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{{Short description|State in the western and central peninsular region of India}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Maharashtra
|name                    = Maharashtra
| other_name              = <!-- Do NOT add any Indic script as per WP:NOINDICSCRIPT -->
|native_name            =
| image_skyline          = {{Photomontage
|native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-1 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| photo1a                = Mahabaleshwar Pratapgad 023.jpg
|settlement_type        = State of [[India]]
| photo1b                = Mumbai Train Station.jpg
|image_skyline           =  
| photo2a                = Ajanta Padmapani.jpg
|imagesize              =  
| photo2b                = 1 view from rocky hill from which Kailasha temple is carved, Ellora Caves India.jpg
|image_alt              =  
| photo3a                = Gateway of India at night.jpg
|image_caption          =  
| photo3b                = Shiva Trimurti @ Elephanta Caves.jpg
|image_map              = File:IN-MH.svg
| photo4a                = Entrance to Shaniwar wada.jpg
|map_caption            = Location of Maharashtra in India
| photo4b                = Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Maharashtra, September 2012.jpg
|image_map1              = India Maharashtra location map.svg
| spacing                = 1
|map_caption1            = Map of Maharashtra
| color_border            = black
|etymology              =  
| color                  = white
|nickname                =  
| size                    = 250
|coordinates            = <!-- {{Coord}} -->
| foot_montage            = ''From top, left to right:'' [[Pratapgad]] Fort (near [[Mahabaleshwar]]) located in the [[Western Ghats]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus]], Painting of [[Padmapani]] at [[Ajanta Caves]], [[Kailasa temple, Ellora|Kailasa Temple]] at [[Ellora Caves]], [[The Gateway of India]], [[Trimurti]] sculpture of [[Elephanta Caves]], [[Shaniwar Wada]] Fort and [[Hazur Sahib Nanded]]}}
|population_as_of        = 2011
| image_caption           =  
|population_total        = 112374333<ref name="2011census">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census2011.co.in/census/state/maharashtra.html|title=Maharashtra Population 2011 - 2022|website=www.census2011.co.in|access-date=2022-03-06}}</ref>
| image_seal              = Seal of Maharashtra.png
|subdivision_type        = Country
| seal_alt                = Seal of Maharashtra
|subdivision_name        = {{flag|India}}
| motto                  = ''Pratipaccandralēkhēva vardhiṣṇurviśva vanditā Mahārāṣṭrasya rājyasya mudrā bhadrāya rājatē''<br/><small>The glory of Maharashtra will grow like the first day moon. It will be worshipped by the world and will shine only for the well being of people</small>
|subdivision_type1      = [[Regions of India|Region]]
| anthem                  = [[Jai Jai Maharashtra Maza]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[West India]]
| image_map              = IN-MH.svg
|subdivision_type2      =  
| map_alt                =
|subdivision_name2      =  
| map_caption            = Location of Maharashtra in India
|area_total_km2        = 307713 <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
| image_map1              =  
|area_land_km2          =
| map_caption1            =  
|area_water_km2         =
| coordinates            = {{coord|18.97|72.82|region:IN-MH_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
|area_total_sq_mi      =
| coor_pinpoint          = Mumbai
|area_land_sq_mi       =
| coordinates_footnotes  =
|area_water_sq_mi      =
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|area_water_percent    =
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|India}}
|area_urban_km2        =
| established_title      = Formation
|area_urban_sq_mi      =
| established_date        = 1 May 1960{{ref|cap|^}} {{nowrap|([[Maharashtra Day]])}}
|area_metro_km2        =
| seat_type              = Capitals
|area_metro_sq_mi      =
| seat                    = 1) [[Mumbai]]<br/>2) [[Nagpur]] (Winter)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/monsoon-session--to-start-in-mahas-winter-capital-nagpur-from-july-4.html |title=Monsoon session to start in Maha's winter Capital Nagpur from July 4 |access-date=1 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802011411/https://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/monsoon-session--to-start-in-mahas-winter-capital-nagpur-from-july-4.html |archive-date=2 August 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|area_blank1_title      =
| seat1_type              = Largest city
|area_blank1_km2        =
| seat1                  = Mumbai
|area_blank1_sq_mi      =
| parts_type              = [[List of Indian districts|Districts]]
|timezone                = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| parts_style            = para
|utc_offset              = +05:30
| p1                      = [[List of districts of Maharashtra|36]]
|website                = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| government_footnotes    =
| governing_body          = {{nowrap|[[Government of Maharashtra]]}}
| leader_title            = [[Governors of Maharashtra|Governor]]
| leader_name            = [[Bhagat Singh Koshyari]]
| leader_title1          = {{nowrap|[[List of Chief Ministers of Maharashtra|Chief Minister]]}}
| leader_name1            = [[Uddhav Thackeray]] ([[Shivsena]])
| leader_title2          = [[List of deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra|Deputy Chief Minister]]
| leader_name2            = [[Ajit Pawar]] ([[Nationalist Congress Party|NCP]])
| unit_pref              = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_total_km2          = 307713
| area_rank              = [[List of states and union territories of India by area|3rd]]
| area_note              =
| elevation_footnotes    =
| elevation_m            =
| population_total        = 112,374,333
| population_as_of        = 2011
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="GOI_2011">{{cite web |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_maha.html |title=Area, population, decennial growth rate and density for 2001 and 2011 at a glance for Maharashtra and the districts: provisional population totals paper 1 of 2011: Maharashtra |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=26 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107060612/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_maha.html |archive-date=7 January 2012 }}</ref>
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_rank        = [[List of states and union territories of India by population|2nd]]
| population_demonym      = Maharashtrian<!-- 'Please do not change this to 'Marathi', since that is an ethnicity. Other Maharashtrian ethnicities include Konkani people, Gondi people, Khandeshi people, etc.'-->
| timezone1              = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1            = +05:30
| area_code              =
| area_code_type          = [[UN/LOCODE]]
| iso_code                = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-MH]]
| demographics_type1      = GSDP {{nobold|(2021–21)}}
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="EcoSur">{{cite web |url=https://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/ESM1920/chapter/English/esm2122_e.pdf |title=Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2021-22, Government of Maharashtra |work=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |pages=21 |date=1 February 2022 |accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1    = [[List of Indian states and union territories by GDP|Total]]
| demographics1_info1    = {{INRConvert|27.11|t|lk=r}}
| demographics1_title2    = [[List of Indian states and union territories by GDP per capita|Per capita]]
| demographics1_info2    = {{INRConvert|193121|lk=r}}
| demographics_type2      = Language
| demographics2_title1    = Official
| demographics2_info1    = [[Marathi language|Marathi]]<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.lawsofindia.org/pdf/maharashtra/1965/1965MH5.pdf |title=The Maharashtra Official Languages Act, 1964; Amendment Act, 2015 |website=lawsofindia.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115104204/http://www.lawsofindia.org/pdf/maharashtra/1965/1965MH5.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=nclmanurep2010>{{cite web |url=http://www.nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |title=Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 52nd report (July 2014 to June 2015) |pages=34–35 |publisher=Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India |access-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171523/http://www.nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |archive-date=28 December 2017}}</ref>
| registration_plate      = [[List of RTO districts in India#MH—Maharashtra|MH]]
| blank_name_sec2         = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] {{nobold|(2019)}}
| blank_info_sec2        = {{increase}} 0.697<ref>{{cite web |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/IND/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0&years=2019%2B2014%2B2009%2B2004%2B1999%2B1994%2B1990 |title=Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI |publisher=Global Data Lab |date= |accessdate=26 February 2022}}</ref>
| blank1_name_sec2       = [[List of Indian states and union territories by literacy rate|Literacy]] {{nobold|(2017)}}
| blank1_info_sec2        = 84.8%
| blank2_name_sec2        = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]] {{nobold|(2011)}}
| blank2_info_sec2        = 929 [[female|♀]]/1000 [[male|♂]]
| website                = [http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/ Maharashtra.gov.in]
| footnotes              = {{ref|cap|^}}The [[Bombay State|State of Bombay]] was split into two States i.e. Maharashtra and Gujarat by the ''Bombay Reorganisation Act 1960''<ref>{{cite book |title=The Bombay Reorganisation Act 1960 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3U_VAAAAMAAJ |access-date=23 May 2015 |last1=Ministry of Law, Government of India |year=1960 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Bombay_Reorganisation_Act_1960_11_of.html?id=3U_VAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><br />{{ref|cap|††}} Common high court
| module                  = {{Infobox place symbols
| embedded                = yes
| region                  = Maharashtra
| country                = India
| fish                    = [[File:Labeo rohita.JPG|40px|left]] [[Rohu]]
| flag                    =  
| emblem                  = [[Seal of Maharashtra]]
| language                = [[File:Marathi written in Devanagari script.svg|40px|left]] [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
| song="[[Jai Jai Maharashtra Maza]]" by [[Raja Badhe]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Bombay, Meri Jaan: Writings on Mumbai |author=Jerry Pinto |author2=Naresh Fernandes |year=2003 |publisher=Penguin Books |page=237 |isbn=9780143029663 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wm1uAAAAMAAJ&q=garja+maharashtra}}</ref>
<!--| mammal                  = [[File:Ratufa indica (Bhadra, 2006).jpg|40px|left]] [[Indian giant squirrel]]
| bird                    = [[File:Yellow-footed green pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera) Photograph by Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg|40px|left]] [[Yellow-footed green pigeon]]
| insect                  = [[File:Papilio polymnestor-Kadavoor-2016-07-27-002.jpg|40px|left]] [[Papilio polymnestor|Blue mormon]]
| flower                  = [[File:Jarul.jpg|40px|left]] [[Lagerstroemia speciosa|Jarul]]
| tree                    = [[File:Mango Tree.jpg|40px|left]] [[Mangifera indica|Mango tree]]-->
}}
}}
| type                    = [[States and union territories of India|State]]
'''Maharashtra''' is the name of a [[States of India|state]] in [[Western India]]. Its language is Marathi. It is the third biggest state of [[India]] by area and second biggest state in India based on population.  Only one Indian state has more people (Uttar Pradesh). [[Mumbai]] is the [[Capital (city)|capital]] of Maharashtra. [[Pune]] is the cultural and educational capital.
| leader_title3          = [[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|Legislature]]
| leader_name3            = [[Bicameral]]
*[[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|Vidhan Sabha]] ([[List of constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|288 seats]])
*[[Maharashtra Legislative Council|Vidhan Parishad]] (78 seats)
| leader_title4          = [[Parliament of India|Parliamentary constituency]]
| leader_name4            = *[[Rajya Sabha]] ([[List of Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra|19 seats]])
*[[Lok Sabha]] ([[List of members of the 17th Lok Sabha#Maharashtra|48 seats]])
| official_name          =
| image_blank_emblem      =
| blank_emblem_size      = 100px
}}
 
'''Maharashtra''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|h|ɑː|ˈ|r|ɑː|ʃ|t|r|ə}}; {{IPA-mr|məharaːʂʈɾə|lang|Maharashtra.ogg}}, abbr. '''MH''' or '''Maha''') is a [[states and union territories of India|state]] in the [[western India|western]] peninsular region of [[India]] occupying a substantial portion of the [[Deccan Plateau]]. Maharashtra is the [[List of states and union territories of India by population|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 language|Marathi-speaking]] Maharashtra and [[Gujarati language|Gujarati-speaking]] [[Gujarat]]. Maharashtra is home to the [[Marathi people]], the predominant ethno-linguistic group, who speak the [[Marathi language|Marathi]] language, the official language of the state. The state is divided into 6 [[Divisions of Maharashtra|divisions]] and 36 [[List of districts of Maharashtra|districts]], with the state capital being [[Mumbai]], the [[List of million-plus urban agglomerations in India|most populous urban area]] in India, and [[Nagpur]] serving as the winter capital, which also hosts the [[Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature|winter session]] of the [[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|state legislature]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bhushan Kale |date=10 December 2014 |title=उपराजधानी ते राजधानी 'शिवनेरी'ची सवारी |language=mr|trans-title=Uparājdhānī tē Rājdhānī' śivanērī'cī Savārī |work=Divya Marathi |location=Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |url=http://m.divyamarathi.bhaskar.com/news/Amravati/5540/MAH-VID-AMR-first-time-in-mumbai-to-nagpur-air-conditioner-bus-started-new-s-4834760-NOR.html |url-status=dead |access-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623020105/http://m.divyamarathi.bhaskar.com/news/Amravati/5540/MAH-VID-AMR-first-time-in-mumbai-to-nagpur-air-conditioner-bus-started-new-s-4834760-NOR.html |archive-date=23 June 2015}}</ref> [[Godavari River|Godavari]] and [[Krishna River|Krishna]] are the two major rivers in the state. Forests cover 16.47 per cent of the state's geographical area. Out of the total cultivable land in the state, about 60 per cent is used for grain crops in the Deccan region, rice in coastal Konkan, and other high rainfall areas.
 
Spread over {{cvt|307713|km2|sqmi}}, Maharashtra is the [[List of states and union territories of India by area|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 [[Indian union territories|union territory]] of [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]] to the northwest.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/maharashtra/about-us |title=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=3 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118212123/https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/maharashtra/about-us |archive-date=18 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The state has three international airports, [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]] (Mumbai), [[Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport]] (Nagpur), and [[Pune Airport]]. The state is home to three railways headquarters viz. [[Central Railway zone|Central Railway]] ([[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus]]), [[Konkan Railway]] ([[CBD Belapur railway station|CBD Belapur]]), and [[Western Railway (India)|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 practice [[Hinduism]], which is followed by [[Islam]] and [[Buddhism]]. The state is home to four [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]: [[Ajanta Caves|Ajanta]], [[Ellora Caves|Ellora]] and [[Elephanta Caves|Elephanta]] caves, and the [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus]] (formerly Victoria Terminus).
 
Maharashtra is one of the most industrialised states in India. The state's capital, Mumbai is India's [[Financial centre|financial]] and commercial capital.<ref name="Maharashtra_PC">—{{cite book |author=Planning Commission of the Government of India |title=Maharashtra, Development Report |publisher=Academic Foundation |year=2007 |page=407 |isbn=978-8-171-88540-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ohvu8D3LbgC&q=Maharashtra+richest+states}}<br />—{{cite book |author=Bhandari Laveesh |title=Indian States at a Glance 2008-09: Performance, Facts And Figures – Maharashtra |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2009 |page=176 |isbn=978-8-131-72343-2}}</ref> India's largest stock exchange [[Bombay Stock Exchange]], the oldest in Asia, is located in the city. The state has played a significant role in the country's [[Culture of India|social]] and [[Politics of India|political life]] and is widely considered a leader in terms of [[Agricultural productivity|agricultural]] and [[industrial production]], trade and transport, and education.<ref name=Maharashtra_info>—{{cite book |last=Pletcher |first=Kenneth |date=1 April 2010 |title=The Geography of India: Sacred and Historic Places Understanding India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdKcAAAAQBAJ&q=Delhi+is+a+commercial+hub+of+india |publisher=[[Britannica Educational Publishing]] |page=280 |isbn=978-1-615-30202-4 |access-date=11 July 2020}}<br />—{{citation |last1=Mookerjee |first1=Sitanshu |last2=Wanmali |first2=Sudhir Vyankatesh |title=Maharashtra |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Maharashtra |access-date=4 July 2020 |url-access=subscription |quote=Maharashtra is one of India's biggest commercial and industrial centres, and it has played a significant role in the country's social and political life. Maharashtra is a leader among Indian states in terms of agricultural and industrial production, trade and transport, and education.}}<br />—{{cite journal |last1=Sundar |first1=K.R. Shyam |date=2009 |title=Current State and Evolution of Industrial Relations in Maharashtra |url=https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1080&context=intl |publisher=[[Cornell University]] |journal=[[International Labour Organization]] |pages=8–70 |access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> Maharashtra is among the most developed Indian states and continues to be the single largest contributor to the [[Economy of India|national economy]] with a share of 14 per cent in all-India nominal [[gross domestic product|GDP]].<ref name=Maharashtra_data>—{{citation |last1=Prabhu |first1=K. Seeta |last2=Sarker |first2=P.C. |date=5 September 1992 |title=Identification of Levels of Development: Case of Maharashtra |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |volume=26 |issue=36 |pages=1927–1937 |jstor=4398849 |issn=0012-9976}}<br />—{{cite book |last=Pletcher |first=Kenneth |date=1 April 2010 |title=The Geography of India: Sacred and Historic Places Understanding India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdKcAAAAQBAJ&q=Delhi+is+a+commercial+hub+of+india |publisher=[[Britannica Educational Publishing]] |page=283 |isbn=978-1-615-30202-4 |access-date=11 July 2020}}<br />—{{cite journal |last1=Sundar |first1=K.R. Shyam |date=2009 |title=Current State and Evolution of Industrial Relations in Maharashtra |url=https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1080&context=intl |publisher=[[Cornell University]] |journal=[[International Labour Organization]] |pages=8–30 |access-date=8 July 2020}}<br />—{{Cite news |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/maharashtras-2025-agenda-why-states-1-trillion-gdp-target-could-make-it-indias-growth-engine/1218608/ |title=Maharashtra's 2025 agenda: Why state's $1 trillion GDP target could make it India's growth engine |work=Financial Express |access-date=25 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624235107/https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/maharashtras-2025-agenda-why-states-1-trillion-gdp-target-could-make-it-indias-growth-engine/1218608/ |archive-date=24 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[economy of Maharashtra]] is the [[List of Indian states and union territories by GDP|largest]] in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of {{INRConvert|27.11|t|lk=r}} and GSDP per capita of {{INRConvert|193.121|k}}.<ref name="EcoSur"/> The service sector dominates state's economy, accounting for 69.3 per cent of the value of the output of the country. Although agriculture accounts for 12 per cent of the state GDP, it employs nearly half the population of the state. Maharashtra is the [[List of Indian states and territories by Human Development Index|fifteenth-highest ranking]] among Indian states in the [[human development index]].
 
The region that encompasses the state has a very long history going back many millenia. Prior to Indian independence, notable dynasties and entities that ruled the region include in a chronologial order, the [[Maurya]], the [[Western Satraps]],the [[Satavahana dynasty]], [[Rashtrakuta dynasty]], [[Western Chalukya Empire|Western Chalukyas]], the [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahamanis]],[[Deccan sultanates]], [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]], the [[Maratha Empire]] founded by [[Shivaji]], and the [[British Raj|British]]. Ruins, monuments, tombs, forts, and places of worship left by these rulers are dotted around the state.The state is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus). At the time of the [[Indian independence movement]] in the early 20th century, along with British ruled areas of [[Bombay presidency]], and [[Central Provinces and Berar]], the region included many British [[princely states|Vassal states]]. Among these, the erstwhile [[Hyderabad state]] was the largest and extended over many modern Indian states. Other states grouped under [[Deccan States Agency]] included [[Kolhapur State|Kolhapur]], [[Miraj]], [[Sangli]], [[Aundh]], Bhor, and [[Sawantwadi State|Sawantwadi]].
 
==Etymology==
The modern [[Marathi language]] evolved from the [[Maharashtri Prakrit]],<ref name="The Linguist List">{{cite web |url=http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=pmh |title=The Linguist List |publisher=The Linguist List |date=22 June 2009 |access-date=30 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225003616/http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=pmh |archive-date=25 December 2009}}</ref> and the word ''[[Marhatta (region)|Marhatta]]'' (later used for the [[Maratha]]s) is found in the [[Jain]] Maharashtri literature. The term Maharashtra ({{lang-mr|महाराष्ट्र}}) along with Maharashtri, Marathi, and Maratha may have derived from the same root. However, their exact etymology is uncertain.<ref name="Gazetteer1967">{{cite book |title=Maharashtra State Gazetteers: General Series |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZBTAAAAYAAJ |access-date=30 March 2013 |year=1967 |publisher=Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications |page=208 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527221715/http://books.google.com/books?id=KZBTAAAAYAAJ |archive-date=27 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of ''Mahā'' ({{lang-mr|महा}}) and ''Rāshtrikā'' ({{lang-mr|राष्ट्रिका}}),<ref name="Gazetteer1967" /><ref name="auto1">{{cite report |author=H. H. Risley |date=1908 |title=Census of India, 1901, Volume I, Ethnographic Appendices |url=http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/ideologie/data/CensusIndia/CensusIndia1901/CensusIndia1901EthnographicAppendices.pdf |page=93 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106225316/http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/ideologie/data/CensusIndia/CensusIndia1901/CensusIndia1901EthnographicAppendices.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2020}}</ref> the name of a tribe or dynasty of chiefs ruling in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] region.<ref name="KBala1965">{{cite book |author=K. Balasubramanyam |title=the mysore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w9jbqGLH7ioC&pg=PA174 |access-date=30 March 2013 |year=1965 |publisher=Mittal Publications |page=174 |id=GGKEY:HRFC6GWCY6D |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527221642/http://books.google.com/books?id=w9jbqGLH7ioC&pg=PA174 |archive-date=27 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> An alternate theory states that the term is derived from ''Mahā'' ("great") and ''[[ratha]]''/''rathi'' ([[chariot]]/charioteer), which refers to a skilful northern fighting force that migrated southward into the area.<ref name="KBala1965" /><ref name="auto1"/>
 
An alternative theory states that the term derives from the word ''Mahā'' ("great") and ''Rāshtra'' ("nation/dominion").<ref>{{cite book |title=Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions |url=https://archive.org/stream/personalgeograph00sharuoft#page/208/mode/2up |page=209 |author=Tej Ram Sharma |year=1978 |publisher=Concept Publishing Co., Delhi |access-date=18 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217151404/https://archive.org/stream/personalgeograph00sharuoft#page/208/mode/2up |archive-date=17 December 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, this theory is somewhat controversial among modern scholars who believe it to be the sanskritised interpretation of later writers.<ref name="Gazetteer1967" />
 
==History==
{{Main|History of Maharashtra|Maratha Empire|Samyukta Maharashtra Movement}}
{{See also|Chronology of statehood of Maharashtra}}
 
[[File:Coach driver Indus 01.jpg|thumb|right|Late Harappa figure from [[Daimabad|Daimabad hoard]], [[Indus Valley Civilization]]]]
[[File:Karla caves Chaitya.jpg|thumb|upright|2nd century BCE [[Karla Caves]] are a group of Buddhist caves near [[Lonavala]]]]
Numerous [[Late Harappan]] or [[Chalcolithic]] sites belonging to the [[Jorwe culture]] (ca. 1300–700 BCE) have been discovered throughout the state.<ref>Upinder Singh (2008), [https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC ''A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century''], p.232</ref><ref>P. K. Basant (2012), [https://archive.org/details/citycountryinear0000basa ''The City and the Country in Early India: A Study of Malwa''], pp. 92–96</ref> The largest settlement discovered of the culture is at [[Daimabad]]., which had a mud fortification during this period, as well as an elliptical temple with fire pits.<ref name="Lahiri2015">{{cite book |author=Nayanjot Lahiri |title=Ashoka in Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_XCgAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |date=5 August 2015 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-05777-7 |page=82}}</ref><ref name=singh>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Upinder |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&q=Daimabad&pg=PA229 |year=2008 |publisher=[[Pearson Education]] |location=[[Delhi]] |isbn=978-81-317-1120-0 |pages=229–233}}</ref> In the [[Late Harappan]] period there was a large migration of people from [[Gujarat]] to northern Maharashtra.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thapar |first=Romila |title=Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 |publisher=University of California Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-520-24225-4 |pages=87}}</ref>
 
Maharashtra was under the [[Maurya Empire]] in the fourth and third centuries BCE.
Around 230 BCE, Maharashtra came under the rule of the [[Satavahana]] dynasty who ruled it for the next 400 years.<ref name="autogenerated440">India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic: p. 440</ref> The greatest ruler of the Satavahana dynasty was [[Gautamiputra Satakarni]]. The [[Satavahana]] dynasty was followed by [[Western Satraps]], [[Gupta Empire]], [[Gurjara-Pratihara]], [[Vakataka]], [[Kadambas]], [[Chalukya Empire]], [[Rashtrakuta Dynasty]], and [[Western Chalukya]] and the [[Yadava dynasty|Yadava]] rule. The [[Buddhist]] [[Ajanta Caves]] in present-day [[Aurangabad district, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]] display influences from the Satavahana and Vakataka styles. The caves were possibly excavated during this period.<ref name="Javid2008">{{cite book |author=Ali Javid |title=World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54XBlIF9LFgC&pg=PA101 |year=2008 |publisher=Algora Publishing |isbn=978-0-87586-484-6 |page=101 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=54XBlIF9LFgC&pg=PA101 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The Chalukya dynasty ruled from the sixth to the eighth centuries CE, and the two prominent rulers were [[Pulakeshin II]], who defeated the north Indian Emperor [[Harsha]], and [[Vikramaditya II]], who defeated the [[Arab]] invaders in the eighth century. The Rashtrakuta dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the eighth to the tenth century.<ref name="Indian History – page B-57">Indian History, p. B-57</ref> The Arab traveller [[Sulaiman al Mahri]] described the ruler of the Rashtrakuta dynasty [[Amoghavarsha]] as "one of the four great kings of the world".<ref name="autogenerated203">A Comprehensive History of Ancient India (3 Vols. Set): p. 203</ref> Shilahara dynasty began as vassals of the Rashtrakuta dynasty which ruled the Deccan plateau between the eighth and tenth centuries. From the early 11th century to the 12th century, the Deccan Plateau, which includes a significant part of Maharashtra, was dominated by the [[Western Chalukya Empire]] and the [[Chola dynasty]].<ref name="autogenerated365">'' The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300'' by [[Romila Thapar]]: pp. 365–366</ref> Several battles were fought between the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty in the Deccan Plateau during the reigns of [[Raja Raja Chola I]], [[Rajendra Chola I]], [[Jayasimha II (Western Chalukya dynasty)|Jayasimha II]], [[Someshvara I]], and [[Vikramaditya VI]].<ref>'' Ancient Indian History and Civilization'' by Sailendra Nath Sen: pp. 383–384</ref>
 
In the early 14th century, the [[Yadava Dynasty|Yadava dynasty]], which ruled most of present-day Maharashtra, was overthrown by the [[Delhi Sultanate]] ruler [[Alauddin Khalji]]. Later, [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]] conquered parts of the Deccan, and temporarily shifted his capital from Delhi to [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Daulatabad]] in Maharashtra. After the collapse of the Tughluqs in 1347, the local [[Bahmani Sultanate]] of Gulbarga took over, governing the region for the next 150 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kingdoms of South Asia – Indian Bahamani Sultanate |publisher=The History Files, United Kingdom |url=http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsFarEast/IndiaBahamanis.htm |access-date=12 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204080014/http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsFarEast/IndiaBahamanis.htm |archive-date=4 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> After the break-up of the [[Bahamani]] sultanate in 1518, Maharashtra split into five [[Deccan Sultanates]]: [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Nizamshah]] of [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Ahmednagar]], [[Adilshah]] of [[Bijapur]], [[Qutubshah]] of [[Golkonda]], [[Bidarshah]] of [[Bidar]] and [[Imadshah]] of Elichpur. These kingdoms often fought with each other. United, they decisively defeated the [[Vijayanagara Empire]] of the south in 1565.<ref name="Saletore1934">{{cite book |author=Bhasker Anand Saletore |title=Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346–A.D. 1646) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.530021 |year=1934 |publisher=B.G. Paul |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> The present area of [[Mumbai]] was ruled by the [[Sultanate of Gujarat]] before its capture by [[Portugal]] in 1535 and the [[Faruqi dynasty]] ruled the [[Khandesh]] region between 1382 and 1601 before finally getting annexed in the [[Mughal Empire]]. [[Malik Ambar]], the regent of the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Nizamshahi dynasty]] of [[Ahmednagar]] from 1607 to 1626,<ref>{{cite book |title=A Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India |url=https://archive.org/details/asketchdynastie00sewegoog |year=1883 |publisher=E. Keys |pages=[https://archive.org/details/asketchdynastie00sewegoog/page/n35 26]–28 |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> increased the strength and power of [[Murtaza Nizam Shah II]] and raised a large army. Malik Ambar is said to have been a proponent of guerrilla warfare in the Deccan region. Malik Ambar assisted Mughal emperor [[Shah Jahan]] in Delhi against his stepmother, [[Nur Jahan]], who wanted to enthrone her son-in-law.<ref>{{cite web |title=Malik Ambar (1548–1626): the rise and fall of military slavery |url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/other/019pho0000303s1u00112000.html |publisher=British Library |access-date=12 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912165017/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/other/019pho0000303s1u00112000.html |archive-date=12 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:5 x 7.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bibi Ka Maqbara]], a replica of the [[Taj Mahal]], was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]]]]
[[File:Emperor of Maratha India.jpg|thumb|Statue of Shivaji opposite [[Gateway of India]] in [[South Mumbai]]]]
In the early 17th century, [[Shahaji Bhosale]], an ambitious local general who had served the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]], the Mughals and [[Adil Shahi dynasty|Adil Shah of Bijapur]] at different periods throughout his career, attempted to establish his independent rule.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bijapur (Adil Shah Dynasty) |url=http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsFarEast/IndiaBijapur.htm |publisher=The History Files, United Kingdom |access-date=12 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023234150/http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsFarEast/IndiaBijapur.htm |archive-date=23 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> His son [[Shivaji]] succeeded in establishing the [[Maratha Empire]] which was further expanded during the 18th century by the Bhat family ''[[Peshwas]]'' based in [[Pune]]..<ref>{{cite web |title=Bijapur (Vijapura), the historic city |url=http://www.bijapur.nic.in/history.html |publisher=Bijapur district administration |access-date=12 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722105710/http://bijapur.nic.in/history.html |archive-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Marathas under the Peshwas,[[Bhonsale]] of [[Nagpur kingdom|Nagpur]], [[Gaekwad]] of [[Baroda State|Baroda]], [[Holkar]] of [[Indore]], [[Scindia]] of [[Gwalior State|Gwalior]] and [[Pawar|Puar]]s of [[Dewas States|Dewas]] and [[Dhar State|Dhar]] defeated the Mughals and conquered large territories in the northern and central parts of the Indian subcontinent. At its peak, the Maratha empire covered much of the subcontinent, encompassing a territory of over 2.8&nbsp;million km<sup>2</sup>. The Marathas are credited to a large extent for ending the Mughal rule in India.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pearson, M. N. (February 1976). "Shivaji and the Decline of the Mughal Empire". ''The Journal of Asian Studies'' 35 (2): 221–235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC&q=9781932705546 |title=Delhi, the Capital of India |date=2005 |isbn=978-1-932705-54-6 |last1=Mehta |first1=Jaswant Lal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXWiACEwPR8C&q=Peshwa+Balaji+Vishwanath+1714&pg=PA1941-IA82 |title=An Advanced History of Modern India |page=Introduction–14 |quote=The victory at Bhopal in 1738 established Maratha dominance at the Mughal court |isbn=978-0-230-32885-3 |last1=Sen |first1=Sailendra Nath |year=2010}}</ref> After their defeat at the hand of [[Ahmad Shah Abdali]]'s Afghan forces in the [[Third Battle of Panipat]] in 1761, the Maratha suffered a setback. However, they soon reclaimed the lost territories and ruled central and north India including New Delhi until the end of the eighteenth century. The [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]] (1817–1818) led to the end of the Maratha Empire and the [[East India Company]] took over the empire.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/selectionsfromp01metcgoog/selectionsfromp01metcgoog_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "Selections from the papers of Lord Metcalfe; late governor-general of India, governor of Jamaica, and governor-general of Canada" |website=archive.org |access-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326232147/https://archive.org/stream/selectionsfromp01metcgoog/selectionsfromp01metcgoog_djvu.txt |archive-date=26 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Rathod1994">{{cite book |author=N. G. Rathod |title=The Great Maratha Mahadaji Scindia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPq640stHJ0C&pg=PA180 |date=1994 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-85431-52-9 |page=180 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=uPq640stHJ0C&pg=PA180 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Marathas also developed a potent ''[[Maratha Navy|Navy]]'' circa in the 1660s, which at its peak, dominated the territorial waters of the western coast of India from [[Mumbai]] to [[Savantwadi]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sridharan |first1=K. |title=Sea: Our Saviour |publisher=New Age International (P) Ltd. |isbn=978-81-224-1245-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9PiwJF7V4EQC&q=kanhoji+angre&pg=PA43 |year=2000}}</ref> It resisted the [[Company Rule in India|British]], [[Portuguese India|Portuguese]], [[Dutch India|Dutch]], and [[Siddi]] naval ships and kept a check on their naval ambitions. The [[Maratha Navy]] dominated till around the 1730s, was in a state of decline by the 1770s and ceased to exist by 1818.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sharma |first1=Yogesh |title=Coastal Histories: Society and Ecology in Pre-modern India |publisher=Primus Books |isbn=978-93-80607-00-9 |page=66 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FTTGWSme30YC&q=maratha+dhulap+navy&pg=PA66 |year=2010}}</ref>
 
{{blockquote|India contains no more than two great powers, British and Maratha, and every other state acknowledges the influence of one or the other. Every inch that we recede will be occupied by them.| Charles Metcalfe, one of the ablest of the British Officials in India and later acting Governor-General, wrote in 1806}}
 
The British [[East India Company]] gained [[Mumbai]] in the early 17th century, and became one of their major trading ports. The Company slowly expanded areas under its rule during the 18th century.
 
[[File:Bombay-Poona Mail.jpg|right|thumb|The Bombay-Poona Mail Train of the [[GIPR]] company in 1907]]
 
The [[United Kingdom|British]] governed western Maharashtra as part of the [[Bombay Presidency]], which spanned an area from [[Karachi]] in Pakistan to northern Deccan. A number of the [[Maratha]] states persisted as [[princely state]]s, retaining autonomy in return for acknowledging British [[suzerainty]]. The largest princely states in the territory were [[Nagpur]], [[Satara (city)|Satara]] and [[Kolhapur]]; Satara was annexed to the Bombay Presidency in 1848, and Nagpur was annexed in 1853 to become [[Nagpur Province]], later part of the [[Central Provinces]]. [[Berar Province|Berar]], which had been part of the [[Nizam]] of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad's]] kingdom, was occupied by the British in 1853 and annexed to the Central Provinces in 1903.<ref name="Russell1997">{{cite book |author=R. V. Russell |title=The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (Volumes I and II) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6h2Gm1gPZZQC&pg=PT8 |year=1997 |publisher=Library of Alexandria |isbn=978-1-4655-8294-2 |page=8 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=6h2Gm1gPZZQC&pg=PT8 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, a large region called [[Marathwada]] remained part of the Nizam's Hyderabad State throughout the British period. The British ruled Maharashtra region from 1818 to 1947 and influenced every aspect of life for the people of the region. They brought several changes to the legal system,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chhabra |first1=G. S. |title=Advanced study in the history of modern India |date=2004 |publisher=Lotus Press |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-8189093075 |pages=24–25 |edition=[3rd ed.] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzZzFm4pLWQC&q=poona++police+crime+presidency+court+judge+jury+-taylor+-jstor&pg=PA1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Jaffe |first1=James |title=Ironies of Colonial Governance: Law, Custom and Justice in Colonial India |date=2015 |publisher=Cambridge University press |location=Cambridge UK |isbn=978-1107087927 |pages=68–96 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SfoGBwAAQBAJ&pg=PR9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wadia |first1=Sorab P. N. |title=The institution of trial by jury in India |date=1897 |publisher=University of Michigan |pages=[https://archive.org/details/institutiontria00wadigoog/page/n39 29]–30 |url=https://archive.org/details/institutiontria00wadigoog |quote=jury poona.}}</ref> built modern means of transport including roads<ref>{{cite book |last1=Heitzman |first1=James |title=The city in South Asia |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0415574266 |page=[https://archive.org/details/cityinsouthasia0000heit/page/125 125] |edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/cityinsouthasia0000heit |url-access=registration |quote=pune.}}</ref> and Railways,<ref>{{cite book |title=Gazetteer of The Bombay Presidency: Poona (Part 2) |publisher=Government Central press |page=156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yxEIAQAAIAAJ&q=gazetteer+famine+poona&pg=PA85 |year=1885}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yxEIAQAAIAAJ&q=gazetteer+famine+poona&pg=PA85 |title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona (2 PTS.) |year=1885}}</ref> took various steps to provide mass education, including that for previously marginalised classes and women,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Keer |first1=Dhananjay |title=Mahatma Jotirao Phooley: father of the Indian social revolution. |date=1997 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |location=Bombay |isbn=978-81-7154-066-2 |page=24 |edition=[New ed.]. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PFY9fz68KEsC&pg=PA1}}</ref> established universities based on western system and imparting education in science, technology,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Naregal |first1=Veena |title=Language politics, elites, and the public sphere: western India under colonialism |date=2002 |publisher=Anthem Press |location=London |isbn=978-1843310549 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vm7OD7aSq-4C&q=poona+missionary+schools+colonial+india&pg=PR8}}</ref> and western medicine,<ref>Mutalik, Maitreyee. "Review of Body Snatching to Body Donation: Past and Present: A Comprehensive Update., Int J Pharm Bio Sci 2015 July; 6(3): (B) 428 – 439"</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramanna |first1=Mridula |title=Health care in Bombay Presidency, 1896–1930 |date=2012 |publisher=Primus Books |location=Delhi |isbn=9789380607245 |page=102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mm14U_6JVwoC&q=mridula+ramanna&pg=PR7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kosambi |first1=Meera |last2=Feldhaus |first2=Ann |title=Intersections: socio-cultural trends in Maharashtra |date=2000 |publisher=Orient Longman |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788125018780 |page=139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0FobxiflfVQC&q=%22seva+sadan%22+ranade&pg=PA256}}</ref> standardised the Marathi language,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chavan |first1=Dilip |title=Language politics under colonialism : caste, class and language pedagogy in western India |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars |location=Newcastle upon Tyne |isbn=978-1443842501 |page=174 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zuIxBwAAQBAJ&pg=PR7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chavan |first1=Dilip |title=Language politics under colonialism : caste, class and language pedagogy in western India |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars |location=Newcastle upon Tyne |isbn=978-1443842501 |pages=136–184 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zuIxBwAAQBAJ&q=pune+standard+dialect&pg=PA148 |access-date=13 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Natarajan |editor-first1=Nalini |last=Deo |first=Shripad D. |title=Handbook of twentieth century literatures of India |date=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn. [u.a.] |isbn=978-0313287787 |page=212 |edition=1. publ. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&q=pune+culture+theatre+movies&pg=PA207}}</ref><ref name="Rao1994">{{cite book |editor=Goparaju Sambasiva Rao |author=Rajyashree |title=Language Change: Lexical Diffusion and Literacy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Ben0lE61msC&pg=PA9 |year=1994 |publisher=Academic Foundation |isbn=978-81-7188-057-7 |pages=45–58}}</ref> and introduced mass media by utilising modern printing technologies.<ref>Tucker, R., 1976. Hindu Traditionalism and Nationalist Ideologies in Nineteenth-Century Maharashtra. Modern Asian Studies, 10(3), pp.321-348.</ref>
The [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|1857 war of independence]] had many Marathi leaders, though the battles mainly took place in northern India. The modern struggle for independence started taking shape in the late 1800s with leaders such as [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], Justice [[Mahadev Govind Ranade]], [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], [[Pherozeshah Mehta]] and [[Dadabhai Naoroji]] evaluating the company rule and its consequences. [[Jyotirao Phule]] was the pioneer of social reform in the Maharashtra region in the second half of the 19th century. His social work was continued by [[Shahu of Kolhapur|Shahu, Raja of Kolhapur]] and later by [[B. R. Ambedkar]]. After the partial [[autonomy]] given to the states by the [[Government of India Act 1935]], [[B. G. Kher]] became the first Chief Minister of the Congress party-led Government of tri-lingual Bombay Presidency.<ref>{{cite web |title=B.G. Kher – Profile and biography City |url=http://www.veethi.com/india-people/b._g._kher-profile-3997-19.htm |access-date=5 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806101942/http://www.veethi.com/india-people/b._g._kher-profile-3997-19.htm |archive-date=6 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The ultimatum to the British during the [[Quit India Movement]] was given in Mumbai and culminated in the transfer of power and independence in 1947.
 
After Indian independence, princely states and Jagirs of the [[Deccan States Agency]] were merged into [[Bombay State]], which was created from the former Bombay Presidency in 1950.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kolhapurcorporation.gov.in/english/Ancient_Historical_Places.html |title=History of Kolhapur City |publisher=Kolhapur Corporation |access-date=12 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912164315/http://www.kolhapurcorporation.gov.in/english/Ancient_Historical_Places.html |archive-date=12 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1956, the [[States Reorganisation Act]] reorganised the Indian states along linguistic lines, and Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly [[Marathi language|Marathi]]-speaking regions of [[Marathwada]] ([[Aurangabad Division]]) from erstwhile [[Hyderabad state]] and [[Vidarbha]] region from the [[Central Provinces and Berar]]. The southernmost part of Bombay State was ceded to [[Karnataka|Mysore]]. In the 1950s, Marathi people strongly protested against bilingual [[Bombay state]] under the banner of [[Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Radheshyam Jadhav |title=Samyukta Maharashtra movement |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Pune-pioneered-Samyukta-Maharashtra-movement/articleshow/5874479.cms |access-date=12 September 2014 |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=Bennet, Coleman & Co. Ltd. |publisher=[[The Times Group]] |date=30 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113064222/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Pune-pioneered-Samyukta-Maharashtra-movement/articleshow/5874479.cms |archive-date=13 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Samyukta Maharashtra movement |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-what-is-the-samyukta-maharashtra-movement-1983811 |access-date=12 September 2014 |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |agency=Diligent Media Corporation |publisher=Dainik Bhaskar Group |date=1 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073631/http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-what-is-the-samyukta-maharashtra-movement-1983811 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The notable leaders of the samiti included [[Keshavrao Jedhe]], [[S.M. Joshi]], [[Shripad Amrit Dange]], [[Pralhad Keshav Atre]] and [[Gopalrao Khedkar]]. The key demand of the samiti called for a Marathi speaking state with Mumbai as its capital.<ref>Lele, J., 1995. "Saffronisation of the Shiv Sena". ''Economic and Political Weekly'', 24.</ref> In the Gujarati speaking areas of the state, a similar [[Mahagujarat Movement]] demanded a separate [[Gujarat]] state comprising majority Gujarati areas. After many years of protests, which saw 106 deaths amongst the protestors, and electoral success of the samiti in 1957 elections, the central government led by Prime minister [[Nehru]] yielded to public pressure and split Bombay State into two new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat on 1 May 1960.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhagwat |first1=Ramu |title=Linguistic states |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/People-dont-want-Vidarbha-to-be-treated-as-colony-of-Maharashtra/articleshow/21564818.cms |access-date=12 September 2014 |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=Bennet, Coleman & Co. Ltd. |publisher=[[The Times Group]] |date=3 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113062718/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/People-dont-want-Vidarbha-to-be-treated-as-colony-of-Maharashtra/articleshow/21564818.cms |archive-date=13 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The state continues to have a dispute with [[Karnataka]] regarding the region of [[Belgaum]] and [[Karwar]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Banerjee |first1=S. |title=The Saffron Wave: The Eleventh General Elections in Maharashtra |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1997 |volume=32 |issue=40 |pages=2551–2560 |jstor=4405925}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Border dispute: Karnataka CM's comments need to be taken seriously, says Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/border-dispute-karnataka-cms-comments-need-to-be-taken-seriously-says-maha-cong-chief/articleshow/88541449.cms |access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> The Government of Maharashtra was unhappy with the border demarcation of 1957 and filed a petition to the Ministry of Home affairs of India.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sirsikar |first1=V.M. |title=Politics in Maharashtra, Problems and Prospects |date=1966 |publisher=University of Poona |location=Poona |page=8 |url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAD260.pdf |access-date=21 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129073441/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAD260.pdf |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Maharashtra claimed 814 villages, and 3 urban settlements of Belagon, Karwar and [[Nipani|Nippani]], all part of then Bombay Presidency before freedom of the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=Belgaum border dispute |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140730/nation-current-affairs/article/belgaum-border-dispute-karnataka-govt-warns-against-taking-law |access-date=12 September 2014 |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |agency=Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited |date=30 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912170941/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140730/nation-current-affairs/article/belgaum-border-dispute-karnataka-govt-warns-against-taking-law |archive-date=12 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> A petition by Maharashtra in the Supreme Court of India, staking a claim over Belagon, is currently pending.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/the-dispute-over-belagavi/article38069096.ece |title=The dispute over Belagavi |first=Nagesh |last=Prabhu |date=30 December 2021 |access-date=16 February 2022 |website=Thehindu.com}}</ref>
{{Further|Belagavi border dispute}}
 
==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Maharashtra}}
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Maharashtra with a total area of {{cvt|307713|km2|sqmi|0}}, is the [[List of states and territories of India by area|third-largest state]] by area in terms of land area and constitutes 9.36 per cent of India's total geographical area. The State lies between 15°35' N to 22°02' N latitude and 72°36' E to 80°54' E longitude. It occupies the [[West India|western]] and central part of the country and has a long coastline stretching 720 kilometres<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iasri.res.in/agridata/02data%5Cchapter%204%5Cdb2002tb4_5.htm |title=AgriData |access-date=22 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414161217/http://www.iasri.res.in/agridata/02data/chapter%204/DB2002TB4_5.HTM |archive-date=14 April 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> along the [[Arabian Sea]].<ref name=outline>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Geography |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/geography.html |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615015912/http://www.maharashtratourism.net/geography.html |archive-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The dominant physical feature of the state is its plateau character, which is separated from the Konkan coastline by the mountain range of the Western Ghats, which runs parallel to the coast from north to south.The [[Western Ghats]], also known as the Sahyadri Range, has an average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000&nbsp;ft); its slopes gently descending towards the east and southeast.<ref name="western ghat">{{cite news |title=Western Ghats as world heritage site |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/UN-designates-Western-Ghats-as-world-heritage-site/articleshow/14595602.cms?referral=PM |access-date=24 January 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=2 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303052832/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/UN-designates-Western-Ghats-as-world-heritage-site/articleshow/14595602.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=3 March 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Western Ghats]] (or the Sahyadri Mountain range) provide a physical barrier 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.<ref name=farmer>{{cite web |title=State Farmer Guide |url=http://farmech.gov.in/FarmerGuide/MH/index1.html |website=Government of India |publisher=Ministry of Agriculture |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204000430/http://farmech.gov.in/FarmerGuide/MH/index1.html |archive-date=4 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> This state's expansion from North to South is 700&nbsp;km and East to West is 800&nbsp;km. 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]]. The main rivers of the state are the [[Krishna River|Krishna]], and its tributary, [[Bhima River|Bhima]], the [[Godavari River|Godavari]], and its main tributaries, [[Manjira River|Manjara]], and [[Wardha River|Wardha]]-[[Wainganga River|Wainganga]] and the [[Tapi River, India|Tapi]], and its tributary [[Purna River (tributary of Tapti)|Purna]]. <ref name="outline" /><ref name="rivers">{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Rivers |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/rivers.html |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209135938/http://maharashtratourism.net/rivers.html |archive-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region, between the Western Ghats and the sea.<ref name="state divisions">{{cite web |title=Geographical set up |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/2496/9/09_chapter%202.pdf |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202092824/http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/2496/9/09_chapter%202.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Khandesh]] is the north region lying in the valley of the Tapti, [[Purna River (tributary of Tapti)|Purna]] river.<ref name=rivers /> [[Nashik]], [[Malegaon]] [[Jalgaon]], [[Dhule]] and [[Bhusawal]] are the major cities of this region.<ref name=cities>{{cite web |title=Cities of Maharashtra |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/cities/ |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209055257/http://www.maharashtratourism.net/cities/ |archive-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Desh, Maharashtra|Desh]] is in the center of the state.<ref name="Desh region">{{cite web |title=Regions in Maharashtra |url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/about-maharashtra/regions-in-maharashtra.htm |publisher=Discover India Portal |access-date=24 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202155550/http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/about-maharashtra/regions-in-maharashtra.htm |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref> [[Marathwada]], which was a part of the princely [[state of Hyderabad]] until 1956, is located in the southeastern part of the state.<ref name=outline /><ref name=marathwada>{{cite web |title=United Nations Development Programme |url=http://www.in.undp.org/india/en/home.html?option=com_content&task=view&id=129&Itemid=217 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201214050/http://www.in.undp.org/india/en/home.html?option=com_content&task=view&id=129&Itemid=217 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 February 2014 |publisher=[[United Nation]] |access-date=24 January 2014}}</ref> Aurangabad and [[Nanded]] are the main cities of the region.<ref name=city>{{cite web |title=A Deccan Odyssey destination |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=../Maharashtratourism/CitiestoVisits/Aurangabad.html |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201233812/http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=..%2FMaharashtratourism%2FCitiestoVisits%2FAurangabad.html |archive-date=1 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Vidarbha]] is the easternmost region of the state, formerly part of the Central Provinces and Berar.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EFDVAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA131 |title=Asian Review |year=1898}}</ref>
 
The state has limited area under irrigation, low natural fertility of soils, and large areas prone to recurrent drought. Due to this the agricultural productivity of Maharashtra is generally low as compared to the national averages of various crops. Maharashtra has been divided in to nine agro-climatic zones on the basis of annual rainfall soil types, vegetation and cropaing pattern.<ref name="Agro Zones">{{cite web |title=Agro Climatic Zones of Maharashtra |url=http://krishi.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Upload/Pdf/mwsip.pdf |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture]] |access-date=1 April 2022}}</ref>
 
===Climate===
[[File:The Godavari river at Puntamba in January.JPG|right|thumb|Dried up the [[Godavari]] at [[Puntamba]], Ahmadnagar district after a poor Monsoon]]
Maharashtra experiences a [[tropical monsoon climate]] with hot, rainy, and cold weather seasons and dry summers. <ref name="IGARSS2017">{{cite book |last1=Swain |display-authors=etal |first1=S. |title=2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) |s2cid=26920225 |chapter=Application of SPI, EDI and PNPI using MSWEP precipitation data over Marathwada, India |journal=IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) |volume=2017 |pages=5505–5507 |doi=10.1109/IGARSS.2017.8128250 |date=July 2017 |isbn=978-1-5090-4951-6}}</ref> The month of March marks the beginning of the summer and the temperature rises steadily until June. In the central plains, summer temperatures rise between {{cvt|40|°C|°F|1|disp=or}} and {{cvt|45|°C|°F|1|disp=or}}.May is usually the warmest and January the coldest month of the year. The winter season lasts until February with lower temperatures occurring in December and January. On the Deccan plateau that lies on eastern side of the Sahyadri mountains, the climate is drier, however, dew and hail often occur, depending on seasonal weather.<ref name="Seasonal">{{cite web |title=Climate - ENVIS |url=http://mahenvis.nic.in/Climate.aspx#:~:text=The%20climate%20of%20Maharashtra%20is,and%20Vidarbha%20in%20the%20state. |publisher=Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (Maharashtra) |access-date=1 April 2022}}</ref>
 
The rainfall patterns in the state vary by the topography of different regions.The state can be divided into four meteorological regions, namely coastal Konkan, Western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guhathakurta |first1=Pulak |last2=Saji |first2=Elizabeth |title=Detecting changes in rainfall pattern and seasonality index vis-à-vis increasing water scarcity in Maharashtra |journal=Journal of Earth System Science |date=1 June 2013 |volume=122 |issue=3 |pages=639–649 |doi=10.1007/s12040-013-0294-y |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12040-013-0294-y |language=en |issn=0973-774X}}</ref> The [[southwest monsoon]] usually arrives in the last week of June and lasts till mid-September. Pre-monsoon showers begin towards the middle of June and post-monsoon rains occasionally occur in October. The highest average monthly rainfall is during July and August. In the winter season, there may be a little rainfall associated with western winds over the region. The Konkan coastal area, west of the Sahyadri Mountains receives very heavy monsoon rains with an annual average of more than 3,000&nbsp;mm. However, just 150&nbsp;km to the east, in the rain shadow of the mountain range,  only 500–700&nbsp;mm/year will fall, and long dry spells leading to drought are a common occurrence. The average annual rainfall in the state is 1,181&nbsp;mm and 75 per cent of it is received during the southwest monsoon from June–to September. However, under the influence of the Bay of Bengal, eastern Vidarbha receives good rainfall in July, August, and September.<ref name=climate>{{cite web |title=Climate of Maharashtra |publisher=Public Library |url=http://164.100.47.134/plibrary/ebooks/Climate_of_Maharashtra/Climate_of_Maharashtra.pdf |access-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219082608/http://164.100.47.134/plibrary/ebooks/Climate_of_Maharashtra/Climate_of_Maharashtra.pdf |archive-date=19 February 2014}}</ref> Thane, [[Raigad district|Raigad]], [[Ratnagiri district|Ratnagiri]], and [[Sindhudurg district|Sindhudurg]] districts receive heavy rains of an average of {{cvt|2000|to|2500|mm|in|-1|disp=or}} and the hill stations of [[Matheran]] and [[Mahabaleshwar]] over {{cvt|5000|mm|in|-1|disp=or}}. Contrariwise, the rain shadow districts of [[Nashik district|Nashik]], [[Pune district|Pune]], [[Ahmednagar district|Ahmednagar]], [[Dhule district|Dhule]], [[Jalgaon district|Jalgaon]], [[Satara district|Satara]], [[Sangli district|Sangli]], [[Solapur district|Solapur]], and parts of [[Kolhapur district|Kolhapur]] receive less than {{cvt|1000|mm|in|-1|disp=or}} annually. In winter, a cool dry spell occurs, with clear skies, gentle air breeze, and pleasant weather that prevails from October to February, although the eastern part of Maharashtra periodically receives certain rainfall.
 
==Flora and fauna==
{|class="toccolours" style="margin:1em; float:right; width:25%;"
|+ '''State symbols of Maharashtra'''<ref>{{cite web |title=State Animal, Bird, Tree and Flower |url=http://www.pannatigerreserve.in/kids/state.htm |publisher=Panna Tiger Reserve |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013002319/http://www.pannatigerreserve.in/kids/state.htm |archive-date=13 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|'''Animal'''
|[[Indian giant squirrel]] ||[[File:Malabar giant sqirrel.jpg|50px]]
|-
|'''Bird'''
|[[Yellow-footed green pigeon]] ||[[File:Pair Angel Birds got place on Holly Tree.jpg|50px]]
|-
|'''Tree'''
|[[Mango]] Tree ||[[File:Mangues.JPG|50px]]
|-
|'''Flower'''
|[[Lagerstroemia speciosa|Jarul]] ||[[File:Jarul.jpg|50px]]
|-
|'''Butterfly'''
|[[Blue mormon]] ||[[File:Papilio polymnestor-Kadavoor-2016-07-27-002.jpg|50px]]
|}
Maharashtra is ranked second among the [[States and union territories of India|Indian states]] in terms of the recorded forest area. Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in the state is {{cvt|61579|sqmi|km2|0}} of which {{cvt|49546|sqmi|km2|0}} is reserved forests, {{cvt|6733|sqmi|km2|0}} is protected forest and {{cvt|5300|sqmi|km2|0}} is unclassed forests. Based on the interpretation of IRS [[Resourcesat-2]] LISS III satellite data of the period Oct 2017 to Jan 2018, the State has {{cvt|8720.53|sqmi|km2|0}} under Very Dense Forest(VDF), {{cvt|20572.35|sqmi|km2|0}} under Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) and {{cvt|21484.68|sqmi|km2|0}} under Open Forest (OF). According to the [[Harry George Champion|Champion and Seth classification]], Maharashtra has five types of forests:<ref>{{cite web |title=Forest Types |url=http://www.mahaforest.nic.in/internal.php?lang_eng_mar=Eng&id=29 |website=Maharashtra Forest |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=7 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408010424/http://www.mahaforest.nic.in/internal.php?lang_eng_mar=Eng&id=29 |archive-date=8 April 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Southern Tropical Semi-Evergreen forests - These are found in the western ghats at a height of 400–1000 meters. [[Memecylon umbellatum|Anjani]], [[Terminalia chebula|Hirda]], [[Terminalia paniculata|Kinjal]], and [[Mango]] are predominant tress species found here. *Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous forests-These are a mix of Moist [[Teak]] bearing forests ([[Melghat]]) and Moist Mixed deciduous forests (Vidarbha and Thane district). Commercially important Teak, [[Dalbergia sissoo|Shishum]], and [[Bambusa tulda|bamboo]] are found here. In addition to evergreen Teak, some of the other tree species found in this type of forest include [[Jambul]], [[Ain]], and [[Dalbergia latifolia|Shisam]].<ref name=wildlife>{{cite web |title=The Melghat Forests |url=http://www.shvoong.com/social-sciences/sociology/2306693-melghat-forests-dhakna-kolkaz-wildlife/ |publisher=Dhakna –Kolkaz wildlife sanctuary |access-date=7 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307165038/http://www.shvoong.com/social-sciences/sociology/2306693-melghat-forests-dhakna-kolkaz-wildlife/ |archive-date=7 March 2014 |url-status=live}}.</ref>
*Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous forests-these occupy a major part of the state. Southern Tropical Thorn forests are found in the low rainfall regions of [[Marathwada]], [[Vidarbha]], [[Khandesh]], and Western Maharashtra. At present, these forests are heavily degraded. [[Babul (tree)|Babul]], [[Ziziphus mauritiana|Bor]], and [[Butea monosperma|Palas]] are some of the tree species found here.
*[[Littoral zone|Littoral]] and [[Swamp forest|Swamp]] forests are mainly found in the Creeks of [[Sindhudurg]] and Thane districts of the coastal Konkan region. The state harbours significant mangrove, coastal and marine biodiversity, with {{cvt|304|km2}} of the area under mangrove cover as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) of the Forest survey India in the coastal districts of the state.
[[File:Tara in Tadoba Tiger Reserve AJTJ P1090339.jpg|right|thumb|A Bengal tiger in [[Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve]]]]
The state has three crucial biogeographic zones, namely [[Western Ghats]], [[Deccan Plateau]], and the [[Western Coastal Plains|West coast]]. The Ghats nurture endemic species, Deccan Plateau provides for vast mountain ranges and grasslands while the coast is home to littoral and swamp forests. As per a report released by the [[Zoological Survey of India]], Of the 94,000 identifiable fauna species in the country, Maharashtra accounts for 5,460 species, which is six per cent of the country's fauna. Maharashtra provides legal protection to its [[tiger]] population through six dedicated [[Tiger reserves of India|tiger reserves]] under the precincts of the [[National Tiger Conservation Authority]]. The most common animal species present in the state are monkeys, wild pigs, [[tiger]], [[leopard]], [[gaur]], [[sloth bear]], [[sambar (deer)|sambar]], [[blackbuck|four-horned antelope]], [[chital]], [[barking deer]], [[mouse deer]], [[small Indian civet]], [[golden jackal]], [[jungle cat]], and [[hare]].<ref name="fauna">{{cite web |title=Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Sanctuaries/Sanctuaries.aspx?strpage=NagziraSanctuaries.html |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=7 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019125010/http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Sanctuaries/Sanctuaries.aspx?strpage=NagziraSanctuaries.html |archive-date=19 October 2013}}</ref> Other animals found in this state include reptiles such as [[lizard]]s, scorpions and snake species such as [[cobra]]s and [[Bungarus|kraits]], etc.<ref name="biodiversity">{{cite web |title=Flora And Fauna of Maharashtra |url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/land-of-rocks/flora-and-fauna-of-maharashtra.htm |publisher=Discovered India |access-date=6 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307161252/http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/land-of-rocks/flora-and-fauna-of-maharashtra.htm |archive-date=7 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Flora of Maharashtra is heterogeneous in composition. In 2012 the recorded thick forest area in the state was {{cvt|61939|sqkm|sqmi}} which was about 20.13 per cent of the state's geographical area.<ref name="forest percentile">{{cite web |title=The State's forest cover |url=http://www.mahaforest.nic.in/internal.php?id=23 |website=Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314005839/http://mahaforest.nic.in/internal.php?id=23 |archive-date=14 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are three main Public Forestry Institutions (PFIs) in the Maharashtra state: the [[Maharashtra Forest Department]] (MFD), the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) and the Directorate of Social Forestry (SFD).<ref name=Forestry>{{cite web |title=Forest department |url=http://mahaforest.nic.in/index.php |website=Forest Management system |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313214004/http://mahaforest.nic.in/index.php |archive-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board, constituted by the Government of Maharashtra in January 2012 under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, is the nodal body for the conservation of biodiversity within and outside forest areas in the State.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mahaforest.nic.in/fckimagefile/Notification__.pdf |title=Formation of the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board |website=Maharashtra Forest Department |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819042126/http://www.mahaforest.nic.in/fckimagefile/Notification__.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://maharashtrabiodiversityboard.gov.in/about-us/ |title=About Us {{!}} Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board |website=Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214182309/http://maharashtrabiodiversityboard.gov.in/about-us/ |archive-date=14 December 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> State's 720 kilometres of sea coastline of the [[Arabian sea]] marks presence of various types of fish and marine animals. [[Zoological Survey of India]] (ZSI) found 1527 marine animal species,including [[Mollusca|Molluscs]] with 581 species, many [[Crustacean]] species including Crabs, Shrimps, and Lobsters, 287 fish species, and 141 species types of [[Annelid|Aanelids]] (sea worms).<ref>{{Cite news |title=Study identifies 1,527 species of marine fauna in state. |work=[[Times of India]] |url=https://m.timesofindia.com/city/pune/study-identifies-1527-species-of-marine-fauna-in-state/articleshow/12063502.cms}}</ref>
 
==Regions, divisions and districts==
{{Main|List of districts of Maharashtra}}{{See also|Talukas of Maharashtra|List of cities in Maharashtra by population}}
[[File:Maharashtra Divisions Eng.svg|thumb|right|alt=refer caption|Divisions of Maharashtra, along with their respective districts (With Palghar district formed in 2014 from the northern part of Thane district)]]
Maharashtra consists of six administrative divisions:<ref>[https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/1128/Districts "Districts"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912151910/https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/1128/Districts |date=12 September 2015 }}, maha.gov.in</ref>
#[[Amravati Division|Amravati]]
#[[Aurangabad Division|Aurangabad]]
#[[Konkan Division|Konkan]]
#[[Nagpur Division|Nagpur]]
#[[Nashik Division|Nashik]]
#[[Pune Division|Pune]]
 
The state's six divisions are further divided into 36 [[List of districts of Maharashtra|districts]], 109 sub-divisions, and 358 [[Talukas of Maharashtra|talukas]].<ref name=talukas>{{cite web |title=Talukas of Maharashtra |url=https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/mahInfo/state.php |website=District department |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=13 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615064744/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/mahInfo/state.php |archive-date=15 June 2011}}</ref> Maharashtra's top five districts by population, as ranked by the 2011 Census, are listed in the following table.
 
Each district is governed by a [[district collector]] or district magistrate, appointed either by the [[Indian Administrative Service]] or the Maharashtra Civil Service.<ref name=civil>{{cite web |title=District level governance |url=http://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/files/publication/esm_2012-13_eng.pdf |publisher=The Government of Maharashtra |access-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513154547/http://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/files/publication/esm_2012-13_eng.pdf |archive-date=13 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Districts are subdivided into ''sub-divisions'' ([[Taluka]]) governed by sub-divisional magistrates, and again into ''blocks''.<ref name=Panchayat /> A block consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.<ref name="panchayati raj">{{cite web |title=Panchayati raj in state |url=https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/upload/WhatsNew/ABCDCR_03122013_1.pdf |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313214043/https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/upload/WhatsNew/ABCDCR_03122013_1.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=panchayats>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra regional and town planning |url=https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/upload/WhatsNew/ABCDCR_03122013_1.pdf |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313214043/https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/upload/WhatsNew/ABCDCR_03122013_1.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Talukas are intermediate level panchayat between the [[District Councils of India|Zilla Parishad]] (district councils) at the district level and [[gram panchayat]] (village councils) at the lower level.<ref name=Panchayat>{{cite web |title=Department of Panchayati Raj |url=http://www.mahapanchayat.gov.in/ |publisher=Ministry of Panchayati Raj |access-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409071241/http://www.mahapanchayat.gov.in/ |archive-date=9 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=zilla>{{cite web |title=Short title and extent |url=http://www.mahasec.com/PDF/The%20Maharashtra%20Municipal%20Councils%20Nagar%20Panchayats%20and%20Industrial%20%20Township%20Act,%201965.pdf |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128130833/http://www.mahasec.com/PDF/The%20Maharashtra%20Municipal%20Councils%20Nagar%20Panchayats%20and%20Industrial%20%20Township%20Act,%201965.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
Out of the total population of Maharashtra, 45.22 per cent of people live in urban regions. The total figure of the population living in urban areas is 50.8&nbsp;million. There are 27 [[Municipal Corporations]] in Maharashtra.<ref name="Municipal">{{cite web |title=List of Municipal Corporation |url=https://mpcb.gov.in/sites/default/files/solid-waste/Municipal_Corporation03032020.pdf |publisher=Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) |access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref>
{{Largest cities
|country=Maharashtra
|stat_ref=As of the [[List of cities in Maharashtra|2011 Census]]
|list_by_pop=List of cities in Maharashtra
|div_name=District
|div_link=List of districts of Maharashtra{{!}}District
 
|city_1=Mumbai
|div_1=Mumbai City district{{!}}Mumbai City district
|pop_1=18,414,288
|img_1=Mumbai Downtown.jpg
 
|city_2=Pune
|div_2=Pune district{{!}}Pune
|pop_2=5,049,968
|img_2=FergussonCollegeMainBuilding.jpg
 
|city_3=Nagpur
|div_3=Nagpur district{{!}}Nagpur
|pop_3=2,497,777
|img_3=Night at Sitabuldi Nagpur.jpg
 
|city_4=Nashik
|div_4=Nashik district{{!}}Nashik
|pop_4=1,562,769
|img_4=NashikViewfromPandavLeni.jpg
 
|city_5=Aurangabad, Maharashtra{{!}}Aurangabad
|div_5=Aurangabad_district,_Maharashtra{{!}}Aurangabad
|pop_5=1,189,376
 
|city_6=Solapur
|div_6=Solapur district{{!}}Solapur
|pop_6=951,118
 
|city_7=Amravati
|div_7=Amravati district{{!}}Amravati
|pop_7=846,801
 
|city_8=Jalgaon
|div_8=Jalgaon district{{!}}Jalgaon
|pop_8=737,411
 
|city_9=Nanded
|div_9=Nanded district{{!}} Nanded
|pop_9=550,564
 
|city_10=Kolhapur
|div_10=Kolhapur district{{!}} Kolhapur
|pop_10=549,861
<!--
|city_11=Latur
|div_11=Latur district{{!}}Latur
|pop_11=400,000
-->
}}
 
==Demographics==
{{Further|Religion in Maharashtra|Languages of India|Marathi people}}
[[File:Shree Siddhivinayak Temple Mumbai.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai|Siddhivinayak Temple]], Mumbai. Hinduism is the dominant religion in Maharashtra|alt=|left]]
{{Pie chart
|thumb=right
|caption=Religion in Maharashtra (2011)<ref name="census2011">{{cite web |title=Population by religion community – 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW27C-01%20MDDS.XLS |website=Census of India, 2011 |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref>
|label1=[[Hinduism in Maharashtra|Hinduism]]
|value1=79.83
|color1=darkorange
|label2=[[Islam]]
|value2=11.54
|color2=Green
|label3=[[Buddhism]]
|value3=5.81
|color3=Yellow
|label4=[[Jainism in Maharashtra|Jainism]]
|value4=1.25
|color4=Brown
|label5=[[Christianity in Maharashtra|Christianity]]
|value5=0.96
|color5=DodgerBlue
|label6=[[Sikhism]]
|value6=0.2
|color6=Orange
|label7=Other
|value7=0.41
|color7=Gray
}}{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Languages in Maharashtra (2011)<ref name="census2011-langreport">{{cite web |title=Language – India, States and Union Territories |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf |work=Census of India 2011 |publisher=Office of the Registrar General |pages=13–14 |access-date=8 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-2700.XLSX |website=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=16 March 2020}}</ref>
|label1=[[Marathi language|Marathi]] |value1=70.34|color1=red
|label2=[[Hindi]] |value2=10.70|color2=orange
|label3=[[Urdu]] |value3=6.71|color3=green
|label4=[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] |value4=2.06|color4=gold
|label5=[[Khandeshi language|Khandeshi]] |value5=1.44 |label6=[[Lambadi]] |value6=1.36|color6=khaki
|label7=[[Bhili language|Bhili]] |value7=1.08|color7=indianred
|label8=Others |value8=7.72 |color8=grey
|color5=coral}}
According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, Maharashtra is the richest state in India and the [[List of states and union territories of India by population|second-most populous]] state in India with a population of 112,374,333. Contributing to 9.28 per cent of India's population, males and females are 58,243,056 and 54,131,277, respectively.<ref name=contribution>{{cite web |title=Provisional population totals |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_maha.html |publisher=[[Census of India]] |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614013034/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_maha.html |archive-date=14 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The total population growth in 2011 was 15.99 per cent while in the previous decade it was 22.57 per cent.<ref name=statics>{{cite web |title=Population of Maharashtra 2011 census |url=http://www.populationindia.com/2012/03/population-of-maharashtra-2011-census.html |publisher=Press Population |access-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202183158/http://www.populationindia.com/2012/03/population-of-maharashtra-2011-census.html |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=proportion>{{cite web |title=Population proportion in Maharashtra |url=http://www.unicef.org/india/Population_Demographics.pdf |publisher=[[UNICEF]] |access-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228164711/http://www.unicef.org/india/Population_Demographics.pdf |archive-date=28 December 2013}}</ref> Since independence, the decadal growth rate of population has remained higher (except in the year 1971) than the national average. However, in the year 2011, it was found to be lower than the national average.<ref name=proportion /> The 2011 census for the state found 55 per cent of the population to be rural with 45 per cent being urban-based.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census India Info |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND027_Maharashtra.pdf |access-date=28 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021102120/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND027_Maharashtra.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="diaspora">{{cite news |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/up-migrant-lynched-in-mumbai_479435.html |title=Population statistics of state |work=[[Zee News]] |access-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816164149/http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/up-migrant-lynched-in-mumbai_479435.html |archive-date=16 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Although, India hasn't conducted a caste-wise census since Independence, based on the British era census of 1931, it is estimated that the [[Maratha (caste)|Maratha]] and the [[Kunbi|Maratha-kunbi]] numerically form the largest caste cluster with around 32 per cent of the population.<ref>S. M. Dahiwale. “Consolidation of Maratha Dominance in Maharashtra.” Economic and Political Weekly 30, no. 6 (1995): 336–42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4402382.</ref> Maharashtra has a large [[Other Backward Class]] population constituting 41 per cent of the population. The scheduled tribes include ''[[Adivasi]]s'' such as [[Thakar tribe|Thakar]], Warli, [[Katkari people|Konkana]] and [[Halba people|Halba]].<ref name="tribes">{{cite web |url=http://centralclusteruupgs.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/tribals-of-maharashtra/ |title=Tribals of Maharashtra |publisher=Central Cluster UUPGS |access-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221183250/http://centralclusteruupgs.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/tribals-of-maharashtra/ |archive-date=21 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The 2011 census found [[scheduled castes]] and [[scheduled tribes]] to account for 11.8 per cent and 8.9 per cent of the population, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census of India 2011, PCA Maharashtra |url=http://pibmumbai.gov.in/English/PDF/E2013_PR798.PDF |publisher=Director of Census Operations Maharashtra |access-date=28 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616020253/http://pibmumbai.gov.in/English/PDF/E2013_PR798.PDF |archive-date=16 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The state also includes a substantial number of [[Human migration|migrants]] from other states of India.<ref>{{cite news |title=53 per cent of Mumbai's migrants from within Maharashtra – Times of India |url=https://m.timesofindia.com/city/mumbai/53-of-citys-migrants-from-within-the-state/amp_articleshow/70322261.cms |access-date=15 January 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=22 July 2019}}</ref>[[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Gujarat]], and [[Karnataka]] account for the largest percentage of migrants to the Mumbai metropolitan area.<ref>Verma, Monika. “RETURN OF THE POLITICS OF NATIVISM IN MAHARASHTRA.” The Indian Journal of Political Science 72, no. 3 (2011): 747–58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41858848.</ref>
 
According to the 2011 census, [[Hinduism]] was the principal religion in the state at 79.8 per cent of the total population, while [[Islam in India|Muslims]] constituted 11.5 per cent of the total population. [[Buddhism]] accounted for 5.8 per cent of Maharashtra's total population, with 6,531,200 followers, which is 77.36 per cent of all [[Buddhism in India|Buddhists in India]]. [[Sikhism|Sikhs]], [[Christianity|Christians]], and [[Jainism|Jains]] constituted 0.2 per cent, 1.0 per cent, 1.2 per cent of the population respectively.<ref name="census2011" /> Maharashtra, and particularly the city of Mumbai, is home to two tiny religious communities. This includes 5000 [[judaism|jews]], mainly belonging to the [[Bene Israel]], and [[Baghdadi Jews|Baghdadi Jewish]] communities.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Benaim |first1=Rachel Delia |title=For India's Largest Jewish Community, One Muslim Makes All the Tombstones |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/mumbai-tombstone-engraver |access-date=29 April 2022 |magazine=Tablet Magazine |date=23 February 2015}}</ref> [[Parsi]] is the other community who follow [[Zoroastrianism]]. The 2011 census recorded around 44,000 parsis in Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PTI |title=Parsi population dips by 22 per cent between 2001-2011: study |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Parsi-population-dips-by-22-per-cent-between-2001-2011-study/article14508859.ece |access-date=29 April 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=26 July 2016 |language=en-IN}}</ref>
 
The 2011 census reported the human sex ratio is 929 females per 1000 males, which were below the national average of 943. The density of Maharashtra was 365 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup> which was lower than the national average of 382 per km<sup>2</sup>. Since 1921, the populations of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg shrank by −4.96 per cent and −2.30 per cent, respectively, while the population of Thane grew by 35.9 per cent, followed by Pune at 30.3 per cent. The literacy rate is 83.2 per cent, higher than the national rate at 74.04 per cent.<ref name=elite>{{cite news |title=Maharashtra in elite group with 83 per cent literacy |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Maharashtra-in-elite-group-with-83-literacy/articleshow/9278068.cms?referral=PM |access-date=14 March 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Maharashtra-in-elite-group-with-83-literacy/articleshow/9278068.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Of this, male literacy stood at 89.82 per cent and female literacy 75.48 per cent.<ref>{{cite web |title=C-8 Educational Level By Age And Sex For Population Age 7 And Above |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-series/C-08/DDW-2700C-08.xlsx |website=Census of India |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180531202452/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-series/C-08/DDW-2700C-08.xlsx |archive-date=31 May 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Marathi language|Marathi]] is the official language although different regions have their own dialects.<ref name="auto" /><ref name="Marathi">{{cite web |url=http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/libweb/acts/1965.05.PDF |website=[[Bombay High Court]] |title=The Maharashtra Official Languages Act, 1964 |access-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402225839/http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/libweb/acts/1965.05.PDF |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref><ref name=speakers>{{cite news |title=Most spoken language in Maharashtra |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maharashtra-has-38-languages-other-than-Marathi-finds-survey/articleshow/21063263.cms |access-date=27 February 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927044931/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maharashtra-has-38-languages-other-than-Marathi-finds-survey/articleshow/21063263.cms |archive-date=27 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Most people speak regional languages classified as dialects of Marathi in the census. [[Powari language|Powari]], Lodhi, and [[Varhadi dialect|Varhadi]] are spoken in the Vidarbha region, Dangi is spoken near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, [[Bhil languages]] are spoken throughout the northwest part of the state, [[Khandeshi language|Khandeshi]] (locally known as Ahirani) is spoken in Khandesh region. Other notable languages spoken in the state include [[Gondi language|Gondi]], [[Korku language|Korku]], [[Konkani language|Konkani]], and [[Malvani language|Malvani]]. The [[Hindi]] language is mainly predominant in the Mumbai metropolitan area and other urban centers of Pune and Nagpur.[[Urdu]] and its dialect, the [[Deccani language|Dakhni]] are spoken mainly by the Muslim population of the state.<ref>Kazi, N.M., 2013. Measuring Impact of Tourism in India: A Case Study of Aurangabad.</ref> Muslims in Maharashtra as well as other regions of the Deccan consider Dakhni to be their first language nevertheless a majority of them consider themselves as multi-lingual.<ref>Vijayendra, T., Dakhni—People's Language,frontierweekly.com Volume 39, issue 22, [http://www.frontierweekly.com/archive/vol-number/vol/vol-39-2006-07/vol-39-22/dhakni-39-22.pdf]</ref>
 
Estimates released by the Reserve Bank of India for the year 2011–12 revealed that Maharashtra had 19 million people below the poverty line.<ref name="Pverty">{{cite web |title=State-wise Poverty Rate |url=https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=18810 |publisher=[[Reserve Bank of India]] |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref>
 
==Governance and administration==
{{Main|Government of Maharashtra}}
{{See also|Politics of Maharashtra|List of Chief Ministers of Maharashtra}}
[[File:Mantralay of Mumbai, Administrative Headquarters 03.jpg|right|thumb|[[Mantralaya, Mumbai|Mantralaya]] or administrative headquarters of Maharashtra state government in [[South Mumbai]]]]
The state is governed through a [[Westminster system|parliamentary system]] of [[representative democracy]], a feature the state shares with other Indian states. Maharashtra is one of the seven states in India, where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses: the [[Vidhan Sabha]] (Legislative Assembly) and the [[Vidhan Parishad]] (Legislative Council).<ref name="mla's">{{cite web |title=Legislative assembly Maharashtra |url=http://maharashtracongress.com/English/members-of-legislative-assembly-mla/ |website=Congress |publisher=Maharashtra Congress |access-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202174303/http://maharashtracongress.com/English/members-of-legislative-assembly-mla/ |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref> The legislature, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, consists of elected members and special office bearers such as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, who are elected by the members. The [[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]] consists of 288 members who are elected for five-year terms unless the Assembly is dissolved before to the completion of the term. The [[Maharashtra Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] is a permanent body of 78 members with one-third (33 members) retiring every two years. The state contributes 48 seats to the lower house of the Indian Parliament, [[Lok Sabha]], and 19 seats to the upper house of the Indian Parliament, [[Rajya Sabha]].<ref name=members>{{cite web |title=Fifteenth Lok Sabha members |url=http://164.100.47.132/lssnew/Members/statedetail.aspx?state_code=Maharashtra |website=Parliament of India |publisher=Lok Sabha |access-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202145545/http://164.100.47.132/lssnew/Members/statedetail.aspx?state_code=Maharashtra |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref><ref name=list>{{cite web |title=Members of Rajya Sabha |url=http://164.100.47.5/Newmembers/memberstatewise.aspx |website=Parliament of India |publisher=Rajya Sabha |access-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140205185402/http://164.100.47.5/Newmembers/memberstatewise.aspx |archive-date=5 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
The [[government of Maharashtra]] is a democratically elected body in India with the [[List of governors of Maharashtra|Governor]] as its constitutional head and is appointed by the [[President of India]] for a five-year term.<ref name=Governor>{{cite web |title=The Council of Ministers |url=http://jkrajbhawan.nic.in/The%20Governor/powerofgovernor.htm |website=Government of J & K |publisher=J & K Raj Bhavan |access-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929021149/http://jkrajbhawan.nic.in/The%20Governor/powerofgovernor.htm |archive-date=29 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the [[Chief Minister]] by the Governor, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.<ref name="chief minister">{{cite web |title=CM Selection |url=http://eci.nic.in/archive/handbook/CANDIDATES/cap6/cap6_1.htm |website=Election Commission |publisher=Election Commission of India |access-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202224555/http://eci.nic.in/archive/handbook/CANDIDATES/cap6/cap6_1.htm |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The governor remains a ceremonial head of the state, while the Chief Minister and his council are responsible for day-to-day government functions. The [[Thackeray ministry|council of ministers]] consists of Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State (MoS). The Secretariat headed by the Chief Secretary assists the council of ministers. The Chief Secretary is also the administrative head of the government. Each government department is headed by a Minister, who is assisted by an Additional Chief Secretary or a Principal Secretary, who is usually an officer of the [[Indian Administrative Service]], the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary serves as the administrative head of the department they are assigned to. Each department also has officers of the rank of Secretary, Special Secretary, Joint Secretary, etc. assisting the Minister and the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary.
 
For purpose of administration, the state is divided into 6 divisions and 36 [[List of districts of Maharashtra|districts]]. Divisional Commissioner, an IAS officer is the head of administration at the divisional level. The administration in each district is headed by a [[District Magistrate]], who is an IAS officer and is assisted by several officers belonging to state services. Urban areas in the state are governed by [[Municipal Corporations in India|Municipal Corporations]], [[Municipal governance in India|Municipal Councils]], [[Nagar Panchayat (Notified Area Council)|Nagar Panchayats]], and seven [[Cantonment Board]]s.<ref name=proportion /><ref name="divisions">{{cite web |url=https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/mahInfo/state.php |title=State body info |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615064744/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/mahInfo/state.php |archive-date=15 June 2011}}</ref> The [[Maharashtra Police]] is headed by an IPS officer of the rank of [[Director general of police]]. A Superintendent of Police, an IPS officer assisted by the officers of the Maharashtra Police Service, is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues in each district. The Divisional Forest Officer, an officer belonging to the [[Indian Forest Service]], manages the forests, environment, and wildlife of the district, assisted by the officers of Maharashtra Forest Service and Maharashtra Forest Subordinate Service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Office of Chief Conservator of Forests & Deputy Director General, Social Forestry |url=http://aurangabad.nic.in/htmldocs/Website_tender_revised_v2.pdf |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=20 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217145922/http://aurangabad.nic.in/htmldocs/Website_tender_revised_v2.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Maharashtra High Court|The [[Bombay High Court]], one of the oldest high courts in India]]
The judiciary in the state consists of the Maharashtra High Court ([[Bombay High Court|The High Court of Bombay]]), district and session courts in each district and lower courts and judges at the taluka level.<ref name="judiciary">{{cite web |url=http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/history.php# |title=Introduction |publisher=The Bombay High Court |access-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020125511/http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/history.php |archive-date=20 October 2015}}</ref> The High Court has regional branches at [[Nagpur]] and [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]] in Maharashtra and [[Panaji]] which is the capital of Goa.<ref name="bombayhighcourt">{{cite web |url=http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/history.php |title=History of High Court of Bombay |publisher=bombayhighcourt.nic.in |access-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020125511/http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/history.php |archive-date=20 October 2015}}</ref> The state cabinet on 13 May 2015 passed a resolution favouring the setting up of one more bench of the Bombay high court in [[Kolhapur]], covering the region.<ref name="timesofindia">{{cite web |url=http://m.timesofindia.com/city/kolhapur/State-cabinet-nod-to-HC-circuit-bench-in-Kolhapur/articleshow/47257438.cms |title=State cabinet nod to HC circuit bench in Kolhapur – The Times of India |publisher=m.timesofindia.com |access-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010050430/https://m.timesofindia.com/city/kolhapur/State-cabinet-nod-to-HC-circuit-bench-in-Kolhapur/articleshow/47257438.cms |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The President of India appoints the chief justice of the High Court of the Maharashtra judiciary on the advice of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of India as well as the Governor of Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite web |title=The High Court of Bombay |url=http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/history.php |publisher=High Court of Bombay |access-date=20 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020125511/http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/history.php |archive-date=20 October 2015}}</ref> Other judges are appointed by the chief justice of the high court of the judiciary on the advice of the Chief Justice.<ref name=jdistrict /> Subordinate Judicial Service is another vital part of the judiciary of Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite news |title=State supports all-India judicial service proposal |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/state-supports-allindia-judicial-service-proposal-cm/1102252/ |access-date=20 September 2014 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |agency=[[Indian Express Group]] |date=14 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527022940/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/state-supports-allindia-judicial-service-proposal-cm/1102252/ |archive-date=27 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The subordinate judiciary or the district courts are categorised into two divisions: the Maharashtra civil judicial services and higher judicial service.<ref name=Introduction>{{cite web |title=Introduction to Maharashtra Judiciary |url=http://court.mah.nic.in/courtweb/static_pages/page1.php |publisher=Maharashtra Judicial Academy |access-date=5 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806015534/http://court.mah.nic.in/courtweb/static_pages/page1.php |archive-date=6 August 2014}}</ref> While the Maharashtra civil judicial services comprises the Civil Judges (Junior Division)/Judicial Magistrates and civil judges (Senior Division)/Chief Judicial Magistrate, the higher judicial service comprises civil and sessions judges.<ref name=activities>{{cite web |title=District Courts, Maharashtra |url=http://court.mah.nic.in/courtweb/static_pages/middle1.php |publisher=Maharashtra Judiciary |access-date=5 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816185545/http://court.mah.nic.in/courtweb/static_pages/middle1.php |archive-date=16 August 2014}}</ref> The Subordinate judicial service of the judiciary is controlled by the District Judge.<ref name=jdistrict>{{cite web |title=Governing Council |url=http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/mja/left/govern.html |publisher=High Court of Bombay |access-date=5 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122070903/http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/mja/left/govern.html |archive-date=22 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Judicial Academy |url=http://www.csi-sigegov.org/egovernance_pdf/20_168-172.pdf |website=csi-sigegov.org/ |publisher=Computer Society of India |access-date=5 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054311/http://www.csi-sigegov.org/egovernance_pdf/20_168-172.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
===Politics===
{{See also|Politics of Maharashtra|List of Chief Ministers of Maharashtra}}
The politics of the state in the first decades after its formation in 1960 was dominated by the [[Indian National Congress]] party or its offshoots such as the [[Nationalist Congress Party]]. At present, it has been dominated by four political parties, the [[Indian National Congress]], the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], the [[Nationalist Congress Party]], and the [[Shivsena]].
 
In the early years, the politics of Maharashtra was dominated by Congress party figures such as [[Yashwantrao Chavan]], [[Vasantdada Patil]], [[Vasantrao Naik]], and [[Shankarrao Chavan]]. [[Sharad Pawar]], who started his political career in the Congress party, has been a towering personality in state and national politics for over forty years. During his career, he has split the Congress twice with significant consequences for the state politics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Steven |s2cid=154957863 |title=Elections in India: Behind the Congress Comeback |journal=Journal of Democracy |date=January 2005 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=153–167 |doi=10.1353/jod.2005.0018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kamat |first1=A.R. |title=Politico-economic developments in Maharashtra: a review of the post-independence period |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=October 1980 |volume=15 |issue=40 |pages=1669–1678 |jstor=4369147}}</ref> The Congress party enjoyed a near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until 1995 when the [[Shiv Sena]] and the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a coalition government.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Palshikar |first1=S. |last2=Birmal |first2=N. |title=Maharashtra: Towards a New Party System |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=18 December 2004 |volume=39 |issue=51 |pages=5467–5472 |jstor=4415934}}</ref> After his second parting from the Congress party in 1999, [[Sharad Pawar]] founded the [[Nationalist Congress Party|NCP]] but then formed a coalition with the Congress to keep out the BJP-Shiv Sena combine out of the Maharashtra state government for fifteen years until September 2014. [[Prithviraj Chavan]] of the Congress party was the last [[Chief Minister]] of Maharashtra under the Congress / NCP alliance.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.firstpost.com/politics/clean-yet-invisible-prithviraj-chavan-quits-as-maharashtra-cm-did-anyone-notice-1732223.html |title=Clean yet invisible: Prithviraj Chavan quits as CM, did anyone notice? |work=[[Firstpost]] |date=27 September 2014 |access-date=29 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930005937/http://www.firstpost.com/politics/clean-yet-invisible-prithviraj-chavan-quits-as-maharashtra-cm-did-anyone-notice-1732223.html |archive-date=30 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/prithviraj-chavan-rivals-narayan-rane-maharashtra-assembly-polls/1/377333.html |title=Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan's rivals get key posts for Assembly polls |work=[[India Today]] |date=16 August 2014 |access-date=29 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927103024/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/prithviraj-chavan-rivals-narayan-rane-maharashtra-assembly-polls/1/377333.html |archive-date=27 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Ne280412Coverstory.asp |title=Right man in the wrong polity |work=[[Tehelka]] |date=28 April 2012 |access-date=29 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006113537/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Ne280412Coverstory.asp |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> For the [[2014 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election|2014 assembly polls]], the two alliances between NCP and Congress and that between BJP and Shiv Sena respectively broke down over seat allocations. In the election, the largest number of seats went to the Bharatiya Janata Party, with 122 seats. The BJP initially formed a minority government under [[Devendra Fadnavis]]. The Shiv Sena entered the Government after two months and provided a comfortable majority for the alliance in the [[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly|Maharashtra Vidhansabha]] for the duration of the assembly.<ref>{{cite news |title=BJP, Shiv Sena announce alliance in Maharashtra |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bjp-shiv-sena-alliance-in-maharashtra-devendra-fadnavis-uddhav-thackeray/1/405098.html |publisher=IndiaToday.in Mumbai |date=4 December 2014 |access-date=7 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509012027/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bjp-shiv-sena-alliance-in-maharashtra-devendra-fadnavis-uddhav-thackeray/1/405098.html |archive-date=9 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 Lok Sabha elections]], the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance secured 41 seats out of 48 from the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.esakal.com/loksabha-2019/result |title=#LokSabhaElection |access-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608010227/https://www.esakal.com/loksabha-2019/result |archive-date=8 June 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Later in 2019, the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance fought the assembly elections together but the alliance broke down after the election over the post of the chief minister. [[Uddhav Thackeray]] of Shiv Sena then formed an alternative governing coalition under his leadership with his erstwhile opponents from NCP, INC, and several independent members of the legislative assembly.<ref>{{cite news |title=Political drama has gripped the home state of Bollywood |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/11/29/political-drama-has-gripped-the-home-state-of-bollywood |access-date=30 November 2019 |issue=30 November 2019 |publisher=The Economist}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Maharashtra: With 169 votes, Uddhav-led govt sails through Assembly floor test, BJP stages walkout |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra-assembly-floor-test-uddhav-thackeray-fadnavis-bjp-shiv-sena-ncp-congressmaharashtra-uddhav-led-mahavikasaghadi-govt-wins-trust-vote-bjp-stages-walkout-6144236/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |work=Indian Express |issue=30 November 2019 |publisher=Indian Express newspapers}}</ref> On 28 November 2019, Thackeray took oath as 19th [[Chief minister of Maharashtra]] after being elected as the president of the newly formed coalition named [[Maha Vikas Aghadi]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/maharashtra-government-formation-news-live-uddhav-thackeray-swearing-in-as-cm/liveblog/72270170.cms |title=Udhav Thackeray swearing in as CM |website=Times of India |access-date=28 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="IE28Nov">{{cite news |title=Maharashtra swearing-in HIGHLIGHTS: Farmers first; Uddhav sets priority after first cabinet meet |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra-live-updates-uddhav-thackeray-swearing-in-shiv-sena-ncp-congress-bjp-6140471/ |access-date=29 November 2019 |work=The Indian Express |date=28 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="FP29Nov">{{cite news |title=Uddhav Thackeray sworn in as 19th CM of Maharashtra: First of family to hold this office, 59-yr-old gets kudos from Modi, Sonia Gandhi |url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/uddhav-thackeray-sworn-in-as-19th-cm-of-maharashtra-first-of-family-to-hold-this-office-59-yr-old-gets-kudos-from-modi-sonia-gandhi-7714171.html |access-date=29 November 2019 |work=Firstpost |date=29 November 2019}}</ref>
 
Just like in other states in India, dynastic politics is fairly common also among political parties in Maharashtra.<ref name="Denyer2014">{{cite book |author=Simon Denyer |title=Rogue Elephant: Harnessing the Power of India's Unruly Democracy |url=https://archive.org/details/rogueelephanthar0000deny |url-access=registration |date=24 June 2014 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA |isbn=978-1-62040-608-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/rogueelephanthar0000deny/page/115 115]–116}}</ref> The dynastic phenomenon is seen from the national level down to the district level and even village level. The three-tier structure of Panchayati Raj created in the state in the 1960s also helped to create and consolidate this phenomenon in rural areas. Apart from controlling the government, political families also control cooperative institutions, mainly [[Cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra|cooperative sugar factories]] and district [[Cooperative movement in India|cooperative banks]] in the state.<ref>Palshikar, S., 2004. Issues in an Issue-less Election: Assembly Polls in Maharashtra. Economic and Political weekly, pp.4399-4403.</ref> Although the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] also features several senior leaders who are dynasts, the phenomenon of dynasticism is at a lower level in the BJP than the Congress party.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scroll.in/article/918234/is-the-bjp-less-dynastic-than-the-congress-not-so-lok-sabha-data-shows |title=Is the BJP less dynastic than the Congress? Not so, Lok Sabha data shows}}</ref><ref name="Chandra2016">{{cite book |author=Kanchan Chandra |title=Democratic Dynasties: State, Party, and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VwbFDAAAQBAJ&pg=PR10 |date=28 April 2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-316-59212-0 |pages=131, 136}}</ref> In Maharashtra, the [[Nationalist Congress Party|NCP]] has a particularly high level of dynasticism.<ref name="Chandra2016"/>
 
Although long known for its smooth state functioning, Maharashtra has witnessed a recent tussle between the Maharashtra government and the [[Government of India|centre-appointed]] Governor, which has kicked up a series of controversies.<ref name="Tussle">{{cite news |last1=Malik |first1=Faisal |title=Tussle between Guv, MVA on for 27 months |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/tussle-between-guv-mva-on-for-27-months-101646501924919.html |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |agency=HT Media Ltd |date=5 March 2022}}</ref>
 
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Maharashtra}}
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:260px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; background:#f4f5f6; border:#c6c7c8 solid; font-size:90%;"
|colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"|'''Net State Domestic Product at Factor Cost at Current Prices (2004–05 Base)<ref name=rbinsdpstat>{{cite web |url=http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=13592 |title=Net state domestic product at factor cost—state-wise (at current prices) |date=15 September 2011 |access-date=7 February 2012 |website=Handbook of statistics on Indian economy |publisher=[[Reserve Bank of India]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309001542/http://rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=13592 |archive-date=9 March 2012}}</ref>'''
 
figures in [[crore]]s of [[Indian rupee]]s
|-
! Year ||Net State Domestic Product
|-
|2004–2005 ||{{INRConvert|3.683|t}}
|-
|2005–2006 ||{{INRConvert|4.335|t}}
|-
|2006–2007 ||{{INRConvert|5.241|t}}
|-
|2007–2008||{{INRConvert|6.140|t}}
|-
|2008–2009 ||{{INRConvert|6.996|t}}
|-
|2009–2010 ||{{INRConvert|8.178|t}}
|-
|2013–2014 ||{{INRConvert|15.101|t}}
|-
|2014–2015 ||{{INRConvert|16.866|t}}
|}
The economy of Maharashtra is driven by manufacturing, international trade, [[Mass Media]] (television, motion pictures, video games, recorded music), aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism.<ref name="India2007">{{cite book |author=Planning Commission of the Government of India |title=Maharashtra, Development Report |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ohvu8D3LbgC&pg=PA55 |year=2007 |publisher=Academic Foundation |isbn=978-81-7188-540-4 |pages=55–56 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ohvu8D3LbgC&pg=PA55 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Maharashtra is the most industrialised state and has maintained the leading position in the industrial sector in India.<ref name=strategies>{{cite web |title=Assessing climate change vulnerability and adaptation strategies for Maharashtra State |url=http://www.ccmaharashtra.org/ |website=Department of Environment |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=1 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301221352/http://www.ccmaharashtra.org/ |archive-date=1 March 2014}}</ref> The State is a pioneer in small scale industries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Overview of MSSIDC |url=http://www.mssidc.org/about-mssidc.aspx |publisher=The Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Ltd. |access-date=7 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140907102212/http://www.mssidc.org/about-mssidc.aspx |archive-date=7 September 2014}}</ref> Mumbai, the capital of the state and the [[financial capital]] of India, houses the headquarters of most of the major corporate and financial institutions. India's main [[Bombay Stock Exchange|stock exchanges]] and capital market and commodity exchanges are located in Mumbai. The state continues to attract industrial investments from domestic as well as foreign institutions. Maharashtra has the largest proportion of [[taxpayers]] in India and its share markets transact almost 70 per cent of the country's stocks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pachouly |first1=Manish |title=Taxpayers in Maharashtra |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai/more-than-12-77-lakh-taxpayers-filed-e-returns-in-maharashtra/article1-731073.aspx |access-date=7 September 2014 |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |agency=[[HT Media Ltd]] |date=9 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907192947/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai/more-than-12-77-lakh-taxpayers-filed-e-returns-in-maharashtra/article1-731073.aspx |archive-date=7 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
The [[Service sector]] dominates the economy of Maharashtra, accounting for 61.4 per cent of the value addition and 69.3 per cent of the value of output in the state.<ref name=service>{{cite web |title=Service sector synopsis on Maharashtra |url=http://www.dipp.gov.in/English/Publications/SIA_NewsLetter/AnnualReport2011/Chapter6.3.i.pdf |website=RBI's Regional Office – Mumbai |publisher=[[Reserve Bank of India]] |access-date=1 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201201044/http://www.dipp.gov.in/English/Publications/SIA_NewsLetter/AnnualReport2011/Chapter6.3.i.pdf |archive-date=1 February 2014}}</ref> The state's per-capita income in 2014 was 40 per cent higher than the all-India average in the same year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Economic Survey |url=http://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/files/publication/esm_2012-13_eng.pdf |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=7 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903032111/http://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/files/publication/esm_2012-13_eng.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The gross state domestic product (GSDP) at current prices for 2021-22 is estimated at $420 billion&nbsp;and contributes about 14.2 per cent of the GDP. The agriculture and allied activities sector contributes 13.2 per cent to the state's income.&nbsp;In 2012, Maharashtra reported a revenue surplus of {{INR}}1524.9&nbsp;million (US$24&nbsp;million), with total revenue of {{INR}}1,367,117&nbsp;million (US$22&nbsp;billion) and spending of {{INR}}1,365,592.1&nbsp;million (US$22&nbsp;billion).<ref name=service /> &nbsp;Maharashtra is the largest FDI destination of India. The FDI inflows in the State since April 2000 to September 2021 was ₹9,59,746 crore, which was 28.2 per cent of total FDI inflows at All-India level. With a total of 11,308 startups, Maharashtra has the highest number of recognised startups.
[[File:Mumbai Skyline at Night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|left|Mumbai is a major contributor to the economy of Maharashtra]]
Maharashtra contributes 25 per cent of the country's industrial output<ref name="wealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-top-25-states-with-highest-gdp/20120223.htm |title=India's top 25 states with highest GDP |work=Rediff.com |access-date=28 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212053319/http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-top-25-states-with-highest-gdp/20120223.htm |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> and is the most indebted state in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=16305 |title=Statement 19: Total Outstanding Liabilities of State Governments (As at end-March) |publisher=[[Reserve Bank of India]] |date=12 May 2015 |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125091130/https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=16305 |archive-date=25 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/maharashtra-most-indebted-tamil-nadu-gathering-debt-fastest/story-Rr60ryvjugtCD0kfLgraPJ.html |title=Maharashtra most indebted, Tamil Nadu gathering debt fastest |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=25 November 2015 |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125091122/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/maharashtra-most-indebted-tamil-nadu-gathering-debt-fastest/story-Rr60ryvjugtCD0kfLgraPJ.html |archive-date=25 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Industrial activity in state is concentrated in Seven districts: [[Mumbai City district|Mumbai City]], [[Mumbai Suburban district|Mumbai Suburban]], [[Thane district|Thane]], [[Aurangabad District, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]], [[Pune district|Pune]], [[Nagpur district|Nagpur]], and [[Nashik district|Nashik]].<ref name=investment /> Mumbai has the largest share in GSDP(19.5 per cent), both Thane and Pune districts contribute about same in the Industry sector, Pune district contributes more in the agriculture and allied activities sector, whereas Thane district contributes more in the Services sector.<ref name=investment /> Nashik district shares highest in the agricultural and allied activities sector, but is far behind in the Industry and Services sectors as compared to Thane and Pune districts.<ref name=investment>{{cite web |title=Industrial investments in Maharashtra |url=http://delhimumbaiindustrialcorridor.com/industrial-investments-in-maharashtra.php |publisher=Delhi Mumbai industrial corridor portal |access-date=13 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222220533/http://delhimumbaiindustrialcorridor.com/industrial-investments-in-maharashtra.php |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Industries in Maharashtra include chemical and chemical products (17.6 per cent), food and food products (16.1 per cent), refined petroleum products (12.9 per cent), machinery and equipment (8 per cent), textiles (6.9 per cent), basic metals (5.8 per cent), motor vehicles (4.7 per cent) and furniture (4.3 per cent).<ref name="Service sector">{{cite web |title=Maharashtra service sector |url=http://www.maharashtra.ws/business_subsectors.php?sc=SVC&cid=15&sid=259 |publisher=Maharashtra Business and Service Directory |access-date=1 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202130733/http://www.maharashtra.ws/business_subsectors.php?sc=SVC&cid=15&sid=259 |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref> Maharashtra is the manufacturing hub for some of the largest public sector industries in India, including [[Hindustan Petroleum Corporation]], [[Tata Group|Tata Petrodyne]] and [[Oil India Ltd]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Sector Undertakings |url=http://www.maharashtrastat.com/industries/18/publicsectorundertakings/235/stats.aspx |publisher=Planning Commission |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102063107/http://www.maharashtrastat.com/industries/18/publicsectorundertakings/235/stats.aspx |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
Maharashtra has an above-average [[knowledge industry]] in India with the [[Pune]] Metropolitan area being the leading IT hub in the state. Approximately 25 per cent of the top 500 companies in the IT sector are based in Maharashtra.<ref name=IT>{{cite web |title=Report on IT Sector in Maharashtra. Amol Lakhamle was Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an apex organization for curricular reforms in India |url=https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/PDF/itpolicy.pdf |publisher=Industry Department |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611070933/https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/PDF/itpolicy.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The state accounts for 28 per cent of the software exports of India.<ref name=IT /> The state houses important financial institutions such as the [[Reserve Bank of India]], the Bombay Stock Exchange, the [[National Stock Exchange of India]], the [[Securities and Exchange Board of India|SEBI]] and the corporate [[List of Indian companies headquartered in Mumbai|headquarters]] of numerous [[List of Indian companies|Indian companies]] and [[multinational corporations]]. It is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes like [[Bhabha Atomic Research Centre|BARC]], [[Nuclear Power Corporation of India|NPCL]], [[Indian Rare Earths Limited|IREL]], [[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research|TIFR]], [[Atomic Energy Regulatory Board|AERB]], [[Atomic Energy Commission of India|AECI]], and the [[Department of Atomic Energy (India)|Department of Atomic Energy]].<ref name=investment />
 
[[File:Organic sugar cane.JPG|thumb|right|alt=refer caption|Freshly grown [[sugarcane]], agriculture is the second leading occupation in Maharashtra]]
With more than half the population being rural, agriculture and allied industries play an important role in the states's economy and source of income for the rural population.<ref name="Kalamkar2011">{{cite book |author=S.S. Kalamkar |title=Agricultural Growth and Productivity in Maharashtra: Trends and Determinants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzHrY4GhHlIC&pg=PR5 |date=14 September 2011 |publisher=Allied Publishers |isbn=978-81-8424-692-6 |pages=18, 39, 64, 73}}</ref> The agriculture and allied activities sector contributes 12.9 per cent to the state's income. Staples such as [[rice]] and [[millet]] are the main [[monsoon]] crops. Important [[cash crop]]s include [[sugarcane]], [[cotton]], oilseeds, tobacco, fruit, vegetables, and spices such as [[turmeric]].<ref name=farmer /> Animal husbandry is an important agriculture-related activity. The State's share in the livestock and poultry population in India is about 7 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Maharashtra was a pioneer in the development of [[Agricultural Cooperative]] Societies after independence. It was an integral part of the then Governing [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] party's vision of ‘rural development with local initiative’. A ‘special’ status was accorded to the [[sugar]] cooperatives and the government assumed the role of a mentor by acting as a stakeholder, guarantor, and regulator,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lalvani |first1=Mala |s2cid=154425894 |title=Sugar Co-operatives in Maharashtra: A Political Economy Perspective |journal=The Journal of Development Studies |date=2008 |volume=44 |issue=10 |doi=10.1080/00220380802265108 |pages=1474–1505 |url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/04f3990ab2dd9015b33859caed3cc29ca3427119}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Patil |first=Anil |url=http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jul/09sugar.htm |title=Sugar cooperatives on death bed in Maharashtra |publisher=Rediff India |date=9 July 2007 |access-date=27 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828234602/http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jul/09sugar.htm |archive-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="helsinki">{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinki.fi/iehc2006/papers2/Das72.pdf |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=XIV International Economic History Congress, Helsinki 2006, Session 72 |title=Problems and Prospects of the Cooperative Movement in India Under the Globalization Regime |author1=Banishree Das |author2=Nirod Kumar Palai |author3=Kumar Das|name-list-style=amp |access-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051908/http://www.helsinki.fi/iehc2006/papers2/Das72.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Apart from sugar, Cooperatives play a crucial role in dairy,<ref>{{cite web |title=Mahanand Dairy |url=http://www.mahanand.in/Index.aspx?mid=1 |access-date=28 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124105202/http://mahanand.in/Index.aspx?mid=1 |archive-date=24 November 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> cotton, and fertiliser industries.
 
The banking sector comprises [[Scheduled banks|scheduled]] and non-scheduled banks.<ref name=IT /> Scheduled banks are of two types, commercial and cooperative. Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) in India are classified into five types: [[State Bank of India]] and its associates, nationalised banks, [[Private-sector banks in India|private sector banks]], [[Regional Rural Bank]]s, and others (foreign banks). In 2012, there were 9,053 banking offices in the state, of which about 26 per cent were in rural and 54 per cent were in urban areas. Maharashtra has a [[microfinance]] system, which refers to small-scale financial services extended to the poor in both rural and urban areas. It covers a variety of financial instruments, such as lending, savings, life insurance, and crop insurance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Microfinance, Self-Help Groups and Empowerment in Maharashtra |url=http://ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/shg-maharashtra.pdf |publisher=National Commission for Women, New Delhi |access-date=7 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629050237/http://ncw.nic.in/pdfReports/SHG-Maharashtra.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Three largest urban [[cooperative banking|cooperative banks]] in India are all based in Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/top-urban-co-op-banks-set-to-expand-area-of-operations/article20253050.ece1 |title=Top urban co-op banks set to expand area of operations}}</ref>
 
==Transport==
{{Main|Transport in Maharashtra}}
{{See also|List of airports in Maharashtra}}
[[File:Nashik Mumbai NH3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mumbai–Nashik Expressway]] |alt=Landscaped four-lane road over rolling terrain]]
{{Multiple image|align=right|direction=vertical|width=220|header=|footer=|header_align=left/right/center|footer_align=left/right/center|header_background=|footer_background=|image1=Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|width1=|alt1=|caption1=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]] (Mumbai) |image4=Jawaharlal Nehru Trust Port.jpg|width4=|alt4=|caption4=A container ship at [[Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust]] |image2=|width2=|alt2=|caption2=|image3=}}
The state has a large, multi-modal transportation system with the largest road network in India.<ref>{{cite web |title=Multimodal transportation system in state |url=https://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/multimodal-corridor-from-virar-to-alibaug |publisher=[[Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority]] |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903151114/https://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/multimodal-corridor-from-virar-to-alibaug |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, the total length of surface road in Maharashtra was 267,452&nbsp;km;<ref name=Highwaylength>{{cite web |title=Public Private Partnerships in India |url=http://pppinindia.com/infrastructure-maharashtra.php |website=pppinindia.com/ |publisher=[[Ministry of Finance (India)|Ministry of Finance]] |access-date=29 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830113346/http://www.pppinindia.com/infrastructure-maharashtra.php |archive-date=30 August 2014}}</ref> national highways comprised 4,176&nbsp;km,<ref>{{cite web |title=List of State-wise National Highways in India |url=http://knowindia.gov.in/knowindia/general_info.php?id=15 |website=knowindia.gov.in/ |publisher=[[Government of India]] |access-date=29 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905021156/http://knowindia.gov.in/knowindia/general_info.php?id=15 |archive-date=5 September 2014}}</ref> and state highways 3,700&nbsp;km.<ref name=Highwaylength /> The [[Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation]] (MSRTC) provides economical and reliable passenger road transport service in the public sector.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation |url=http://www.msrtc.gov.in/msrtc/history.html |website=msrtc.gov.in/ |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=29 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903042657/http://www.msrtc.gov.in/msrtc/history.html |archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref> These buses, popularly called ST (State Transport), are the preferred mode of transport for much of the populace. Hired forms of transport include metered taxis and [[auto rickshaws|auto-rickshaws]], which often ply specific routes in cities. Other district roads and village roads provide villages, accessibility to meet their social needs as well as the means to transport agricultural produce from villages to nearby markets. Major district roads provide a secondary function of linking between main roads and rural roads. Approximately 98 per cent of villages are connected either via the highways or modern roads in Maharashtra. Average speed on state highways varies between 50 and 60&nbsp;km/h (31–37&nbsp;mi/h) due to the heavy presence of vehicles; in villages and towns, speeds are as low as 25–30&nbsp;km/h (15–18&nbsp;mi/h).<ref>{{cite web |title=Village speed limit in maharashtra |url=http://www.rediff.com/money/report/speed/20070329.htm |website=rediff.com/ |publisher=Rediff News |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903114901/http://www.rediff.com/money/report/speed/20070329.htm |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The first passenger train in India ran from Mumbai to Thane on 16 April 1853.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Raghunathan, V. |author2=Prasad, V. |title=Beyond the Call of Duty |chapter=The Birth of the East India Railway |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzQsCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT105 |isbn=9789351772651 |date=1 July 2015}}</ref>
Rail transportation is run by the [[Central Railway Zone (India)|Central Railway]], [[Western Railway Zone (India)|Western Railway]], [[South Central Railway Zone|South Central Railway]], and [[South East Central Railway zone|South East Central Railway]] zones of the [[Indian Railways]] with the first two zones being headquartered in [[Mumbai]], at [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus|Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus]] (CSMT) and [[Churchgate]] respectively. [[Konkan Railway]] is headquartered in [[Navi Mumbai]].<ref name=western>{{cite web |title=Western Railway in its present form |url=http://www.wr.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,283 |website=Indian Railways |publisher=[[Western Railway zone|Western Railway]] |access-date=13 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213185804/http://www.wr.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,283 |archive-date=13 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=central>{{cite web |title=Central Railway's Head Quarter |url=http://www.cr.indianrailways.gov.in/cris/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,6,287 |publisher=[[Central Railway (India)|Central Railway]] |access-date=13 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222234920/http://www.cr.indianrailways.gov.in/cris/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,6,287 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Mumbai Rajdhani Express]], the fastest [[Rajdhani Express|Rajdhani]] train, connects the Indian capital of [[New Delhi]] to [[Mumbai]].<ref name=rajdhani>{{cite news |title=Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani Express |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbai-New-Delhi-Rajdhani-Express-turns-40/articleshow/13308876.cms?referral=PM |access-date=1 February 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=20 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303054341/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbai-New-Delhi-Rajdhani-Express-turns-40/articleshow/13308876.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=3 March 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Thane railway station|Thane]] and [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus|CSMT]] are the busiest railway stations in India,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Thane-is-busiest-railway-station-in-Mumbai/articleshow/20129363.cms |title=Thane is busiest railway station in Mumbai – Times of India |website=indiatimes.com |access-date=13 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031152836/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Thane-is-busiest-railway-station-in-Mumbai/articleshow/20129363.cms |archive-date=31 October 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> the latter serving as a terminal for both long-distance trains and commuter trains of the Mumbai Suburban Railway.
 
The two principal seaports, [[Mumbai Port Trust|Mumbai Port]] and [[Jawaharlal Nehru Port]], which is also in the Mumbai region, are under the control and supervision of the government of India.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of ports in Maharashtra |url=http://www.mahammb.com/regional-port-offices.htm |website=Regional Port Offices |publisher=Maharashtra Maritime Board |access-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203004608/http://www.mahammb.com/regional-port-offices.htm |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are around 48 minor ports in Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sea ports of Maharashtra |url=http://www.oocities.org/ggavaska/seaports.html |publisher=Geo cities organisation |access-date=13 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222132738/http://www.oocities.org/ggavaska/seaports.html |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Most of these handle passenger traffic and have a limited capacity. None of the major rivers in Maharashtra are navigable and so river transport does not exist in the state.
 
[[Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport]] (formerly Bombay International Airport), is the state's largest airport. The two other international airports are [[Pune International Airport]] and [[Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport]] at [[Nagpur]]. [[Aurangabad Airport]], [[Kolhapur Airport]], [[Jalgaon Airport]], and [[Nanded Airport]] are domestic airports in the state. Most of the State's airfields are operated by the [[Airports Authority of India]] (AAI) while [[Reliance Infrastructure#Reliance Airport Project|Reliance Airport Developers (RADPL)]], currently operates five non-metro airports at [[Latur Airport|Latur]], [[Nanded Airport|Nanded]], [[Baramati Airport|Baramati]], [[Osmanabad Airport|Osmanabad]] and [[Yavatmal airport|Yavatmal]] on a 95-year lease.<ref name="TOI">{{cite news |title=Reliance Airport gets five projects on lease |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Reliance-Airport-gets-five-projects-on-lease/articleshow/4861274.cms?referral=PM |work=The Times of India |date=6 August 2009 |access-date=19 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130212553/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Reliance-Airport-gets-five-projects-on-lease/articleshow/4861274.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=30 January 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Maharashtra Airport Development Company]] (MADC) was set up in 2002 to take up development of airports in the state that are not under the AAI or the [[Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation]] (MIDC). MADC is playing the lead role in the planning and implementation of the [[Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur]] (MIHAN) project.<ref name="MADC">{{cite web |url=http://www.madcindia.org/projects.html |title=MIDC projects |publisher=[[Maharashtra Airport Development Company]] |access-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226054653/http://www.madcindia.org/projects.html |archive-date=26 February 2012}}</ref> Additional smaller airports include [[Akola Airport|Akola]], [[Amravati Airport|Amravati]], [[Chandrapur Airport|Chandrapur]], [[Ratnagiri Airport|Ratnagiri]], and [[Solapur Airport|Solapur]].<ref name=smaller>{{cite web |title=Statewise airfield list |url=http://cad.gujarat.gov.in/maharashtra-airfiled.htm |website=cad.gujarat.gov.in/ |publisher=Director Civil Aviation, Government of Gujarat |access-date=5 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208124543/http://cad.gujarat.gov.in/maharashtra-airfiled.htm |archive-date=8 February 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited]] (Maha Metro), headquartered in Nagpur is a [[Joint Venture]] establishment of [[Government of India]] & [[Government of Maharashtra]] headquartered in [[Nagpur]], India. Maha Metro is responsible for the implementation of all Maharashtra state metro projects, except the [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]]. [[Mumbai Metro]] is operational since 8 June 2014.
 
==Education==
{{See also|Education in Maharashtra|List of higher education institutions in Maharashtra}}
[[File:Students of a Maharashtra Primary School (9601442866).jpg|right|thumb|Students at a state-run primary school in [[Raigad district]].]]
 
The state has been known for its pioneering role in the development of the modern education system in India. Most of the private colleges including religious and special-purpose institutions were set up in the last thirty years after the State Government of [[Vasantdada Patil]] liberalised the Education Sector in 1982.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhosale |first1=Jayashree |title=Economic Times: Despite private participation Education lacks quality in Maharashtra |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2007-11-10/news/27682218_1_educational-institutes-education-barons-professional-education |access-date=6 October 2014 |date=10 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010054204/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2007-11-10/news/27682218_1_educational-institutes-education-barons-professional-education |archive-date=10 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Under the [[10+2+3 plan]], after completing secondary school, students typically enroll for two years in a [[junior college]], also known as pre-university, or in schools with a higher secondary facility affiliated with the [[Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education]] or any central board. Students choose from one of three streams, namely [[liberal arts]], commerce, or science. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enroll in general or professional degree programs. Schools in the state are either managed by the government or by private trusts, including religious institutions. The medium of instruction in most of the schools is mainly Marathi, English, or Hindi, though [[Urdu]] is also used. The secondary schools are affiliated with the [[Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations]] (CISCE), the [[Central Board of Secondary Education|Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE)]], the [[National Institute of Open Schooling|National Institute of Open School (NIOS)]], and the [[Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education]].
 
[[File:Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute Mumbai.jpg|thumb|left|Founded in 1887, [[Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute]] (VJTI) is one of the oldest engineering colleges in Asia]]
[[File:AFMC Main Building.jpg|thumb|Situated in Pune, [[Armed Forces Medical College, Pune]] was established in 1948 after the Indian independence.|right]]
Maharashtra has 24 universities with a turnout of 160,000 Graduates every year.<ref name="educational institute">{{cite web |title=State University |url=http://www.ugc.ac.in/stateuniversitylist.aspx?id=21&Unitype=2 |publisher=University Grants Commission |access-date=13 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422051850/http://www.ugc.ac.in/stateuniversitylist.aspx?id=21&Unitype=2 |archive-date=22 April 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=universities>{{cite web |title=Universities of Maharashtra |url=http://www.educationinfoindia.com/maharashtradir.htm |publisher=Education information of India |access-date=13 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915133355/http://www.educationinfoindia.com/maharashtradir.htm |archive-date=15 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Established during the rule of [[East India Company rule|East India company]] in 1857 as Bombay University, The [[University of Mumbai]], is the largest university in the world in terms of the number of graduates.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Swami |first=V.N. |title=विद्याभरती जिल्हा मध्यवर्ती सहकारी बँक भारती परीक्षा मार्गदर्शक |publisher=Vidyabharti Publication |year=2020 |location=[[Latur]], India |page=65 |language=mr}}</ref> It has 141 affiliated colleges.<ref name=colleges>{{cite web |title=Mumbai University Affiliated Colleges |url=http://www.mu.ac.in/colleges.html |publisher=University of Mumbai |access-date=13 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509004327/http://www.mu.ac.in/colleges.html |archive-date=9 May 2014}}</ref> According to a report published by The Times Education magazine, 5 to 7 Maharashtra colleges and universities are ranked among the top 20 in India.<ref name="top colleges">{{cite news |title=10 Indian universities in developing nations top 100 list |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/10-Indian-universities-in-developing-nations-top-100-list/articleshow/26916987.cms |access-date=17 May 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=5 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211201523/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/10-Indian-universities-in-developing-nations-top-100-list/articleshow/26916987.cms |archive-date=11 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=India's Best Universities for 2013 |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/bestcolleges/2013/ranks.jsp?ST=Commerce&LMT=5&Y=2013 |access-date=17 May 2014 |newspaper=[[India Today]] |date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518020839/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/bestcolleges/2013/ranks.jsp?ST=Commerce&LMT=5&Y=2013 |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Top colleges in state |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/bestcolleges/2013/ranks.jsp?ST=Commerce&LMT=8&Y=2013 |website=[[India Today]] |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518013312/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/bestcolleges/2013/ranks.jsp?ST=Commerce&LMT=8&Y=2013 |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Maharashtra is also home to notable autonomous institutes as [[Indian Institute of Technology Bombay]], [[College of Engineering Pune]] (CoEP), [[Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University]], [[Institute of Chemical Technology]], [[Homi Bhabha National Institute]], [[Walchand College of Engineering]], [[Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology]] (VNIT) and [[Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute]] (VJTI), [[Sardar Patel College of Engineering]] (SPCE).<ref name="autonomous colleges">{{cite web |title=List of autonomous institutes in Maharashtra |url=http://www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/colleges/374autocolleges_april11.pdf |publisher=University Grants Commission |access-date=13 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102205937/http://www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/colleges/374autocolleges_april11.pdf |archive-date=2 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Most of these autonomous institutes are ranked the highest in India and have very competitive entry requirements. The [[University of Pune]] (now [[Savitribai Phule Pune University]]), the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]], [[Film and Television Institute of India]], [[Armed Forces Medical College, Pune|Armed Forces Medical College]], and [[National Chemical Laboratory]] were established in Pune soon after the Indian independence in 1947. Mumbai has an [[Indian Institutes of Technology|IIT]], has [[National Institute of Industrial Engineering]] and Nagpur has [[Indian Institutes of Management|IIM]] and [[AIIMS]]. Other notable institutes in the state are: [[Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur]] (MNLUN), [[Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai]] (MNLUM), [[Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad]] (MNLUA), [[Government Law College, Mumbai]] (GLC), [[ILS Law College]], and [[Symbiosis Law School]] (SLS)
 
[[File:PDKV Akola - Agricultural University.png|thumb|right|Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (Agricultural University) at Akola]]
Agricultural universities include [[Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University]], [[Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth]], [[Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth]], and [[Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth]],<ref name="mcaer">{{cite web |url=http://www.mcaer.org/ |title=Welcome to MCAER official website |publisher=mcaer.org |access-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929163851/http://www.mcaer.org/ |archive-date=29 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Regional universities viz. [[Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University]], [[Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University]], [[North Maharashtra University]], [[Shivaji University]], [[Solapur University]], [[Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University]], and [[Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University]] are established to cover the educational needs at the district levels of the state. [[Deemed university|deemed universities]] are established in Maharashtra, including [[Symbiosis International University]], [[Tata Institute of Social Sciences]], and [[Tilak Maharashtra University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=List of Deemed Universities |url=http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/deemedunivertisite.pdf |website=aicte-india.org |publisher=[[All India Council for Technical Education]] |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219220504/http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/deemedunivertisite.pdf |archive-date=19 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
Vocational training in different trades such as construction, plumbing, welding, automobile mechanics is offered by post-secondary school [[industrial training institute|Industrial Training Institute]] (ITIs).<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Campbell |editor-first1=James |last1=Melsens |first1=S. |last2=Mangaonkar–Vaiude |first2=P. |last3=Bertels |first3=Inge |title=Building Histories: the Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Construction History Society Conference |date=2017 |publisher=The Construction History Society |location=Cambridge UK |isbn=978-0-9928751-3-8 |pages=27–38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93kkDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Industrial+training+institute%22++pune&pg=PA27 |access-date=3 October 2017}}</ref> Local [[community colleges]] also exist with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chhapia |first1=Hemali |title=Maharashtra: Community colleges to be part of new skills varsity {{!}} Mumbai News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/community-colleges-to-be-part-of-new-skills-varsity/articleshow/81440748.cms |access-date=10 January 2022 |website=The Times of India}}</ref> Scottish missionary [[John Wilson (missionary)|John Wilson]], Indian nationalists such as [[Vasudev Balwant Phadke]] and [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], social reformers such as [[Jyotirao Phule]], [[Dhondo Keshav Karve]] and [[Bhaurao Patil]] played a leading role in the setting up of modern schools and colleges during the British colonial era.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Personality and Philosophy of Lokmanya B.G. Tilak |url=http://www.ncte-india.org/pub/tilak/section3.htm |website=ncte-india.org/ |publisher=NCTE: National Council For Teacher Education |access-date=29 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705182851/http://www.ncte-india.org/pub/tilak/section3.htm |archive-date=5 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mahatma Jotiba Phule: An Educational Philosopher |url=http://sikhinstitute.org/oct_2011/13-rajni_marwaha.html |website=sikhinstitute.org/ |publisher=Institute of Sikh Studies |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218044634/http://sikhinstitute.org/oct_2011/13-rajni_marwaha.html |archive-date=18 December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dr. B.R.Ambedkar's Contribution To Buddhist Education |url=http://www.countercurrents.org/dalit-waghmare160207.htm |website=countercurrents.org/ |publisher=Counter Currents news portal |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903113049/http://www.countercurrents.org/dalit-waghmare160207.htm |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Smith2012">{{cite book |author=George Smith |title=Life of John Wilson, D.D. F.R.S.: For Fifty Years Philanthropist and Scholar in the East |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iZYqwdb1ZUEC&pg=PA50 |date=7 June 2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-05045-6 |page=50 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=iZYqwdb1ZUEC&pg=PA50 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The forerunner of [[Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute]] was established in 1821. The [[Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University]], the oldest women's liberal arts college in South Asia, started its journey in 1916. [[College of Engineering Pune]], established in 1854, is the third oldest college in Asia.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Poona Engineering Class and Mechanical School |url=http://www.coep.org.in/ |publisher=College of Engineering, Pune |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929220235/http://www.coep.org.in/ |archive-date=29 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Government Polytechnic Nagpur]], established in 1914, is one of the oldest polytechnics in India.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.gpnagpur.ac.in/easy_cms_gpnagpur/2017/msbtetrainingbrochure.pdf |title=Government Polytechnic, Nagpur Training Brochure |year=2018 |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614050333/http://www.gpnagpur.ac.in/easy_cms_gpnagpur/2017/msbtetrainingbrochure.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Infrastructure==
===Healthcare===
[[File:प्राथमिक आरोग्य केंद्र,अंबोली.jpg|thumb|A Primary Healthcare center in the village of Amboli in Pune district|right]]
Health indicators of Maharashtra show that they have attained relatively high growth against a background of high per capita income (PCI).<ref name="PCI">{{cite journal |title=State of Health Care in Maharashtra: A Comparative Analysis |jstor=4400025 |last1=George |first1=Alex |last2=Nandraj |first2=Sunil |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |year=1993 |volume=28 |issue=32/33 |pages=1671–1683}}</ref> In 2011, the health care system in Maharashtra consisted of 363 rural government hospitals,<ref name="Hospital Services">{{cite web |title=List of hospitals in state |url=http://www.maha-arogya.gov.in/services/hospital/rural/default.htm |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=26 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140527185934/http://www.maha-arogya.gov.in/services/hospital/rural/default.htm |archive-date=27 May 2014}}</ref> 23 district hospitals (with 7,561 beds), 4 general hospitals (with 714 beds) mostly under the Maharashtra [[Ministry of Health and Family Welfare]], and 380 private medical establishments; these establishments provide the state with more than 30,000 hospital beds.<ref name=women /> It is the first state in India to have nine women's hospitals serving 1,365 beds.<ref name=women>{{cite web |title=List of Women Hospital |url=http://www.maha-arogya.gov.in/services/hospital/district/default.htm#DH |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=26 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227132756/http://www.maha-arogya.gov.in/services/hospital/district/default.htm |archive-date=27 February 2014}}</ref> The state also has a significant number of medical practitioners who hold the [[Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery]] qualifications. These practitioners primarily use the traditional Indian therapy of [[Ayurveda]], nevertheless, modern western medicine is used as well.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dabhade |first1=Sangeeta |title=Comparative evaluation of prescriptions of MBBS and BAMS doctors using WHO prescribing indicators |journal=Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil University |date=2013 |volume=6 |issue=4 |page=411 |doi=10.4103/0975-2870.118294|display-authors=etal |doi-access=free}}</ref>
 
In Maharashtra as well as in the rest of India, Primary Health Centre (PHC) is part of the government-funded public health system and is the most basic unit of the healthcare system. They are essentially single-physician clinics usually with facilities for minor surgeries, too.<ref name="PublicHealthStandards">{{cite web |url=http://archive.org/details/GuidelinesPHC2012 |title=Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) Guidelines for Primary Health Centres Revised 2012 |date=16 February 2012 |access-date=16 February 2022 |website=Archive.org}}</ref> Maharashtra has a life expectancy at birth of 67.2 years in 2011, ranking it [[List of Indian states by life expectancy at birth|third]] among 29 [[States and territories of India|Indian states]].<ref name=health>{{cite web |title=Inequality- adjusted Human Development Index for India's states |url=http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/inequality_adjusted_human_development_index_for_indias_state1.pdf |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301034958/http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/inequality_adjusted_human_development_index_for_indias_state1.pdf |archive-date=1 March 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[total fertility rate]] of the state is 1.9.<ref name=Fertility>{{cite web |title=Health Indicators of Maharashtra |url=http://nrhm.gov.in/nrhm-in-state/state-wise-information/maharashtra.html |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518044732/http://nrhm.gov.in/nrhm-in-state/state-wise-information/maharashtra.html |archive-date=18 May 2014}}</ref> The [[Infant mortality]] rate is 28 and the [[Maternal death|maternal mortality]] ratio is 104 (2012–2013), which are lower than the national averages.<ref name=mortality>{{cite news |title=Impressive drop in maternal, infant mortality rates |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/impressive-drop-in-maternal-infant-mortality-rates/article2208208.ece |access-date=17 May 2014 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518043017/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/impressive-drop-in-maternal-infant-mortality-rates/article2208208.ece |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Infant mortality">{{cite web |title=Infant Mortality Rate |url=http://www.maharashtrastat.com/health/16/vitalstatistics/291/infantmortalityrate/17794/stats.aspx |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518034909/http://www.maharashtrastat.com/health/16/vitalstatistics/291/infantmortalityrate/17794/stats.aspx |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Public health system in India|Public health services]] are governed by the [[Ministry of Health and Family Welfare]] (MoHFW), through various departments. The Ministry is divided into two departments: the Public Health Department, which includes family welfare and medical relief, and the Department of Medical Education and Drugs.<ref name=public>{{cite web |title=1 1 Medical Education & Drugs Department |url=http://egovreach.in/uploads/demo/casestudy/HMIS.pdf |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119013746/http://egovreach.in/uploads/demo/casestudy/HMIS.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Public health">{{cite web |title=Public health department |url=http://arogya.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Home/Home.aspx |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304213920/http://arogya.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Home/home.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2014}}</ref>
 
Health insurance includes any program that helps pay for medical expenses, through privately purchased insurance, [[social insurance]], or a [[Social welfare provision|social welfare program]] funded by the government.<ref name=Statistics /> In a more technical sense, the term is used to describe any form of insurance that protects against the costs of medical services.<ref name=diagnostic /> This usage includes private insurance and social insurance programs such as National Health Mission, which pools resources and spreads the financial risk associated with major medical expenses across the entire population to protect everyone, as well as social welfare programs such as [[National Rural Health Mission]] (NRHM) and the Health Insurance Program, which assist people who cannot afford health coverage.<ref name=Statistics>{{cite web |title=Health Intelligence & Vital Statistics |url=http://www.cehat.org/publications/PDf%20files/r53.pdf |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518024430/http://www.cehat.org/publications/PDf%20files/r53.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=diagnostic>{{cite news |title=Maharashtra tie up for diagnostic facilities |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/ge-maharashtra-tie-up-for-diagnostic-facilities-at-22-hospitals/article4724176.ece |access-date=17 May 2014 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=17 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109004243/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/ge-maharashtra-tie-up-for-diagnostic-facilities-at-22-hospitals/article4724176.ece |archive-date=9 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=status>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra State Health Status |url=http://ehealth.eletsonline.com/2012/05/initiatives-in-nrhm-maharashtra/ |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518002046/http://ehealth.eletsonline.com/2012/05/initiatives-in-nrhm-maharashtra/ |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
===Energy===
[[File:Current functioning units of CSTPS.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Current functioning units of Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station|[[Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station]], the state's power production source]]
Although its population makes Maharashtra one of the country's largest energy users,<ref name=consumes>{{cite news |title=Maharashtra used up 1193 MW more power in winter |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Maharashtra-used-up-1193-MW-more-power-in-winter/articleshow/11983942.cms |access-date=13 September 2014 |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=The Times Group |date=22 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115123353/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Maharashtra-used-up-1193-MW-more-power-in-winter/articleshow/11983942.cms |archive-date=15 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Thermal>{{cite web |title=Indian Power Sector |url=http://indianpowersector.com/home/about/ |website=indianpowersector.com/ |publisher=Ministry of Power |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822222704/http://indianpowersector.com/home/about/ |archive-date=22 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> conservation mandates, mild weather in the largest population centers, and strong environmental movements have kept its per capita energy use to one of the smallest of any Indian state.<ref name=Regulatory>{{cite web |title=Electricity Governance Initiative |url=http://electricitygovernance.wri.org/files/egi/Maharashtra%20Case%20Study.pdf |website=electricitygovernance.wri.org/ |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903064333/http://electricitygovernance.wri.org/files/egi/Maharashtra%20Case%20Study.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The high electricity demand of the state constitutes 13 per cent of the total installed electricity generation capacity in India, which is mainly from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Electricity tariff in Maharashtra |url=http://www.mercindia.org.in/pdf/LT_Booklet.pdf |website=mercindia.org.in/ |publisher=[[Maharashtra State Electricity Board]] |access-date=13 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412133658/http://www.mercindia.org.in/pdf/LT_Booklet.pdf |archive-date=12 April 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Mahavitaran]] is responsible for the distribution of electricity throughout the state by buying power from Mahanirmiti, captive power plants, other state electricity boards, and private sector power generation companies.<ref name=Regulatory />
 
As of 2012, Maharashtra was the largest power generating state in India, with an installed electricity generation capacity of 26,838 MW.<ref name=Thermal /> The state forms a major constituent of the western grid of India, which now comes under the North, East, West and North Eastern (NEWNE) grids of India.<ref name=consumes /> Maharashtra Power Generation Company (MAHAGENCO) operates [[Thermal power station|thermal power plants]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra State Power Generation Company -A Power Generating Utility |url=http://www.mahagenco.in/index.php/about-us |website=mahagenco.in/ |publisher=[[Maharashtra State Power Generation Company]] |access-date=13 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921080018/http://www.mahagenco.in/index.php/about-us |archive-date=21 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to the state government-owned power generation plants, there are privately owned power generation plants that transmit power through the [[Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company]], which is responsible for the transmission of electricity in the state.<ref name="power supply">{{cite web |title=Power demand-supply position of the state of Maharashtra |url=http://greencleanguide.com/2012/11/27/power-supply-position-of-the-state-of-maharashtra/ |publisher=Green guide |access-date=17 May 2014 |date=27 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331205356/http://greencleanguide.com/2012/11/27/power-supply-position-of-the-state-of-maharashtra/ |archive-date=31 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
===Environmental protection and sustainability===
[[Maharashtra Pollution Control Board]] (MPCB) is established and responsible for implementing various environmental legislations in the state principally including the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, Water (Cess) Act, 1977 and some of the provisions under Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and the rules framed there under it including, Biomedical Waste (M&H) Rules, 1998, Hazardous Waste (M&H) Rules, 2000, and Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2000. MPCB is functioning under the administrative control of the Environment Department of the [[Government of Maharashtra]].<ref name="MPCB">{{cite web |title=Introduction |url=https://mpcb.gov.in/introduction |publisher=MPCB |access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref> The Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products ban became effective as law on 23 June 2018, subjecting plastic users to fines and potential imprisonment for repeat offenders.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plastic ban in Maharashtra: What is allowed, what is banned |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/plastic-ban-in-maharashtra-mumbai-from-june-23-what-is-allowed-what-is-banned-all-you-need-to-know-5228307/ |access-date=29 December 2018 |publisher=TheIndianExpress |date=27 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230030227/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/plastic-ban-in-maharashtra-mumbai-from-june-23-what-is-allowed-what-is-banned-all-you-need-to-know-5228307/ |archive-date=30 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Plastic Waste Management in Maharashtra |url=http://mpcb.gov.in/plastic/plastic.php |publisher=Maharashtra Pollution Control Board |access-date=29 December 2018 |date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821144803/http://www.mpcb.gov.in/plastic/plastic.php |archive-date=21 August 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Maharashtra|List of State Protected Monuments in Maharashtra}}
{{Further|Cultural activities of Maharashtra}}
 
===Cuisine===
{{Main|Maharashtrian cuisine}}
[[File:Maharashtrian Thali 2.JPG|thumb|right|Maharashtrian Veg Thali]]
[[File:Special Kolhapuri Misal Pav.jpg|thumb|Misal Paav, a popular dish from Maharashtra]]
Maharashtrian cuisine includes a variety of dishes ranging from mild to very spicy ones. Wheat, rice, ''[[jowar]]'', ''[[bajri]]'', vegetables, lentils and fruit form [[staple food]] of the Maharashtrian diet. Some of the popular traditional dishes include ''[[puran poli]]'', ''ukdiche [[modak]]'', ''[[Thalipeeth]].''<ref name="Khatau2004">{{cite book |author=Asha Khatau |title=Epicure S Vegetarian Cuisines Of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=16mU1bzJx3AC&pg=PA15 |date=February 2004 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7991-119-8 |pages=12, 63}}</ref> Street food items like ''[[Batata wada]],'' ''[[Misal Pav]]'', ''[[Pav Bhaji]]'' and'' [[Vada pav]]'' are very popular among the locals and are usually sold on stalls and in small hotels.<ref name=cuisine>{{cite web |title=Cuisine of Maharashtra |url=http://www.marathiheritage.com/cuisine.html |website=marathiheritage.com |publisher=Maharashtra Heritage news portal |access-date=1 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008180629/http://www.marathiheritage.com/cuisine.html |archive-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Meals (mainly lunch and dinner) are served on a plate called [[thali]]. Each food item served on the ''thali'' is arranged in a specific way. All non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes are eaten with boiled rice, [[Chapati|chapatis]] or with [[bhakri]]s, made of jowar, bajra or rice flours. A typical vegetarian thali is made of [[chapati]] or [[bhakri]] (Indian flat bread), [[dal]], rice (varan bhaat), amti, ''[[bhaji]] or [[usal]]'', [[chutney]], ''koshimbir'' (salad) and [[buttermilk]] or ''Sol kadhi''. A ''bhaji'' is a vegetable dish made of a particular vegetable or combination of vegetables. ''Aamti'' is variant of the curry, typically consisting of a lentil (''tur'') stock, flavoured with goda masala and sometimes with tamarind or amshul, and [[jaggery]] (''gul'').<ref name="cuisine" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Recipes |url=http://food.ndtv.com/recipes/indian-recipes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225091730/http://food.ndtv.com/recipes/indian-recipes |archive-date=25 December 2014 |access-date=13 September 2014 |website=food.ndtv.com |publisher=NDTV}}</ref> ''Varan'' is nothing but plain [[dal]], a common Indian lentil stew. More or less, most of the dishes use coconut, onion, garlic, ginger, red chili powder, green chilies, and mustard though some section of the population traditionally avoid onion and garlics.<ref name="Annathali" /><ref name="cuisine" />
 
Maharashtrian cuisine varies with the regions. [[Malvani Konkani|Malvani]] (Konkani), Kolhapuri, and Varhadhi cuisins are examples of well known regional cuisines.<ref name="Annathali">{{cite web |title=Maharashtrian food |publisher=[[Government of Maharashtra]] |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/MTDC/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=MaharashtraCuisine.html |website=maharashtratourism.gov.in/ |access-date=13 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913102952/http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/MTDC/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=MaharashtraCuisine.html |archive-date=13 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Kolhapur is famous for Tambda Pandhra rassa, a dish made of either chicken or mutton.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marathé |first=Kaumudi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Ao5QwAACAAJ |title=The Essential Marathi Cookbook |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-306802-0 |language=en}}</ref> Rice and seafood are the staple foods of the coastal Konkani people. Among seafood, the most popular is a fish variety called the [[Bombay duck]] (also known as bombil in Marathi).
 
===Attire===
[[File:Maharani Chimnabai of Baroda with her daughter Indira Devi.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A Girl and a Woman dressed in traditional Maharashtrian Nauvari lugada (nine-yard sari)]]
Traditionally, Marathi women commonly wore the [[sari]], often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs.<ref name=Costumes /> Most middle-aged and young women in urban Maharashtra dress in western outfits such as skirts and trousers or [[shalwar kameez]] with the traditionally ''[[Kasta sari#Nauvari|nauvari]]'' or nine-yard [[Kasta sari|lugade]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ghurye |first1=Govind Sadashiv |title=Indian Costume|orig-year=1966 |year=1995 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |location=Bombay |isbn=978-81-7154-403-5 |page=186 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=irh9dvlLz3MC&q=ghurye+costume&pg=PR5 |access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> disappearing from the markets due to a lack of demand.{{sfn|Kher|2003|p=}} Older women wear the five-yard sari. In urban areas, the five-yard sari, especially the [[Paithani]], is worn by younger women for special occasions such as marriages and religious ceremonies.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kher |first1=Swati |title=Bid farewell to her |url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=69578 |access-date=10 October 2010 |publisher=Indian Express, Mumbai Newsline |date=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301122101/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=69578}}</ref> Among men, western dressing has greater acceptance. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the [[dhoti]], and [[Pheta (turban)|pheta]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ghurye |first1=Govind Sadashiv |title=Indian Costume|orig-year=1966 |year=1995 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |location=Bombay |isbn=978-81-7154-403-5 |page=177 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=irh9dvlLz3MC&q=ghurye+costume&pg=PR5 |access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> on cultural occasions. The [[Gandhi cap]] is the popular headgear among older men in rural Maharashtra.<ref name=Costumes /><ref>{{cite book |last=Bhanu |first=B.V. |title=People of India: Maharashtra, Part 2 |year=2004 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |location=Mumbai |isbn=978-81-7991-101-3 |pages=1033, 1037, 1039 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BsBEgVa804IC&q=%22gandhi+cap%22+maharashtra+men+headgear&pg=PA1033}}</ref><ref name=tradition /> The [[Kurta]] (a long shirt) is worn by men on special occasions.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} Women wear traditional jewellery derived from Maratha and Peshwa dynasties. [[Kolhapuri saaj]], a special type of necklace, is also worn by Marathi women.<ref name=Costumes>{{cite web |title=Costumes of Maharashtra |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/culture-lifestyle/costumes/ |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=30 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-date=23 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723041108/http://www.maharashtratourism.net/culture-lifestyle/costumes/}}</ref> In urban areas, western attire is dominant amongst women and men.<ref name=tradition>{{cite web |title=Traditional costumes of Maharashtra |publisher=Marathi Heritage Organisation |url=http://www.marathiheritage.com/costumes.html |access-date=30 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028002852/http://www.marathiheritage.com/costumes.html |archive-date=28 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
===Music===
The indigenous folk music includes [[Powada]], Bharuds, and Gondhals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zelliot |first1=Eleanor |last2=Berntsen |first2=Maxine |title=The Experience of Hinduism : essays on religion in Maharashtra |date=1988 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany, N.Y. |isbn=978-0-88706-662-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/experienceofhind00zell/page/174 174] |url=https://archive.org/details/experienceofhind00zell |url-access=registration |quote=gondhali maharashtra. |access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref> Maharashtra and Maharashtrian artists have been influential in preserving and developing [[Hindustani classical music]] for more than a century. Notable practitioners of [[Kirana gharana|Kirana]] or [[Gwalior gharana|Gwalior]] style called Maharashtra their home. The [[Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival]] in Pune started by [[Bhimsen Joshi]] in the 1950s is considered the most prestigious Hindustani music festival in India, if not one of the largest.<ref>Grimes, J.M., 2008. The geography of Hindustani music: The influence of region and regionalism on the North Indian classical tradition. The University of Texas at Austin.[https://www.proquest.com/docview/304195106?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true]</ref>
 
Cities like Kolhapur and Pune have been playing a major role in the preservation of music like [[Bhavageet]] and [[Natya Sangeet]], which are inherited from Indian classical music. The biggest form of Indian [[popular music]] is songs from films produced in Mumbai. Film music, in 2009 made up 72 per cent of the music sales in India.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8405891.stm |work=BBC News |title=Plans to start India music awards |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=19 May 2010 |first=Prachi |last=Pinglay}}</ref> Most the influential music composers and singers have called Mumbai their home.
 
In recent decades, the music scene in Maharashtra, and particularly in Mumbai has seen a growth of newer music forms such as rap.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Datta |first1=Jayanti |title=A New Sense of the Sacred |journal=PostScriptum |issn=2456-7507 |date=July 2020 |issue=ii |pages=234–245 |url=https://postscriptum.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/pS5.iiJayanti.pdf |access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref> The city also holds festivals in western music genres such as [[Mahindra Blues Festival|blues]].<ref>Gupta, D.R., Paper 11: Special Interest Tourism Module 22: Musical Festivals and Events (Doctoral dissertation, Central University of Jammu).</ref> In 2006, the [[Symphony Orchestra of India]] was founded, housed at the [[National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)|NCPA]] in Mumbai. It is today the only professional symphony orchestra in India and presents two concert seasons per year, with world-renowned conductors and soloists.
 
===Dance===
[[File:Lavani Dancers.jpg|thumb|Lavani performance]]
Marathi dance forms draw from folk traditions. [[Lavani]] is popular form of dance in the state. The Bhajan, Kirtan and [[Abhang]]as of the [[Warkari]] sect (Vaishanav Devotees) have a long history and are part of their daily rituals.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Kumar |editor-first1=Raj |title=Essays on Indian music |date=2003 |publisher=Discovery Pub. House |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7141-719-3 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwwX6DWfn3gC&q=shastriya+sangeet+maharashtra&pg=PP9 |access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mandpe |first1=Asha |title=Vibrant colours of Maharashtra |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/Vibrant-colours-of-Maharashtras-folk-dances/articleshow/7674251.cms |access-date=1 September 2014 |work=[[Times of India]] |agency=[[The Times Group]] |date=10 March 2011 |archive-date=31 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031005217/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/Vibrant-colours-of-Maharashtras-folk-dances/articleshow/7674251.cms |url-status=live}}</ref> Koli dance (as called ''''Koligeete'''') is among the most popular dances of Maharashtra. As the name suggests, it is related to the fisher folk of Maharashtra, who are called [[Koli people|Kolis]]. Popular for their unique identity and liveliness, their dances represent their occupation. This type of dance is represented by both men and women. While dancing, they are divided into groups of two. These fishermen display the movements of waves and casting of the nets during their koli dance performances.,<ref>{{cite web |title=Dances of Maharashtra |url=http://www.marathiheritage.com/dance.html |website=marathiheritage.com/ |publisher=Maharashtra Heritage news portal |access-date=1 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714073004/http://www.marathiheritage.com/dance.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=ed |first1=Alison Arnold |title=The Garland encyclopedia of world music |date=2000 |publisher=Garland |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8240-4946-1 |pages=726–730 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOlNv8MAXIEC&q=%22classical+music%22+maharashtra&pg=PA457 |access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref>


===Theatre===
== Geography ==
{{Main|Marathi theatre}}
Maharashtra is in the west part of India. It is on the coast of the [[Arabian Sea]]. Six other states of India have borders with Maharashtra. It covers an area of {{convert|118,530|sqmi|abbr=off}}. It is bigger than [[Italy]], but smaller than [[Oman]]. In traditional Indian geography it falls under the [[West India]]n zone.
[[File:Vijay Tendulkar .jpeg|right|thumb|Playwright [[Vijay Tendulkar]]]]
Modern Theatre in Maharashtra can trace its origins to the British colonial era in the middle of the 19th century. It is modelled mainly after the western tradition but also includes forms like [[Sangeet Natak]] (musical drama). In recent decades, Marathi [[Tamasha]] has been also been incorporated in some experimental plays.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dharwadker |first1=Aparna Bhargava |title=Theatres of Independence: Drama, Theory, and Urban Performance in India Since 1947 |date=2009 |publisher=University of Iowa Press |isbn=978-1-58729-642-0 |pages=314 and 368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mLQaz-12Eo8C&pg=PA378 |access-date=5 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=mLQaz-12Eo8C&pg=PA378#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Today, the theatre continues to have a marked presence in [[Mumbai]] and [[Pune]] with an educated loyal audience base, while most theatres in other parts of India have had a tough time facing the onslaught of cinema and television. Its repertoire ranges from humorous social plays, [[farce]]s, historical plays, and musical, to experimental plays and serious drama. Marathi Playwrights such as [[Vijay Tendulkar]], [[P. L. Deshpande]], [[Mahesh Elkunchwar]], [[Ratnakar Matkari]], and [[Satish Alekar]] have influenced theatre throughout India.<ref>{{cite news |title=Modern Marathi theatre had milestones, limitations.. |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Modern-Marathi-theatre-had-milestones-limitations-Expert/articleshow/8753808.cms?referral=PM |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=7 June 2011 |access-date=3 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010180458/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Modern-Marathi-theatre-had-milestones-limitations-Expert/articleshow/8753808.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=10 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Besides Marathi theatre, Maharashtra and particularly, Mumbai, has had a long tradition of theatre in other languages such as Gujarati, Hindi, and English.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sengupta |first1=Ashis |title=Mapping South Asia Through Contemporary Theatre |date=2014 |publisher=Palgrave MacMillan |location=Basingstoke, Uk and New York, USA |isbn=978-1-137-37513-1 |page=88 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDZvBAAAQBAJ&q=parsi+theatre+mumbai+prithvi&pg=PA64 |access-date=5 October 2014}}</ref>


The [[National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)|National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCP)]] is a multi-venue, multi-purpose cultural center in Mumbai which hosts events in music, dance, theatre, film, literature, and photography from India as well other places. It also presents new and innovative work in the performing arts field.
Maharashtra has more business than any other one state of India.


===Literature===
There are some well-known cave [[monument]]s like Ajanta and Ellora. The first oil mill is in Mumbai.Some of the crops grown in Maharashtra are Bajra, Jowar, Rice, Wheat, etc. The neighbouring States are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, and Chhattisgarh. A famous dish in Maharashtra is [[Pithla Bhakri]].
{{Main|Marathi literature}}
[[File:Suresh Joshi with P L Deshpandey.jpg|right|thumb|P L Deshpande (in center), one of the most popular authors in Marathi language]]
Maharashtra's regional literature is about the lives and circumstances of [[Marathi people]] in specific parts of the state. The [[Marathi language]], which boasts a rich literary heritage, is written in the [[Devanagari]] script.<ref>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra's Regional Literature |url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/culture-in-maharashtra/literature.htm |website=discoveredindia.com/ |publisher=[[Discovery Channel]] |access-date=1 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903061426/http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/culture-in-maharashtra/literature.htm |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The earliest instance of Marathi literature is [[Dnyaneshwari]], a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita by 13th-century [[Bhakti]] Saint [[Dnyaneshwar]] and devotional poems called [[abhang]]s by his contemporaries such as [[Namdev]], and [[Gora Kumbhar]]. Devotional literature from the [[Early modern period]] includes compositions in praise of the God [[Pandurang]] by [[Bhakti]] saints such as [[Tukaram]], [[Eknath]], and [[Rama]] by [[Samarth Ramdas|Ramdas]] respectively.<ref name="Singh">{{cite book |author=Singh |title=The Pearson Indian History Manual for the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsiXwh_tIGkC&pg=RA1-PA120 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-1753-0 |page=120 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=wsiXwh_tIGkC&pg=RA1-PA120 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Indian History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X4j7Nf_MU24C&pg=SL2-PA244 |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=978-0-07-132923-1 |pages=B–244 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101080935/https://books.google.com/books?id=X4j7Nf_MU24C&pg=SL2-PA244 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>


19th century [[Marathi literature]] includes mainly [[Polemic]] works of social and political activists such as [[Balshastri Jambhekar]], [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], [[Gopal Hari Deshmukh]], [[Mahadev Govind Ranade]], [[Jyotirao Phule]], and [[Vishnushastri Chiplunkar]].
== Culture ==
[[Keshavsuta]] was a pioneer in modern Marathi poetry. The Hindutva proponent, [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar]] was a prolific writer. His work in English and Marathi consists of many essays, two novels, poetry, and plays.
Most people in Maharashtra are [[Hindu]]s and you can see it in the culture of Maharashtra. There are many temples in Maharashtra and some of them are very old. The [[architecture]] of these temples is a mixture of architecture from North and South India. The temples also have ideas from Hindu, [[Buddhist]] and [[Jain]] cultures. Maharashtra has many forts like [[Raigad]] and [[Pratapgad]] which were very important in the early history of the [[Maratha Empire]] and also sea forts like the one at [[Sindhudurg]]. A famous dance form in Maharashtra is lavani.


Four Marathi writers have been honoured with the [[Jnanpith Award]], India's highest literary award.They include novelists, [[Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar]], and [[Bhalchandra Nemade]], [[Kusumagraj|Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar]](Kusumagraj) and [[Vinda Karandikar]]. The last two were known for their poetry as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jnanpith.net/page/jnanpith-laureates |title=Jnanpith Laureates Official listings |access-date=8 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218122436/http://www.jnanpith.net/page/jnanpith-laureates |archive-date=18 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== Music ===
Other notable writers from the early and mid 20th century include playwright [[Ram Ganesh Gadkari]], novelist [[Hari Narayan Apte]], poet, and novelist [[B. S. Mardhekar]], [[Sane Guruji]], [[Vyankatesh Digambar Madgulkar]], [[Prahlad Keshav Atre]], [[Chintamani Tryambak Khanolkar]], and [[Laxmanshastri Joshi]]. [[Vishwas Patil]], [[Ranjit Desai]], and [[Shivaji Sawant]] are known for novels based on Maratha history. [[Pu La Deshpande]] has been one of the most popular writers in Marathi in the post-independence era. His work includes humour, travelogues, plays, and biographies. [[Narayan Surve]], [[Shanta Shelke]], [[Durga Bhagwat]], [[Suresh Bhat]], and [[Narendra Jadhav]] are some of the more recent authors
The folk music of Maharashtra is mixed.  


[[Dalit literature]] originally emerged in the Marathi language as a literary response to the everyday oppressions of caste in mid-twentieth-century independent India, critiquing caste practices by experimenting with various literary forms.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Muthukkaruppan |title=Preliminary Remarks on Dalit Poetry |date=2018 |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=61–71 |access-date=}}</ref>
An early piece of Marathi literature is [[Bhawarthadeepika]] (known as Dnyaneshwari) by [[Dnyaneshwar]]. The religious songs called bhajans by Dnyaneshwar, [[Tukaram]], [[Namdev]],chokhamela,Savta Mali are very popular. Modern Marathi literature also has some great poets and authors likeJyotirao Govindrao Phule,Savitribai Jyotirao Phule,Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Anna Bhau Sathe, Namdev Dhasal, M.M. Deshmukh,[[P. L. Deshpande]], [[Kusumagraj]], [[Prahlad Keshav Atre]], and [[Vyankatesh Madgulkar]]. Many books are published every year in Marathi.
In 1958, the term "Dalit literature" was used for the first conference of ''Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangha'' (Maharashtra Dalit Literature Society) in [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbook of twentieth-century literatures of India |last=Natarajan |first=Nalini |author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson |chapter=Chap 13: Dalit Literature in Marathi by Veena Deo |year=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0-313-28778-3 |page=363 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&q=Dalit+literature&pg=PA363}}</ref>


Maharashtra, and particularly the cities in the state such as Mumbai and Pune are diverse with different languages being spoken. Mumbai is called home by writers in English such as [[Rohinton Mistry]], [[Shobha De]], and [[Salman Rushdie]]. Their novels are set with Mumbai as the backdrop.<ref>BHATTACHARYA, REBECCA. "BOMBAY AS REFLECTED IN THE NOVELS OF SHOBHA DE, SALMAN RUSHDIE AND ROHINTON MISTRY."[http://rjelal.com/5.2.17a/396-399%20REBECCA%20BHATTACHARYA.pdf]</ref> Many eminent [[List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Urdu|Urdu poets]] such as [[Kaifi Azmi]], [[Jan Nissar Akhtar]], [[Gulzar]], and [[Javed Akhtar]] have been residents of Mumbai.
The [[theater]], movies, and television in Maharashtra are mostly made in Mumbai, and the actors in each area (like television) can work in the others. Some important people in the movie industry are [[Dadasaheb Phalke]], [[Dada Kondke]], [[Ashok Saraf]], [[Laxmikant Berde]], [[Sachin Pilgaonkar]], [[Mahesh Kothare]] and [[V. Shantaram]]. Early Marathi theatre had important [[playwright]]<nowiki/>s (people who write plays) like [[Kolhatkar]], [[Khadilkar]], [[Deval]], [[Gadkari]] and [[Kirloskar]]. They wrote musical plays called [[Sangeet Naatak]]. The music from those plays is called [[Natyasangeet]]. Important actors at this time were [[Bal Gandharva]], [[Keshavrao Bhosle]], [[Bhaurao Kolhatkar]], and [[Dinanath Mangeshkar]].


===Films===
Some of the popular [[Marathi television]] channels are [[Mi Marathi]] and [[ETV Marathi]]. They have many kinds of shows: [[soap opera]]s, cooking, travel, political [[satire]], and [[game show]]s.
{{Main|Bollywood|Marathi cinema}}
Cinema of India was born in Maharashtra when [[Dadasaheb Phalke]] made [[Raja Harishchandra]] a movie in 1913. It was a [[silent film]] direct by Phalke. Dadasaheb Phalke is widely considered the father of [[Cinema of India|Indian cinema]].<ref>{{cite web |title=भारतीय सिनेमा के सूत्रधार रहे दादा साहेब फाल्के, 1969 से दिया जा रहा फाल्के पुरस्कार |url=https://www.jagran.com/news/national-dada-saheb-phalke-is-the-founder-of-indian-cinema-jagran-special-21525821.html |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=Dainik Jagran |language=hi}}</ref> Raja Harishchandra (1913) was the first Indian movie.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dada saheb Phalke : भारतीय सिनेमा के पितामह थे दादा साहब फाल्के, ऐसे दिया था भारत में फिल्मों को जीवन |url=https://www.amarujala.com/photo-gallery/entertainment/bollywood/dada-saheb-phalke-film-journey-facts-on-his-death-anniversary-who-known-as-father-of-indian-cinema |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=Amar Ujala |language=hi}}</ref>


Maharashtra is a prominent location for the Indian entertainment industry, with enormous films, television series, books, and other media being set there.<ref>{{cite web |title=Media and Entertainment Industry -Brief Introduction |url=http://www.ibef.org/industry/media-entertainment-india.aspx |website=ibef.org/ |publisher=India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) |access-date=13 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920204535/http://www.ibef.org/industry/media-entertainment-india.aspx |archive-date=20 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Mumbai has numerous film production studios and it has facilities to produce films.<ref>{{cite web |title=Film City - Mumbai |url=https://www.ffo.gov.in/en/film-cities/mumbai |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=Ffo.gov.in}}</ref> Mainstream [[Hindi films]] are popular in Maharashtra, especially in urban areas. Mumbai is the largest center for film and television production and a third of all Indian films are produced in the state. Multimillion-dollar [[Bollywood]] productions, with the most expensive costing up to {{INRConvert|1.5|b}}, are filmed there.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985129,00.html?internalid=atm100 |title=Hooray for Bollywood! |author=Richard Corliss |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=16 September 1996 |access-date=3 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026154551/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985129,00.html?internalid=atm100 |archive-date=26 October 2014 |url-status=live |author-link=Richard Corliss}}</ref> The [[Marathi film]] industry, previously located in Kolhapur, has spread throughout Mumbai. Well known for its [[art films]], the early Marathi film industry included acclaimed directors such as Dadasaheb Phalke and [[V. Shantaram]], [[Dada Kondke]] is the most prominent name in Marathi film. The [[Dadasaheb Phalke Award]] is India's highest award in cinema, given annually by the [[Government of India]] for lifetime contribution to [[Indian cinema]].<ref name="dadasahebdff">{{cite web |title=Dadasaheb Phalke Awards |url=http://dff.nic.in/dadasahebphalke.asp |publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals |access-date=6 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526044918/http://www.dff.nic.in/dadasahebphalke.asp |archive-date=26 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Food ===
The food of Maharashtra is different in each place. The people in the [[Konkan]] region eat more rice and the ones near the ocean eat a lot of fish. In eastern Maharashtra, most people eat a lot of wheat, [[jowar]], and [[bajra]]. Other important things people eat in Maharashtra are lentils, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, and [[aamras]]. Many people also eat chicken and [[mutton]].


==Media==
In the past, women wore a long [[Sari (clothing)|sari]] ( Nauvari saree ) and men wore a [[dhoti]] or [[pajama]] with a shirt. Today, women in the cities often wear other clothes like [[Salwar kameez]] (dresses from the Punjab), and men in the cities wear trousers and a shirt.
[[File:Times of India, Mumbai.jpg|right|thumb|Times of India building in Mumbai]]
The state is home to more than 200 newspapers and 350 consumer magazines. The publishing industry employs more than 250,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |title=Highest Circulated amongst ABC Member Publications |url=http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Highest%20Circulated%20amongst%20ABC%20Member%20Publications%20(across%20languages).pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918051424/http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Highest%20Circulated%20amongst%20ABC%20Member%20Publications%20(across%20languages).pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017}}</ref> As of December 2016, [[Sakal]], published in Pune and other major cities, is the largest circulated Marathi Newspaper in Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Highest%20Circulated%20amongst%20ABC%20Member%20Publications%20(across%20languages).pdf |title=Highest Circulated amongst ABC Member Publications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918051424/http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Highest%20Circulated%20amongst%20ABC%20Member%20Publications%20(across%20languages).pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Other major Marathi newspapers include ''[[Maharashtra Times]]'', ''[[Loksatta]]'', ''[[Nava Kaal]]'', ''[[Pudhari]]'', and ''[[Lokmat]]''. [[Tarun Bharat]] and [[Kesari (newspaper)|Kesari]], two newspapers that once were quite influential during the colonial and post-independence era, have discontinued the print edition and are now published only digitally. ''Saptahik Sakal'', ''Grihashobhika'', ''Lokrajya'', ''Lokprabha'', and ''Chitralekha'' are some of the important Marathi magazines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.exchange4media.com/news/story.aspx?Section_id=5&News_id=39218 |title=IRS Q2 2010: Publications in Maharashtra see some light |publisher=Exchange4media.com |access-date=15 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117050215/http://www.exchange4media.com/news/story.aspx?Section_id=5&News_id=39218 |archive-date=17 January 2013}}</ref> English language newspapers are confined to urban areas. Some popular among these are ''[[Daily News & Analysis|Daily News & Analysis]]'', ''[[The Times of India]]'', ''[[Hindustan Times]]'', ''[[The Indian Express]]'', ''[[Mumbai Mirror]]'', ''[[Asian Age]]'', ''[[MiD-DAY]]'' and ''[[The Free Press Journal]]''. Some prominent financial dailies like ''[[The Economic Times]]'', ''[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]'', ''[[Business Standard]]'', and ''[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]]'' are widely circulated.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prominent financial dailies |url=http://www.indiapress.org/gen/browse_state.php/maharashtra |publisher=India Press |access-date=17 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917160827/http://www.indiapress.org/gen/browse_state.php/maharashtra |archive-date=17 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, and Urdu are also published but have limited reach.


The television industry in Maharashtra has been contributing significantly in the state's economy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Profile display |url=http://www.karmayog.org/ngo/NFTIC/profile.htm |website=karmayog.org/ |publisher=National Film & Television Industry Committee-Maharashtra |access-date=7 September 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140907103126/http://www.karmayog.org/ngo/NFTIC/profile.htm |archive-date=7 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Doordarshan]], a state-owned television broadcaster runs a channel named [[DD Sahyadri]]. Numerous [[Television in India|Indian]] and international television channels can be watched in Maharashtra through one of the [[pay-tv|Pay TV]] companies or the local cable television provider. The four major Indian [[broadcast network]]s are all headquartered in Maharashtra: [[The Times Group|The Times]], [[STAR India]], [[CNN-IBN]] and [[Zee Entertainment Enterprises|ZEEL]]. [[Multi system operator|Multi-system operator]]s provide a range of Marathi, Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, English, and international channels via [[Cable television|cable]]. There are number of entertainment channels that exlusively streams content in Marathi including [[Zee Marathi]], Zee Yuva, [[Colors Marathi]], [[Star Pravah]], [[Sony Marathi]], and [[Fakt Marathi]].
[[Cricket]] is very popular in Maharashtra. Many people play it and many others watch it. [[Kabaddi]] is also popular. Children play [[Viti-Dandu]] and [[Pakada-pakadi]] ([[Tag (game)|Tag]]).


[[All India Radio]] airs its content through multiple channels including ''Air Marathi'', ''FM Gold'', and ''FM Rainbow''. Air India's commercially successful air channel ''[[Vividh Bharti]]'' is headquartered in Mumbai. Private radio stations like ''[[Big 92.7 FM]]'', ''[[Radio Mirchi]]'', ''[[Red FM 93.5|Red FM]],'' ''Vasundhara Vahini'', ''Radio Dhamaal 24'', and ''My FM'' air in all major cities.<ref name="Radio">{{cite web |title=Radio stations in Maharashtra, India |url=https://www.asiawaves.net/india/maharashtra-radio.htm |publisher=Asia Waves |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref> [[Bharti Airtel|Airtel]], [[BSNL]], [[Jio]], and [[Vodafone Idea|VI]] networks provide cellular services and have covered most of the Maharashtra. Broadband internet is available in most of the towns, villages, and cities, provided by the state-run [[MTNL]] and [[BSNL]] and by other private companies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Citizen Charter of BSNL – Maharashtra Telecom Circle |url=http://www.maharashtra.bsnl.co.in/citizencharter.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804003029/http://www.maharashtra.bsnl.co.in/citizencharter.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 August 2020 |publisher=[[Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited]] |access-date=7 September 2014}}</ref> [[Dial-up access]] is provided throughout the state by BSNL and other providers.
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. The Hindus celebrate it with reverence and festivity in Maharashtra and it has also become popular in other parts of India. The festival which lasts ten days is in honor of [[Ganesha]], the Hindu god of [[learning]] and [[knowledge]].


==Sports==
===Provincial symbols of Maharashtra===
{{Main|Sports in Maharashtra}}
<gallery>
[[File:Cricket Chinawal.jpg|thumb|right|Children playing cricket in a farm outside the village of [[Chinawal]] in [[Jalgaon district|Jalgaon]].]]
Image:Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon (Treron phoenicopterus) male-8.jpg|Provincial bird of Maharashtra
Kabbadi is the state game of Maharashtra. [[Kho kho]], [[Pehlwani|Kushti]], and [[Mallakhamba]] are some of the games that are traditionally played throughout Maharashtra. [[Pehlwani|Kusti]] and bullock cart races are very popular in rural areas and are inseparable part of [[Jatra (Maharashtra)|Jatras (Fairs)]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Shodhganga |title=Sangli District |website=Shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/9550/10/10_chapter%203.pdf |access-date=17 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Maharashtra asks high court to reconsider ban on bullock cart races |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Maharashtra-asks-high-court-to-reconsider-ban-on-bullock-cart-races/articleshow/16872364.cms |access-date=17 April 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=19 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=TALEGAON DASHASAR |publisher=The Gazetteers Department |location=Maharashtra |url=http://amravati.nic.in/gazetteer/gazetteerb/places_Talegaon%20Dashasar.html}}</ref> [[Hind Kesari]] and [[Maharashtra Kesari]], two popular restling championship tournaments, affiliated with the All India Amateur Wrestling Federation (AIAWF) are held every year.<ref name=kushti>{{cite news |title=Hind Kesari Kushti kicks off |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/hind-kesari-kushti-kicks-off/704681/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914114906/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/hind-kesari-kushti-kicks-off/704681/ |url-status=live |archive-date=14 September 2016 |access-date=30 May 2014 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |date=30 October 2010}}</ref> Badminton, volleyball, field hockey, chess, and tennis are popular as recreational sports in Maharashtra, and played in urban as well as rural areas.<ref>Reddy, P.A., 2005. Sports Promotion in India. Discovery Publishing House.[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=T37m8eRAEX0C&oi=fnd&pg=PP9&dq=+maharashtra++%22rural++sports%22&ots=m91ojJ33wA&sig=awUWUk1YLi1_YJJUPetxECgo0PQ#v=onepage&q=maharashtra%20volleyball&f=false]</ref><ref>Joshi-Reddy, Kejal, Veena Kamble, Pooja Kunte, Polly Hardy-Johnson, Caroline HD Fall, Mary Barker, Susie Weller, Chittaranjan S. Yajnik, and Sarah H. Kehoe. "Adolescent diet and physical activity in the context of economic, social and nutrition transition in rural Maharashtra, India: a qualitative study." Public Health Nutrition 24, no. 16 (2021): 5299-5308.[https://www-cambridge-org.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/1662B30C436E5621732540758321F165/S1368980020002220a.pdf/adolescent_diet_and_physical_activity_in_the_context_of_economic_social_and_nutrition_transition_in_rural_maharashtra_india_a_qualitative_study.pdf]</ref> The beaches of Konkan coast, mountains of Western Ghats, and the lakes formed by numerous dams facilitate adventure sports such as paragliding, rock climbing, trekking, mountaineering, water sports, and scuba diving which are popular among visitors.<ref name=":0">Nilesh Upadhye, "The Growth of Experiential Tourism in Maharashtra", ''Atithya: A Journal of Hospitality'' 5 (1) 2019, 41-42</ref><ref name=":1">Gunaji, M., 2010. Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra. Popular Prakashan.[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KHA9SzLMj3EC&oi=fnd&pg=PA165&dq=maharashtra+mumbai+pune++water+sports,+rock+climbing,hiking+and+scuba+diving&ots=1QOPoT4TmO&sig=KL5h12_p2nTKyGzxs3LqpZBIIjQ#v=snippet&q=vidarbha&f=false]</ref><ref name=adventure>{{cite web |title=Adventure activities in Maharashtra |url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/attractions/adventure-in-maharashtra/ |website=discoveredindia.com/ |publisher=Discovery India |access-date=20 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725010652/http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/attractions/adventure-in-maharashtra/ |archive-date=25 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Image:Malabar giant sqirrel.jpg|Provincial animal of Maharashtra
 
Image:Mangifera indica. Tropical Brazil.JPG|Provincial tree of Maharashtra
Cricket is the most popular sport in Maharashtra.<ref name="Popular">{{cite news |last1=Dubey |first1=Jyotindra |title=Which state has gifted India the most cricketers for World Cups since 1975? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/which-state-has-gifted-india-the-most-cricketers-for-world-cups-since-1975-1542001-2019-06-04 |access-date=30 March 2022 |work=India Today |agency=[[Living Media]] |date=4 June 2019}}</ref> Like other states of India, Maharashtra has its own domestic cricket teams viz. [[Maharashtra cricket team]], [[Mumbai cricket team]], and [[Vidarbha cricket team]]. An [[Indian Premier League]] franchise, [[Mumbai Indians]], is named after state's capital Mumbai. [[Brabourne Stadium]] (Mumbai), [[Wankhede Stadium]], (Mumbai) and [[Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium|New VCA Stadium]] (Nagpur) are [[List of international cricket grounds in India|internationally recognised]] cricket stadiums in the state and have witnessed some of India's famous victories.<ref name="Brabourne">{{cite web |title=Brabourne Stadium |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/ground/58317.html |publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Wankhede">{{cite web |title=Wankhede Stadium |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/ground/58324.html |publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref> [[Mumbai Cricket Association]], and [[Vidarbha Cricket Association]], are the governing body for cricket in [[Mumbai]], [[Greater Mumbai]],[[Thane]] districts and the [[Vidarbha|Vidarbha Region]], respectively, while [[Maharashtra Cricket Association]] (MCA) looks after rest of Maharashtra..<ref name="MCA">{{cite web |title=Mumbai Cricket Association |url=https://www.mumbaicricket.com/mca/about-us.php |publisher=[[Mumbai Cricket Association]] |access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="VCA">{{cite web |title=Vidarbha Cricket Association, Nagpur |url=https://www.vca.co.in/pages/about-the-association |publisher=[[Vidarbha Cricket Association]] |access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref>
Image:Alstonia scholaris.jpg|Provincial flower of Maharashtra
 
The [[Maharashtra Open|ATP 250 Maharashtra Open]], an ATP tour championship and the only [[ATP 250]] level Tennis championship held in South Asia, is hosted every year by Maharashtra at [[Balewadi Sports Complex|Balewadi]].<ref>[http://www.maharashtraopen.com/&ved=2ahUKEwjuzqrX0LfzAhWLgtgFHWaFC44QFnoECE0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2fXtssw0-R3PR0C_K39Bom] {{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>[https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/pune/891/overview&ved=2ahUKEwjuzqrX0LfzAhWLgtgFHWaFC44QFnoECC4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2B89oLuMAGorWwbK316OsR] {{dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> Mumbai and Pune hold [[derby (horse race)|derby]] races at the [[Mahalaxmi Racecourse]] and [[Pune Race Course]] respectively.<ref name="race">{{cite web |title=The Mahalaxmi Race Course |publisher=Royal Western India Turf Club |url=http://www.rwitc.com/comeracing/mumbairacecourse.php |access-date=30 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625050537/http://rwitc.com/comeracing/mumbairacecourse.php |archive-date=25 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="racecourse">{{cite web |title=The Pune Race Course |url=http://www.rwitc.com/comeracing/puneracecourse.php |publisher=Royal Western India Turf Club |access-date=30 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207235106/http://rwitc.com/comeracing/puneracecourse.php |archive-date=7 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Various domestic level leagues for [[field hockey]], [[chess]], [[tennis]], and [[badminton]] are organised throughout the state.<ref>Astill, J., 2013. The great tamasha: cricket, corruption, and the turbulent rise of modern India. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zqHKajcwyR8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=maharashtra+mumbai+pune+cricket+hockey+badminton+tennis&ots=GPAVG6UKUI&sig=i2ZsYL3mytqjIHUQ1KxFvxKNaH0#v=onepage&q=maharashtra%20&f=false]</ref> The [[Maharashtra football team]] represents the state in the [[Santosh Trophy]], a non professional [[Association football|football]] competition. The state is home to several national-level football clubs such as [[Mumbai Tigers F.C.]], [[Kenkre F.C.]], [[Bengal Mumbai FC]], and [[Air India FC]].<ref name=clubs>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Football Clubs List with Names & Foundation |url=http://www.fifaworldcuphub.com/maharashtra-football-clubs-list-names-foundation/ |publisher=FIFA World Cup 2014, Brazil |access-date=20 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821095933/http://www.fifaworldcuphub.com/maharashtra-football-clubs-list-names-foundation/ |archive-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The state has two club franchises playing in American football's [[Elite Football League of India]].<ref name="indiatimes1">{{cite news |agency=Press Trust of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Gridiron-league-launched-in-India/articleshow/9495133.cms?referral=PM |title=Gridiron league launched in India |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=5 August 2011 |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803195529/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Gridiron-league-launched-in-India/articleshow/9495133.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=3 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mumbai Gladiators]] and [[Pune Marathas (American football)|Pune Marathas]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eflifans.com/teams/gladiators/ |title=Mumbai Gladiators |publisher=[[Elite Football League of India]] |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024130822/http://www.eflifans.com/teams/gladiators/ |archive-date=24 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> are teams based in Mumbai and Pune respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efli.com/video-profiles/pune-marathas-profile |title=Pune Marathas Video Profile – The Elite Football League of India |publisher=[[Elite Football League of India]] |date=18 September 2012 |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021103748/http://www.efli.com/video-profiles/pune-marathas-profile |archive-date=21 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
==Tourism==
{{See also|Tourism in Maharashtra}}
The state government has established the [[Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation]] (MTDC) for the systematic development and promotion of tourism in the state. MTDC owns and maintains resorts at all key tourist centers.<ref>{{cite web |title=About MTDC |url=https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/about |website=Maharashtratourism.gov.in |access-date=5 November 2017 |url-status=live |archive-date=23 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623032828/https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/about}}</ref> According to a survey by the [[government of Maharashtra]], in 2009-10, domestic tourists accounted for 98% of the total number of visitors to Maharashtra and the remaining were foreign.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title=Tourism Survey for State of Maharashtra |url=http://tourism.gov.in/sites/default/files/Other/Maharashtra_0.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215071824/http://tourism.gov.in/sites/default/files/Other/Maharashtra_0.pdf |archive-date=15 February 2017 |access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref> Visitors from the US, UK, Germany, and UAE each form a significant percentage of the foreign tourists.<ref name="auto2"/> Mumbai, being the biggest and the most cosmopolitan city in India, attracts tourists from all over the world for its many attractions including colonial architecture, beaches, [[Bollywood|movie industry]], shopping, and an active nightlife. Pune, also called the cultural capital of Maharashtra, attracts many visitors during the annual [[Ganesh Chaturthi|Ganeshotsav festival]]. {{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}
 
The British developed many hill stations during the colonial era. These hill stations were popular among British government officials, especially in summer as a relief from the heat. Now, these hill stations attract tourists in huge numbers. The important hill stations in Western Maharashtra are [[Mahabaleshwar]], Lonavala, and [[Matheran]]. In the Vidarbha region, [[Chikhaldara]] is the only hill station.<ref>Shukla, A.V. and Badwaik, H.B., 2008. Tourist Satisfaction-A study of Tourist destinations in Maharastra. Conference on Tourism in India – Challenges Ahead, 15–17 May 2008, IIMK [http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.530.6198&rep=rep1&type=pdf]</ref> The mountainous districts of Western Maharashtra are dotted with the ruins of hundreds of mountain forts from the Deccan Sultanate and the Maratha empire eras respectively. These forts and the surrounding hills are popular among people interested in trekking, hiking, and [[heritage tourism]] related to [[Chhatrapati Shivaji]].The latter includes forts of [[Shivneri Fort|Shivaneri ]], [[Rajgad Fort|Rajgad]], [[Sinhagad]], [[Raigad Fort|Raigad]], and [[Pratapgad Fort|Pratapgad]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kohli |first1=M. S. |title=Mountains of India : tourism, adventure and pilgrimage |date=2002 |publisher=Indus Publ. Co. |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788173871351 |pages=263–266}}</ref>
 
A number of temples such as [[Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple|Trimbakeshwar]], [[Tulja Bhavani Temple|Bhavani ]] of Tuljapur, [[Shani Shingnapur]], [[Jyotiba Temple]], [[Ashtavinayaka]] [[Ganesha|Ganapati]] temples, [[Vithoba|Lord Pandurang]] temple at [[Pandharpur]] attract huge number of Hindu devotees every year. [[Khandoba]] temple at [[Jejuri]] in the Pune district attract pilgrims from all over the Maharashtra where worshipers shower each other with Bhandar,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=K. |last2=Bhanu |first2=B.V. |title=People of India |date=2004 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |location=Mumbai |isbn=9788179911013 |page=LIX |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BsBEgVa804IC&q=Khandoba+god&pg=PR59 |access-date=11 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-date=7 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107124906/https://books.google.com/books?id=BsBEgVa804IC&pg=PR59&dq=Khandoba+god#v=snippet&q=Khandoba%20&f=false}}</ref>. [[Sai Baba of Shirdi|Saibaba]] temple at [[Shirdi]] is visited by an average of 25,000 pilgrims a day and during religious festivals, this number can reach up to 300,000.<ref>Recommended Citation Shinde, Kiran (2018) "Governance and Management of Religious Tourism in India," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 7. doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/D7K42M Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol6/iss1/7 </ref> The places associated with the [[Varkari|Warkari]] sect such as [[Pandharpur]], [[Dehu]], and [[Alandi]] remain popular throughout the year, and attract huge number of people from all over the state during religious observations.<ref>Patange, P., Srinithivihahshini, N.D. and Mahajan, D.M., 2013. "Pilgrimage and the environment: Challenges in a pilgrimage centre in Maharashtra, India". ''International Journal of Environmental Sciences'', 3(6), pp. 2269–2277.</ref> Situated in Nanded, Sikh Gurudwara of [[Hazur Sahib Nanded|Hazur Sahib]], also known as Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, is one of the [[Panj Takht|five takhts]] in [[Sikhism]]. Aurangabad has many ancient and medieval sites including the UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]s of [[Ajanta Caves|Ajanta]] and [[Ellora Caves|Ellora]] caves, the [[Daulatabad Fort]], and the [[Bibi Ka Maqbara]].
 
The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra has numerous nature reserve parks. These include [[Melghat Tiger Reserve]] in Amravati district, [[Tadoba]]-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mhatre |first1=Shridhar |title=Amazing Maharashtra: Tadoba National Park |website=Amazing Maharashtra |url=http://www.amazingmaharashtra.com/2012/10/tadoba-national-park.html |access-date=9 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180146/http://www.amazingmaharashtra.com/2012/10/tadoba-national-park.html |archive-date=10 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagpur district, the [[Nagzira]] wildlife sanctuary, and [[Navegaon National Park]] (bird sanctuary) of Gondia District.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Mumbai Downtown.jpg|Night-time skyline of Downtown Mumbai at [[Nariman Point]]
File:Dagdushet Halwai Ganpati 2005.jpg|[[Ganeshotsav]] festival in Pune
File:Khandoba temple Pune.jpg|[[Khandoba Temple, Jejuri|Khandoba mandir]] of Lord [[Khandoba]] in [[Jejuri]]
File:Venna Lake, Mahabaleshwar.jpg|Venna Lake at [[Mahabaleshwar]]
File:TigresswithCubs.jpg|[[Indian Tigers]] at [[Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project|Tadoba Tiger reserve]]
File:Pandharpur Vithoba temple.jpg|[[Pandharpur]], a Hindu pilgrimage centre in the state
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See also==
==National parks==
*[[List of Maratha dynasties and states]]
There are some national park as:
*[[List of people from Maharashtra]]
# Chandoli National Park (2004), Chandoli National Park is natural World Heritage Site and 317.67 km² National Park spread overSatara, Kolhapur and Sangli District, Maharashtra state, India, established in May 2004. Earlier it was a Wildlife Sanctuary declared in 1985
*[[List of districts of Maharashtra]]
# Gugamal National Park (1975), has an area of 1673.93 square kilometers. Built in 1974, this park is in Chikhaldara and Dharni Tehsils of Amravati District, Maharashtra, India. It is part of Melghat Tiger Reserve.
*[[:Category:Lists of villages in Maharashtra|List of villages of Maharashtra]]
# Navegoan National park (1975), Navegaon National Park is a national park in the Gondia district of Maharashtra, India. Navegaon, a popular forest resort in the Vidarbha region, the easternmost part of Maharashtra, was built in the 18th century
*[[List of synagogues in Maharashtra]]
# Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park (1983), Sanjay Gandhi National Park, formerly Borivali National Park, is a large protected area in the northern part of Mumbai city in Maharashtra State in India.   Address: Mumbai, Maharashtra 400101  Area: 103.8 km²
*[[List of cities in Maharashtra]]
# Todoba National Park (1955), Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India. It is notable as Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park. It is one of India's 50 "Project Tiger" - tiger reserves. Area: 625.4 km² 
*[[Make in Maharashtra]]
*[[Religion in Maharashtra]]
 
==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}


==References==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Maharashtra}}
{{commonscat}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Maharashtra Maharashtra] -Citizendium


===Government===
{{India}}
*[https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/ Official Site of the Government of Maharashtra]
*[https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ Official Tourism Site of Maharashtra, India]


===General information===
*{{curlie|Regional/Asia/India/Maharashtra|Maharashtra}}
*{{osmrelation-inline|1950884}}


{{Maharashtra|logo=yes}}
{{Asia-stub}}
{{States and territories of India}}
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[[Category:Maharashtra| ]]
[[Category:Maharashtra| ]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in India]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1960]]
[[Category:States and union territories of India]]

Revision as of 16:53, 1 October 2022

Maharashtra
State of India
Location of Maharashtra in India
Location of Maharashtra in India
Map of Maharashtra
Map of Maharashtra
Country India
RegionWest India
Area
 • Total307,713 km2 (118,809 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total112,374,333[1]
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)

Maharashtra is the name of a state in Western India. Its language is Marathi. It is the third biggest state of India by area and second biggest state in India based on population. Only one Indian state has more people (Uttar Pradesh). Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. Pune is the cultural and educational capital.

Geography

Maharashtra is in the west part of India. It is on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Six other states of India have borders with Maharashtra. It covers an area of 118,530 square miles (307,000 square kilometres). It is bigger than Italy, but smaller than Oman. In traditional Indian geography it falls under the West Indian zone.

Maharashtra has more business than any other one state of India.

There are some well-known cave monuments like Ajanta and Ellora. The first oil mill is in Mumbai.Some of the crops grown in Maharashtra are Bajra, Jowar, Rice, Wheat, etc. The neighbouring States are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, and Chhattisgarh. A famous dish in Maharashtra is Pithla Bhakri.

Culture

Most people in Maharashtra are Hindus and you can see it in the culture of Maharashtra. There are many temples in Maharashtra and some of them are very old. The architecture of these temples is a mixture of architecture from North and South India. The temples also have ideas from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cultures. Maharashtra has many forts like Raigad and Pratapgad which were very important in the early history of the Maratha Empire and also sea forts like the one at Sindhudurg. A famous dance form in Maharashtra is lavani.

Music

The folk music of Maharashtra is mixed.

An early piece of Marathi literature is Bhawarthadeepika (known as Dnyaneshwari) by Dnyaneshwar. The religious songs called bhajans by Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev,chokhamela,Savta Mali are very popular. Modern Marathi literature also has some great poets and authors likeJyotirao Govindrao Phule,Savitribai Jyotirao Phule,Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Anna Bhau Sathe, Namdev Dhasal, M.M. Deshmukh,P. L. Deshpande, Kusumagraj, Prahlad Keshav Atre, and Vyankatesh Madgulkar. Many books are published every year in Marathi.

The theater, movies, and television in Maharashtra are mostly made in Mumbai, and the actors in each area (like television) can work in the others. Some important people in the movie industry are Dadasaheb Phalke, Dada Kondke, Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Mahesh Kothare and V. Shantaram. Early Marathi theatre had important playwrights (people who write plays) like Kolhatkar, Khadilkar, Deval, Gadkari and Kirloskar. They wrote musical plays called Sangeet Naatak. The music from those plays is called Natyasangeet. Important actors at this time were Bal Gandharva, Keshavrao Bhosle, Bhaurao Kolhatkar, and Dinanath Mangeshkar.

Some of the popular Marathi television channels are Mi Marathi and ETV Marathi. They have many kinds of shows: soap operas, cooking, travel, political satire, and game shows.

Food

The food of Maharashtra is different in each place. The people in the Konkan region eat more rice and the ones near the ocean eat a lot of fish. In eastern Maharashtra, most people eat a lot of wheat, jowar, and bajra. Other important things people eat in Maharashtra are lentils, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, and aamras. Many people also eat chicken and mutton.

In the past, women wore a long sari ( Nauvari saree ) and men wore a dhoti or pajama with a shirt. Today, women in the cities often wear other clothes like Salwar kameez (dresses from the Punjab), and men in the cities wear trousers and a shirt.

Cricket is very popular in Maharashtra. Many people play it and many others watch it. Kabaddi is also popular. Children play Viti-Dandu 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. The Hindus celebrate it with reverence and festivity in Maharashtra and it has also become popular in other parts of India. The festival which lasts ten days is in honor of Ganesha, the Hindu god of learning and knowledge.

Provincial symbols of Maharashtra

  • Provincial bird of Maharashtra

    Provincial bird of Maharashtra

  • Provincial animal of Maharashtra

    Provincial animal of Maharashtra

  • Provincial tree of Maharashtra

    Provincial tree of Maharashtra

  • Provincial flower of Maharashtra

    Provincial flower of Maharashtra

National parks

There are some national park as:

  1. Chandoli National Park (2004), Chandoli National Park is natural World Heritage Site and 317.67 km² National Park spread overSatara, Kolhapur and Sangli District, Maharashtra state, India, established in May 2004. Earlier it was a Wildlife Sanctuary declared in 1985
  2. Gugamal National Park (1975), has an area of 1673.93 square kilometers. Built in 1974, this park is in Chikhaldara and Dharni Tehsils of Amravati District, Maharashtra, India. It is part of Melghat Tiger Reserve.
  3. Navegoan National park (1975), Navegaon National Park is a national park in the Gondia district of Maharashtra, India. Navegaon, a popular forest resort in the Vidarbha region, the easternmost part of Maharashtra, was built in the 18th century
  4. Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park (1983), Sanjay Gandhi National Park, formerly Borivali National Park, is a large protected area in the northern part of Mumbai city in Maharashtra State in India.  Address: Mumbai, Maharashtra 400101 Area: 103.8 km²
  5. Todoba National Park (1955), Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India. It is notable as Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park. It is one of India's 50 "Project Tiger" - tiger reserves. Area: 625.4 km²

References

  1. ↑ "Maharashtra Population 2011 - 2022". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 2022-03-06.

External links


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