. General Wellesly, after proclaiming the Deccan, managed to establish military rule due to the chaos. The Peshwas wee rulers but namesake.
The formation of the present state was in the year 1960 and Bombay was declared as the capital.
Climate of Maharashtra
You find the ‘tropical’ monsoon climate in this state of Maharashtra. The summers are dry with hot and rainy seasons and cold weather conditions. The summer starts in March beginning and the temperature rises till the month of June. The temperature in the central plains is anywhere between 40 degrees and 45 degrees. The hottest month of the year is May and the coldest month of the year is January. The winter here lasts till the month of February.
The monsoons are a little erratic. In the last week of the month of June you find the arrival of the southwest monsoon. This lasts till the middle of September. In the month of October you get the post-monsoon trains. The highest rainfall recorded here is between the month of July and August. You find very heavy rainfall in the Konkan coastal area.
Economy
Mass media (motion pictures, television recorded music, video games) the manufacturing ‘international’ trade, fashion, petroleum, technology, aerospace, tourism and apparel drive the economy of this state of Maharashtra. This state has managed to maintain the leading position in India’s industrial sector. Maharashtra is known to be a pioneer of small scale industry. Most of the financial institutions and major corporate headquarters are located in Mumbai. This is known to be India’s financial capital. This state, even now, attracts investments from not only the domestic institutions but also international institutions.
Almost 25% of the industrial output of the country is from Maharashtra. Mumbai Suburban, Mumbai city, Aurangabad, Thane, Nagpur, Nasik and Pune has maximum industrial activity.
Transport
Maharashtra is known to have multi-modal transportation that is large. In the public sector, the MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) provides reliable and economical road transport service. The buses are the most preferred option for commuting for most of the people. The other forms of transport include auto-rickshaws and metered taxis.
The rail in Maharashtra is run by Western railway, Central railway and South East Central Railway and South Central Railway. The headquarters of the Konkan railway is in Navi Mumbai. New Delhi, the capital of India, is connected to Mumbai by the Rajdhani Express. This train is the fastest Rajdhani express.
The government of India controls the main seaports, Jawaharlal Nehru port and the Mumbai Port. Maharashtra has almost forty-eight minor ports. These handle the passenger traffic and operated with a ‘limited’ capacity.
The largest airport of the state is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Aiport. Dr. Babasahed Ambedkar International Airport and the Pune International Airport are the other international airports.
Healthcare
The government along with the private healthcare institutions together can provide almost 30,000 ‘hospital’ beds. There are 9 women’s hospitals with around 1365 beds. There are a good number of medical practitioners in this state holding the degrees of ‘Medicine and Surgery’ and Bachelor of Ayurveda’.
Cuisine
The local cuisine of this state includes a number of dishes. Some of these are very spicy. The Staple food of the diet of this state includes rice, wheat, jowar, bajri, lentils, vegetables and also fruits.
Street food is quite popular here and this includes missal pav, wada pav, and pav bhaji. Most of the non-vegetarian and vegetarian meals are consumed with rice, bhakri or rotis.
Maharashtra cuisine is different in the different regions.
Attire
Marathi women usually, are clad in a sari. In urban Maharashtra you find women following the latest trends and opt for western wear. Men seem to have adapted the western wear easily, but they also choose traditional wear for special occasions.
MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) not only maintains but also owns resorts at the important tourist centers. The government of Maharashtra conducted a survey in which it was found that almost 96% of the visitors were domestic and the rest were international.
