Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state in the western and central peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivision globally. It was formed on 1 May 1960 by splitting the bilingual Bombay State, which had existed since 1956, into majority Marathi-speaking Maharashtra and Gujarati-speaking Gujarat as a result of nationwide organization of states on the basis of language. Maharashtra is divided into 6 divisions and 36 districts, with the state capital being Mumbai, the most populous urban area in India, and Nagpur serving as the winter capital, also hosts the winter session of the state legislature. Godavari and Krishna are the two major rivers in the state. Marathi is the most widely spoken language and is the state's only official language. The forest cover accounts 16.47% of the state's geographical area. Out of the total cultivable land in the state, about 60% is used for grain crops such as millets in the Deccan region, rice in coastal Konkan and other high rainfall areas.
Spread over 307,713 km2 (118,809 sq mi), Maharashtra is the third-largest state by area in India. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the southeast and Chhattisgarh to the east, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the north, and the Indian union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the northwest. The state has three international airports, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai), Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport (Nagpur), and Pune Airport (Lohegaon, Pune). The state is home to three railways headquarters viz. Central Railway (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus), Konkan Railway (CBD Belapur) and Western Railway (Churchgate). The High Court of the state viz. Bombay High Court is located in Mumbai. The state contributes 48 seats and 19 seats to the lower house Lok Sabha and the upper house Rajya Sabha, respectively. Maharashtra has been subject to President's rule three times since its formation for a total of 156 days for different reasons. More than three-fourths of the population practise Hinduism, which is followed by Islam and Buddhism. The predominant ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra is the Marathi people, who speak the Marathi language. The state is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus).
Maharashtra is the most industrialised state in India and the state's capital, Mumbai is India's financial and commercial capital. India's largest stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange, the oldest in Asia, is also located in the city. The state has played a significant role in the country's social and political life and is widely considered a leader in terms of agricultural and industrial production, trade and transport, and education. Maharashtra is among the most developed Indian states and continues to be the single largest contributor to the national economy with a share of 12% in the country's GDP. The economy of Maharashtra is the largest in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹26.61 trillion (US$350 billion) and GSDP per capita of ₹188,784 (US$2,500). Maharashtra is the fifteenth-highest ranking among Indian states in the human development index. Although highly industrialized, agriculture continues to be the main occupation in many regions of the state; 24.14% of the working age population is employed in agriculture and allied activities.
Prior to Indian independence, the state was ruled by most of the mainstream political entities that have existed in ancient and medieval India including the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Deccan sultanates, Mughals, Maratha Empire and the British.The mainly 18th century Maratha Empire was based in Maharashtra but extended far beyond its border.The state has huge influence of the 17th-century, Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire and his concept of Hindavi Swarajya which translates to self-rule of people. Ruins, monuments, tombs, forts, and places of worship left by these rulers are dotted around the state. The state has a long history of Marathi saints of Varakari religious movement, such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Chokhamela, Eknath and Tukaram which forms the one of bases of the culture of Maharashtra or Marathi culture.
Maharashtra provides legal protection to its tiger population through six dedicated tiger reserves under the precincts of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Geography and Climate
Maharashtra occupies the western and central part of the country and has a long coastline stretching 720 kilometres along the Arabian Sea. One of the most prominent physical features of Maharashtra is the Deccan plateau, which is separated from the Konkan coastline by 'Ghats'. The Ghats are a succession of steep hills, periodically bisected by narrow roads. Most of the famous hill stations of the state are at these Ghats. The Western Ghats (or the Sahyadri Mountain range) provide a physical backbone to the state on the west, while the Satpura Hills along the north and Bhamragad-Chiroli-Gaikhuri ranges on the east serve as its natural borders. The state is surrounded by Gujarat to the north-west, Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south-east, Karnataka to the south and Goa to the south-west.
Maharashtra is the third largest state by area in India. This state's expansion from North to South is 700 km and East to West is 800 km. Its literacy rate is 82.91% in which women's literacy rate is 75.48% and men's 89.82%. Maharashtra has 36 districts, 355 talukas, 535 cities, 63,663 villages, 6 administrative divisions.
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, 50–80 kilometres in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat Deccan Plateau. Forests comprise 17% of the total area of the state. A majority of the forests are in the eastern and Sahyadri regions of the state. The main rivers of the state are Krishna, Bhima, Godavari, Tapi, Purna and Wardha-Wainganga. Since the central parts of the state receive low rainfall, most of the rivers in the region have multiple dams. Maharashtra has around 1821 notable large dams.
Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region, between the Western Ghats and the sea. Khandesh is the north region lying in the valley of the Tapti, Purna river. Nashik, malegaon Jalgaon, Dhule and Bhusawal are the major cities of this region. Desh is in the centre of the state. Marathwada, which was a part of the princely state of Hyderabad until 1956, is located in the southeastern part of the state. Aurangabad and Nanded are the main cities of the region. Vidarbha is the easternmost region of the state, formerly part of the Central Provinces and Berar. Nagpur, where the winter session of the state assembly is held, Akola, Amravati and Chandrapur are the main cities in the region. Sahyadri range, with an elevation of 1,000 meters, is known for its crowning plateaus. Lying between the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri Range, Konkan is narrow coastal lowland, just 50 km wide and with an elevation below 200 meters. The third important region is comprised of the Satpura Hills along the northern border, and the Bhamragad-Chiroli-Gaikhuri ranges on the eastern border, which form physical barriers preventing easy movement. These ranges also serve as natural boundaries to the state.
Languages
The official language is Marathi, although different regions have their own dialects. It is native to the Maharashtra state, and is its main language. Marathi including its dialects is around 72.5% of the population. About 83.1 million people mainly speak Marathi, making it the third-most spoken language in India, and 10th most-spoken native language in the world.
Spoken Marathi language varies by district, area or locality in its tone and a few words. Major dialects include Varhadi spoken in the Vidarbha region and Dangi spoken near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. The sound /l/ is abundantly used in many verbs and nouns in Marathi. It is replaced by the sound /j/ in the Varhadi dialect, which makes it quite distinct. According to the economic survey of Maharashtra (2008–09), the percentage of the state's population that names Marathi as its mother tongue has declined to 68.84% from 76.5% over the past three decades, while there has been a sharp rise in the Hindi-speaking population (11% from 5%) in the same period.
Hindi language is also spoken in the state. The largest number of Hindi-speakers are in the Mumbai metropolitan area and other urban centers of Pune and Nagpur. Gujarati and Sindhi speakers, mainly mercantile, also are mainly found in Mumbai.
Urdu is also spread throughout the urban areas of the state and is mainly spoken by Muslims. In areas outside Mumbai, they generally use Deccani Urdu – a variant of Urdu specific to the Deccan region and South India.
Various other languages are region-specific. The various Bhil languages are spoken throughout the northwest of the state by the Bhils, in Palghar, Nashik, Dhule, and Nandurbar districts. Parts of Nashik, as well as Dhule, Nandurbar, and Jalgaon districts, are in the Khandesh region where Khandeshi (locally known as Ahirani) is the main language. In the far south of Konkan bordering Goa, transitional dialects between Marathi and Konkani such as Malvani are spoken. Kannada is spoken in the districts bordering Karnataka such as Kolhapur, Sangli, and Solapur. Telugu is also spoken on the Telangana border, and its dialect Vadari is spoken by the Waddars - a nomadic tribe mainly living in the Marathwada region. Another itinerant language in Marathwada is Kaikadi, spoken by the Kaikadi tribe, which is a dialect of Tamil.
In the far-northeast of Vidharbha such as Gondiya district, various Hindi dialects like Powari and Lodhi are spoken. Korku is spoken in the Melghat area of Amravati district. Gondi is spoken throughout Vidharbha, but most concentrated in Gadchiroli district adjoining the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.