Maharashtra


Date of formation	May 1, 1960
Capital	Mumbai
Auxiliary Capital	Nagpur
Largest City	Mumbai
Governor	Mohammad Fazal
Chief Minister	Sushil Kumar Shinde
Area	308,000 km²
Population - Total - Density	Ranked 2nd in India 96,752,247 (2001) 322.5/km²
Literacy rate: - Total - Male - Female	77.27% 86.27% 67.51%
Urbanization:	42.11%
GSDP growth rate:	4.0% (2002-03)

Maharashtra is a state in west-central India. Its capital is Mumbai, the economic powerhouse of India.

Maharashtra's population was 96,752,247, per the 2001 provisional results of Census of India, making it the second most populous state in India. Only eleven countries of the world have a population greater than Maharashtra.

The state was created on May 1, 1960 to satisfy demands of the Marathi linguistic group, who form the majority ethnic group in the state, for their own state. Bombay state, which had been enlarged in 1956 to include Marathi-speaking portions of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh as well as Gujarati-speaking areas to the north, was split into two linguistic states, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Table of contents

1 Timeline
2 Geography
3 Economy

3.1 Main items of export from Maharashtra
3.2 Specialized Industrial Parks in Maharashtra
3.3 Infotech /IT Parks

4 Demographics
5 Culture
6 Transport and communications
7 Tourism

7.4 List of prominent shrines in Maharashtra
7.5 List of hill stations
7.6 List of Wild Life Sanctuaries

8 Miscellaneous

8.7 Government resources
8.8 Colleges and universities

9 External links

Timeline

230 BC to 225 AD: ruled by the Satvahanas
250 to 525: The Vakatakas brought Vidharba under their rule.
550 to 760: Ruled by the Chalukyas
640 Chinese pilgrim Hiun Tsang visited Maharashtra
973: Rashtrakuta rule comes to an end
973 to 1180: Ruled by the Chalukyas
1189 to 1310: Ruled by the Yadavas of Deogiri
1296: Alla-ud-din Khilji, the first Muslim sultan of the North penetrates the Deccan, defeats the Yadavas and carried away a huge booty.
1534 Portuguese occupy Mumbai
1659 Shivaji captures Satara from Sultanate of Bijapur, leads revolt against the Mughal empire
1661: Mumbai transferred from Portugal to Britain
1668: British government transfers Mumbai to British East India Company
1674: Shivaji declares himself Emperor of the Marathas (see Maratha empire)
1680: Shivaji dies
January 14, 1761 Maratha defeat at Third Battle of Panipat marks greatest extent of Maratha empire.
1775-1782: First Anglo-Maratha War
1803-1805: Second Anglo-Maratha War
1817-1818: Third Anglo-Maratha War
June 3, 1818: Peshwa Bajirao II submits to the British
August 14, 1947: India becomes independent
November 1, 1956: Bombay state enlarged to include all of present Maharashtra.
May 1, 1960: Bombay state split along linguistic lines into new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Geography

Maharashtra borders Goa and Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the west.

The Western Ghats mountains, which run north and south, parallel to the Arabian Sea coast, separate the western coastal portion of Maharashtra from the eastern portion of the state, which lies on the Deccan plateau. Maharashtra has five geographic regions.

Konkan is the western coastal region, between the Western Ghats and the sea, which includes Mumbai. Other major cities of Konkan include Thane, Ulhasnagar, and Bhiwandi, north of Mumbai, and Ratnagiri and Chiplun to the south.

Kandesh is the the northwestern region, lying in the valley of the Tapti River, which flows west off the Deccan plateau into the Arabian Sea at Surat, in Gujarat. Jalgaon, Dhulia and Bhusawal are the major cities.

Desh is in the centre of the state, east of the Ghats. Desh is the historic core of the Marathi state, and Pune, the capital of the Marathas, is the second largest city in the state. Other cities include Ahmednagar, Sholapur, Nasik, Sangli, and Kolhapur. The Western Ghats in Desh are the source of Deccan's great rivers; the Godavari River rises at Trimbak, between Nasik and Mumbai, and flows eastward through Marathwada to empty into the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River, which originates at Mahabaleswar and passes through Sangli, and its tributary the Bhima, which rises north of Pune, enter Karnataka state and ultimately empty into the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi, Andhra Pradesh.

Marathwada is located in the south-eastern part of the state, and was part of the former princely state of Hyderabad until 1956. Aurangabad is the main city of the region, which also includes the famous sculpture caves of Ajanta and Ellora.

Vidarbha is the easternmost region of the state, formerly part of Central Provinces and Berar. Nagpur is the main city in the region. The Penganga and Pranhita, tributaries of the Godavari, are the region's main rivers.

Economy

Maharashtra is one of the most advanced states in India, with a strong industrialized economy, and the largest power production and consumption in the nation. Mumbai is the financial capital of India, and home to India's film industry.

Maharashtra is the top state in India in foreign investment, receiving 17% of all foreign direct investment in India. 32% of all exports from India are from the state of Maharashtra, per economic survey of Government of Maharashtra in 2002-03.