MAHARASHTRA


Meaning of MAHARASHTRA in English

state of India that occupies a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau in the western peninsular part of the subcontinent. Its shape roughly resembles a triangle, with the 450-mile (725-kilometre) western coastline forming the base and the interior narrowing to a blunt apex some 500 miles to the east. It has an area of 118,809 square miles (307,713 square kilometres). It is bounded by the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka (formerly Mysore) and, on the west, the Arabian Sea. Maharashtra's capital, Bombay, is an island city, connected to the mainland by roads and railways. Aptly called the gateway of India, it is one of India's biggest commercial and industrial centres and 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. Its ancient culture, at one stage considerably obscured by the dominance of the British, survives largely through the medium of a strong literary heritage. A common literature in Marathi, the predominant language, has in fact played an important role in nurturing a sense of unity among the Mah arashtrians. constituent state of India, the third largest in size and population. It occupies a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau in the west-central portion of the country. It is bounded by the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka (Mysore), and Goa, the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and, on the west, the Arabian Sea. Its capital, Bombay (Mumbai), is an island city connected to the mainland by roads and railways; it has played a significant role in the country's social and political life. The name Maharashtra first appeared in a 7th-century inscription and in a Chinese traveler's account. Its name may have originated from rathi, meaning chariot driver and referring to builders and drivers of chariots who formed a maharathis, a fighting force. Between the 8th and the 13th century the people of the area were part of various Hindu kingdoms that were followed by a succession of Muslim dynasties. By the middle of the 16th century Maharashtra was fragmented among several independent Muslim rulers, who waged endless wars among themselves. By 1674 a Maratha kingdom existed, and by the 18th century a Maratha empire had been established. This empire succumbed to the British early in the following century. When India became independent in 1947, the area was known as Bombay state. The state was split in two on a language basis in 1960, resulting in Gujarat in the north and Maharashtra in the south. Maharashtra presents a range of physical diversity. To the west is the narrow Konkan coastal lowland, widest near Bombay, with numerous minor hills dominating the landscape. To the east the Western Ghats run almost continuously for 398 miles (640 km) north to south, with peaks in the north of more than 4,400 feet (1,340 m). The Deccan Plateaucontaining the valleys of the Krishna, Bhima, and Godavari riverslies east of the Ghats. In the east around Nagpur are undulating uplands and the Wardha-Wainganga valley, part of the larger Godavari River basin. The climate is monsoonal, with local variations. The state experiences four seasons: MarchMay (hot and dry), JuneSeptember (hot and wet), OctoberNovember (warm and dry), and DecemberFebruary (cool and dry). Rainfall is very heavy in Konkan, with some of the wettest spots recording 250 inches (6,350 mm) a year, diminishing to one-tenth that amount east of the Ghats. Rainfall increases again eastward, reaching 40 to 80 inches (1,020 to 2,030 mm) in the extreme east. Coastal temperatures average only a few degrees above or below 80 F (27 C), with little variation between day and night. In the interior, daytime temperatures range from 110 F (43 C) in summer to 70 F (21 C) in winter. Maharashtra contains a mixture of ethnic groups, a conglomeration of indigenous and immigrant peoples. Among them are such groups as Bhils, Warlis, Gonds, Korkus, and Gowaris, who exhibit certain racial affinities with Australian aboriginals. The Kunbi Marathassupposedly descendants of waves of settlers who came from the north around the beginning of the Christian eraare most numerous. Marathi, the state language, is spoken by more than 90 percent of the people; other important languages include Gujarati, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Sindhi. More than four-fifths of the people are Hindus, and about two-fifths of the population live in urban areas. The state's economy is based on agriculture, and nearly two-thirds of the population are peasants. Sorghum, millet, and pulses (legumes) dominate the cultivated area. Rice grows where rainfall exceeds 40 inches (1,020 mm), and wheat is a winter crop. Cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, and peanuts (groundnuts) are important crops in some regions, and mangoes, bananas, and oranges are also grown. Fishing is also important. Forest products include teak and tendu leaves (for local cigarettes). Rich reserves of manganese, coal, iron ore, limestone, copper, and bauxite are found in the state. Maharashtra produces hydro- and thermoelectric power, and there is a nuclear-power facility at Tarapur, north of Bombay. Maharashtra is more industrialized than most Indian states, its oldest and largest industry being cotton textiles. Oil refineries and petrochemical plants are found at Bombay, together with factories producing a variety of goods. The state has a railway network, five national highways that connect it with other Indian states, and airlines that provide service between Bombay and numerous domestic and foreign cities. The state is a distinct cultural region. Its long artistic tradition is manifested in the ancient cave paintings of Ajanta and Ellora, in the remains of its medieval architecture, in its classical and devotional music, and in its theatre. The area's foremost diversion is tamasha, combining music, drama, and dance. The people celebrate many festivals throughout the year; the Ganesh festival is the most popular one in the state. Maharashtra has a number of universities, as well as medical colleges, dental colleges, agricultural universities, and engineering colleges. Area 118,800 square miles (307,690 square km). Pop. (1991) 78,937,187. Additional reading A good geography is B. Arunachalam, Maharashtra: A Study in Physical and Regional Setting and Resource Development (1967). Irawati Karmarkar Karve, Maharashtra: Land and Its People (1968), offers a socio-anthropological analysis of the population. S.R. Tikekar, Maharashtra (1972), is also useful. Sudhir Vyankatesh Wanmali History The name Maharashtra, denoting the western upland of the Deccan, first appeared in a 7th-century inscription and in the account of a contemporary Chinese traveler, Hsan-tsang. According to one view, the name derives from the word maharathi (great chariot driver), which refers to a skillful northern fighting force that migrated southward into the area. The group's language, intermingled with the speech of the earlier Naga settlers, became Maharastri, and this by the 8th century developed into Marathi. There was also a continuous influx of people from remote Greece and Central Asia. During this early period the territory constituting the modern state of Maharashtra was divided among several Hindu kingdoms: Satavahana, Vakataka, Kalacuri, Rastrakuta, Calukya (Chalukya), and Yadava. After 1307 there was a succession of Muslim dynasties. Persian, the court language of the Muslims, had a far-reaching effect on Marathi. By the middle of the 16th century Maharashtra was again fragmented among several independent Muslim rulers, who fought each other endlessly. It was in the midst of this chaos that a great leader, Sivaji Bhonsle, was born in 1627. Sivaji showed astonishing prowess by founding a large Maratha empire that shook Delhi-based Mughal rule to its foundations. During the 18th century almost all of western and central India, as well as large segments of the north and east, were brought under Maratha suzerainty. It was this empire that succumbed to the British from the early 19th century on. When India became independent in 1947, the province, long known as the Bombay Presidency, became Bombay state. The following year a number of former princely states (notably Baroda [Vadodara]) were merged into the new state, and, on Nov. 1, 1956, a major linguistic and political reorganization of the states of peninsular India resulted in the addition of large parts of Madhya Pradesh and the erstwhile Hyderabad to Bombay state. The outcome of this reorganization was a state in which most of the Gujarati-speaking peoples lived in the north, while most of the Marathi-speaking peoples lived in the south. As a result of the demands of the two language groups, the state was divided into two parts on May 1, 1960, thus creating Gujarat in the north and Maharashtra in the south. Sitanshu Mookerjee Sudhir Vyankatesh Wanmali

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