EASY DESTINATION
        HOME      WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE       INDIA TRAVEL GUIDE      ADVERTISE           TRAVEL FORUM

  INDIAN CUISINE     SKI RESORTS     TREKKING      MEDICAL TOURISM      WORLD CITY GUIDE    CYCLING


          MAHARASHTRA TRAVEL GUIDE

ALIBAGH     AURANGABAD        GANPATIPULE    MUMBAI       NAGPUR   NASIK     PUNE

Located in the West region, Maharashtra  is the third largest state of India by size
and the second largest by population. It stretches from the west coast to the interior
regions and its climate too varies with its geography. Maharashtra contains India's
most industrialized region, the Mumbai-Pune belt. Agriculturally too, the state is one
of India's more advanced and well-irrigated. The northern and eastern parts of the
state, however lag behind the western region.

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, 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.

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.

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.


GENERAL INFORMATION

Time zone                     IST (UTC+5:30)
Area                               307,713 kmē (118,809 sq mi)[1]
Capital                          Mumbai
Largest city                  Mumbai
District(s)                      35
Population                    96,752,247 (2nd)
Density                          314.42/kmē (814/sq mi)
Language(s)                Marathi