Architecture & History

 

• The name Maharashtra, denoting the western upland of the Deccan plateau.

 

• Many dynasties from Hindu descends like Satavahanas, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Chalukyas and Yadavas makes major part of the historical past of the region.

 

• The region was center of power domination between muslim rulers and a maratha warrior Shivaji.

 

• Bombay became the center of settlement of the British Colonizers.

 

• The Wada architectural style of housing and temple planning makes the heritage, culture, and traditions rich during the age of Marathas rulers.

 

• Shaniwar Wada and Lal Mahal in Pune are exquisite combination of elements of Maratha architecture.

 

• Some of the cherished fortresses in the state are Raigadi, Vijaydurgu, and Sinhagadi.

 

• Empirical British made buildings on European architectural styles - Gothic, Victorian, Art-Decos, and Indo-Saracenic visible in Gateway of India and Shhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

 

• Maharashtra is known for its marvelously carved caves and rock cut architectures.

 

• These cave and rock cut architecture are wider structures than the ones found in the rock cut areas of Egypt, Assyria, Persia and Greece.

 

• The Buddhist monks used these caves and natural structures in search of serene and peaceful environment for meditation found on the hillsides.

 

• The Great Architecture of Mumbai blends Gothic, Victorian, Art Deco, Indo-Saracenic & Contemporary architectural styles.

 

• Many buildings, structures and historical monuments remain from the days of the British settlement era.

 

• Mumbai, after Miami, has the second largest number of Art Deco buildings in the world.

 

• Traditional houses of Maharashtra are called 'Wadas'. With distinct features that hold great importance, the wadas stand amidst the high-rise buildings.

 

• Several modern cities are lands of construction of high rise skyscrapers.

 

• World renowned architect like Hafeez Contractor have given designer structure of concrete and bricks to add to the landscape of the city of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

 

Demographic Location

 

• The State of Maharashtra is located in the Deccan Plateau of the sub continent.

 

• The land is flanked by the magnificent Arabian Sea on the western banks thus forming the Western Ghats.

 

• The Western Ghats are marked with lofty hills, valleys and waterfalls amidst thick rain forest like jungles.

 

• The marshy lands on the coastal areas stretch down south to much more green landscape that leads to the Konkan region.

 

• Sea shores makes major harbors for commercial and military adventurous from the state of Maharashtra.

 

 

People, Rituals and Language

 

 

 

• The native people of Maharashtra speak in Marathi language. Other populous language are English, Hindi and Gujarat.

 

• There are several dialects developed from Marathi language :

 

• Maharashtrian Konkani
• Varhadi Marathi
• Thanjavur Marathi
• East Indian Marathi
• Judeo-Marathi
• Dangii

 

• Marathi script is void of any real pronunciation thus making it more Phonetic (sound based)

 

• Alphabet "I" is used in many actions and nouns in marathi language; Alphabet "Y" takes place of "I" in Varhadi Marathi language.

 

• Native people of Maharashtra prefer to speak in Marathi which encourages other settlers to learn and speak in Marathi laguage.

 

Season and Climate

 

• The climate of Maharashtra is marked with heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied with thick forest cover.

 

• Climate of the state changes with the terrain. Even the Meteorological teams have identified 4 climatic sub division ".

 

• Konkan
• Madhya Maharashtra
• Marathwada
• Vidarbha

• Summers are usually hot and humid with tropical and coastal wind type. Winters are chilly with the sea breeze and open land breeze making the air chilly.

 

• The nights are showered with dew on the grasslands. the temperature is moderate due to proximity to the Arabian sea.

 

• Increasing altitude decreases the temperature making the places on the hills much cooler. Mahabaleshwar is one such hill location.

 

 

 

Culture & Education

 

 

• Maharashtra is famous for its attitude of "Forward Culture".

 

• Traditionally men wear a dhoti, a long single garment wrapped around the waist and covers till the knees. Men wear cotton shirt (Kurta) with a cloth headgear (topi) and waistcoat.

 

• Women prefer choli (blouse) on the top and a 9-arm lenght saree called 'nauwari saree'.

 

• Women wear open sandals at home. However, modern generation prefer to wear comfortable and designer wear with vibrant color.

 

• Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra. People of Maharashtra like to eat spicy and sweet food like Pav Bhaji and Srikhand.

 

• The village folks of different regions of the state enjoy to celebrate with music and dances like Koli, Powada, Banjara Holi dance and Lavani dance.

 

• Powada dance form of dance depicts achievements of Shivaji, the Maratha ruler.

 

• Koli music and dance is seen amongst the fishermen community for sheer entertainment.

 

• Lavani dancers showcase theme dance dominating romance, political events and social affairs. 'Lavani' is derived from the word "Lavanya" that means beauty.

 

• The craftsmen and artisans of Maharashtra are famous for their precision and delicate work. The weavers make the finest fabrics from cotton and silk, Mashroo and Himroo.

 

• Warli tribals people from the Thane region make wonderful paintings.

 

• Literacy rate of Maharashtra is on a higher side. Education is given high importance in both urban and rural areas though the females rank lower than male in education.

 

• Mumbai, Nagpur and Akola are education centers in Maharashtra.

 

• Mumbai has Indian Institute of Technology making the city favorite spot for students and learners.

 

• Maharashtra state has its own board of education spread throughout the deeper regions of the state.

 

 

 

 

Famous Spots

 

 

• There are several places of religious and scenic importance.

 

• Ajanta and Ellora caves in Aurangabad
• Mahabaleshwar Hill Station
• Lonawala on the Western Ghats
• Panchgani Hill Station
• Kamshet - Pavana Lake and Shinde Wadi Hills
• Naneghat Hills, Kharghat Hills and Bramhagiri Hills
• Tadoba National Park
• Khandala in Sahyadri

 

• There are several picturesque and scenic places that are still to be explored and deserve attention indeed.

 

Aqualife, Flora & Fauna

 

 

• Maharashtra state has numerous forest reserves. Sanjay Gandhi National Park is home to 274 species of birds and 42 kinds of mammals and several plantation and dense tree cover.

 

• Tadoba National Park is the oldest and the largest national park & tiger reserve in Maharashtra.

 

• Jeep safari is popular in the Navegaon National Park, which is home to species like Mouse Deer, four horned Antelope, Indian Gaur, Sloth Bear, Tigers, and Leopards.

 

• Melaghat Tiger Reserve is another natural habitat of tiger of sub continent in Maharashtra, which was the first nine tiger reserves under Project Tiger.

 

• Numerous endangered species found in Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary, is a deciduous shrub forest cover also home to blackbucks.

 

• Radhanagari Sanctuary is a forest reserve where people love to walk on the pathways to enjoy the area's flora and fauna. This area is a breeding and nesting ground of Turtles.

 

• Maharashtra is home to a large number of animals and bird species, including the tiger, Crocodile, Bison, Gawa, Neelgai, Wild Deer, Sambar and rare migratory birds.

 

• Maharashtra State Tree is Amba.

 

• In the highlands of Maharashtra, thorny savanna-like vegetation are found with less rainfall.

 

• Subtropical vegetation is found on higher plateaus regions with heavy rain and milder temperatures. Bamboo, chestnut, and magnolia trees are common here.

 

• Forests Types in Maharashtra:

 

• The coastal belt has trees like the mango and the coconut and shrubs.

 

• These forests have very high value because they yield teak, bamboo, myrobalan, with heavy annual rainfall. Thick evergreen deciduous forests cover 17% of the land of Maharashtra.

 

• The headquarters of Maharashtra Forest Department is in Nagpur.

 

• There are 11 territorial forest circles in Maharashtra -

 

• Amravati, Aurangabad, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Thane and Yavatmal.

 

• More than 80% of Maharashtra is contains basalt rock. Maharashtra has a large stack of black soil formed from basalt rock.

 

• Farmers in Maharashtra grow more of rice, jowar, bajara, wheat, tur, mung, urad, gram and other pulses.

 

• The state is a major producer of oilseeds. Groundnut, sunflower, soybean are major oil seed crops. Important cash crops grown are cotton, sugarcane, turmeric and vegetables.

 

• The talukas of Purandar, Haveli and Junnar are the more important centres of fruit cultivation.

 

• Four pod vegetables are grown in Poona, namely, abai, bhendi, gavari and ghevada.

 

• Lagerstroemia speciosa is the state tree which is native to tropical southern Asia. It is a deciduous tree with bright pink to light purple flowers.

 

• The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel is the state animal of Maharashtra. It is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species that live in forests and woodlands of India.

 

• Tandoori pomfret is popular in India's coastal regions of Maharashtra.  Pomfret is typically known for its unique flavour and colour of the meat.