Maharashtra

The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit,[17] and the word Marhatta (later used for the Marathas) is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi, and Maratha may have derived from the same root. However, their exact etymology is uncertain.[18]

The most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of Maha (Marathi: महा) and rashtrika (Marathi: राष्ट्रिका),[18][19] the name of a tribe or dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region.[20] Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha ("great") and ratha / rathi (chariot / charioteer), which refers to a skilful northern fighting force that migrated southward into the area.[20][21]

An alternative theory states that the term derives from the word Maha ("great") and Rashtra ("nation/dominion").[22] However, this theory is somewhat controversial among modern scholars who believe it to be the Sanskritised interpretation of later writers.[18]

Chalcolithic sites belonging to the Jorwe culture (circa 1300–700 BCE) have been discovered throughout the state.[23][24]

Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the fourth and third centuries BCE. Around 230 BCE, Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty for 400 years.[25] The greatest ruler of the Satavahana dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni. In 90 CE, Vedishri,[26] son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the "Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty", made Junnar, 30 miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. The state was also ruled by Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before finally, the Yadava rule. The Buddhist Ajanta Caves in present-day Aurangabad display influences from the Satavahana and Vakataka style. The caves were possibly excavated during this period.[27]

Kailasanatha temple, remarkably carved out of one single rock was built by Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (r. 756–773 CE)[28]

The Ramayana panel at Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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.[29] The Arab traveller Sulaiman al Mahri described the ruler of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty Amoghavarsha as "one of the four great kings of the world".[30] 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.[31] 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, Someshvara I, and Vikramaditya VI.[32]

In the early 14th century, the Yadava Dynasty, which ruled most of present-day Maharashtra, was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate ruler Ala-ud-din Khalji. Later, Muhammad bin Tughluq conquered parts of the Deccan, and temporarily shifted his capital from Delhi to 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.[33] After the break-up of the Bahamani sultanate in 1518, Maharashtra split into five Deccan Sultanates: Nizamshah of 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.[34] 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 by the Mughal Empire. Malik Ambar, the regent of the Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmednagar from 1607 to 1626,[35] 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 had ambitions of seating her son-in-law on the throne.[36]

By the early 17th century, Shahaji Bhosale, an ambitious local general who had served Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur at different periods during his career, attempted to establish his independent rule.[37] His son Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj succeeded in establishing the Maratha Empire which was further expanded during the 18th century by the Bhat family Peshwas based in Pune, Bhonsle of Nagpur, Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior.[38] At its peak, the empire covered much of the subcontinent, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km². The Marathas are credited to a large extent for ending the Mughal rule in India.[39][40][41] The Marathas defeated the Mughals and conquered large territories in northern and central parts of the Indian subcontinent. 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, the Marathas soon regained lost influence 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 East India Company ruled the country in 1819.[42][43] The Marathas also developed a potent Navy circa 1660s, which at its peak, dominated the territorial waters of the western coast of India from Mumbai to Savantwadi.[44] It would engage in attacking the British, Portuguese, 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.[45]

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 controlled Mumbai beginning in the 17th century, and used it as one of their main trading posts. The Company slowly expanded areas under its rule during the 18th century. Their conquest of Maharashtra was completed in 1818 with the defeat of Peshwa Bajirao II in the Third Anglo-Maratha War.[46]

The 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 states, retaining autonomy in return for acknowledging British suzerainty. The largest princely states in the territory were Nagpur, 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, which had been part of the Nizam of Hyderabad's kingdom, was occupied by the British in 1853 and annexed to the Central Provinces in 1903.[47] However, a large part called Marathwada remained part of the Nizam's Hyderabad State throughout the British period.

The British ruled for more than a century and brought huge changes in every aspect of life for the people of the Maharashtra region.However, at the turn of the 20th century, the struggle for independence took shape, led by Pune-based radical nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the moderates like Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji.Jyotirao Phule was the pioneer of social reform in Maharashtra region in second half of the 19th century. His work for social justice was continued by Shahu, Raja of Kolhapur, at turn of the century and later by Dr. 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.[48] 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.[49] 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-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 Mysore.In the 1950s, Marathi people strongly protested against bilingual Bombay state under the banner of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti.[50][51] 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.[52] In the Gujarati speaking areas of the state, a similar the Mahagujarat Movement demanded a separate Gujarat state for majority Gujarati areas. After many years of protests, which also saw 106 deaths amongst the protestors, and electoral success of the samiti in 1957 elections, the government of Nehru yielded to public pressure to create on 1 May 1960, a separate Marathi-speaking state by dividing earlier Bombay State into the new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.[53] The state continues to have a dispute with Karnataka regarding the region of Belgaum and Karwar.[54][55][56]

Bramhagiri hills in Sahyadri mountain range (Western Ghats)

Dried up Godavari at Puntamba, Ahmadnagar district after a poor Monsoon

Wainganga River near Bhandara district.

Maharashtra occupies the western and central part of the country and has a long coastline stretching 720 kilometres[57] along the Arabian Sea.[58] One of the more prominent physical features of Maharashtra is the Deccan plateau, which is separated from the Konkan coastline by 'Ghats'.[59] The Ghats are a succession of steep hills, periodically bisected by narrow roads. Most of the famous hill stations of the state are at the Ghats. The Western Ghats (or the Sahyadri Mountain range) provide a physical backbone 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.[60] The state is surrounded by Gujarat to the north west, Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south east, Karnataka to the south and Goa to the south west.[61]

Maharashtra is the third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra has 36 districts, 355 talukas, 535 cities, 63,663 villages, 6 administrative divisions .[62] The Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000 ft).[59] Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik city is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra.[63] 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. Forests comprise 17% of the total area of the state.[58] A majority of the forests are in the eastern and Sahyadri regions of the state. The main rivers of the state are Krishna, Bhima, Godavari, Tapi-Purna and Wardha-Wainganga.[58][64] Since the central parts of the state receives low rainfall, most of the rivers in the region have multiple dams. Maharashtra has around 1821 notable large dams.[65]

Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region, between the Western Ghats and the sea.[66] Kandesh is the north-western region lying in the valley of the Tapti River.[64] Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule and Bhusawal are the major cities of this region.[67] Desh is in the centre of the state.[68] Marathwada, which was a part of the princely state of Hyderabad until 1956, is located in the southeastern part of the state.[58][69] Aurangabad and Nanded are the main cities of the region.[70] Vidarbha is the easternmost region of the state, formerly part of the Central Provinces and Berar. Nagpur, where the winter session of the state assembly is held, Akola, Amravati and Chandrapur are the main cities in the region.[58] Sahyadri range, with an elevation of 1,000 meters, is known for its crowning plateaus.[71] Lying between the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri Range, Konkan is narrow coastal lowland, just 50 km wide and with an elevation below 200 meters.[72] The third important region is the Satpura hills along the northern border, and the Bhamragad-Chiroli-Gaikhuri ranges on the eastern border, which form physical barriers preventing easy movement.[58] These ranges also serve as natural limits to the state.[58][73]

State symbols of Maharashtra[76]

Animal	Indian giant squirrel
Bird	Yellow-footed green pigeon
Tree	Mango Tree
Flower	Jarul
Butterfly	Blue mormon

Flora of Maharashtra is heterogeneous in composition. In 2012 the recorded thick forest area in the state was 61,939 km² (23,915 sq mi) which was about 20.13% of the state's geographical area.These[77] 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).[78] 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 conservation of biodiversity within and outside forest areas in the State.[79][80]

According to the Champion and Seth classification, Maharashtra has five types of forests:[81]

1. Southern Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests:These are found in the western ghats at height of 400–1000 meters.Some of the species of trees found in this type of forests are Anjani, Hirda, Kinjal, and Mango.
2. Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests:Two main sub-types occur under this group. i) Moist Teak bearing Forests:These forests are found in Melghat,[82] other districts in Vidarbha and Thane district.Commercially important Teak, Shishum and bamboo are found here. ii) Moist Mixed deciduous Forests:In addition to evergreen Teak, some of the other tree species found in this type of forests include Jambul, Ain, and Shisam.
3. Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests. Forests of this type occupy a major part of the state. Two types of occur under this group. i) Dry Teak Bearing Forests and ii) Moist Mixed deciduous Forests
4. Southern Tropical Thorn Forests:These are found in the low rainfall regions of Marathwada, Vidarbha, Khandesh and Western Maharashtra. At present, these forests are heavily degraded. Babul, Bor, and Palas are some of the tree species found here.
5. Littoral and Swamp Forests: These are mainly found in the Creeks of Sindhudurg and Thane districts of the coastal Konkan region. These forests are important for the protection of the coastal environment

In addition to the above forest types, Maharashtra harbours significant mangrove, coastal and marine biodiversity, with 304 km² (117 sq mi) of area under mangrove cover as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) of the Forest survey India.[83] Some of the forest areas have been converted into wildlife reserves, thus preserving their biodiversity.[84] Western ghats of Maharashtra are included in the 34 global Biodiversity hotspots owing to its extraordinarily rich biodiversity. The biodiversity includes more than five hundred species of birds.[85] Similarly a study in the Amravati region found 171 species of birds. Both regions include resident as well as migrant species.[86] The state has three game reserves, as well as several national parks and bird sanctuaries.[87] The six tiger reserves located in the state cover a total area of 9,133 km² (3,526 sq mi). Wildlife sanctuaries in the state include Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandoli National Park, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, part of Pench National Park, Navegaon National Park and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.[88] The most common animal species present in the state are tiger, leopard, gaur, sloth bear, sambar, four-horned antelope, blue bull, chital, barking deer, mouse deer, small Indian civet, golden jackal, jungle cat, striped hyena, and hare.[89] Other animals in the state include reptiles such as lizards, cobras and kraits.[87] The national parks of Maharashtra possess a variety of plant species that include jamun, palash, shisam, neem, teak, dhawada, kalam, ain, bija, shirish, mango, acacia, awala, kadamba, moha, hedu and ficus.[82]

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:[90]

1. Amravati
2. Aurangabad
3. Konkan
4. Nagpur
5. Nashik
6. Pune

The state's six divisions are further divided into 36 districts, 109 sub-divisions and 358 talukas.[91] 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.[92] Districts are subdivided into sub-divisions (Taluka) governed by sub-divisional magistrates, and again into blocks.[93] A block consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.[94][95] Talukas are intermediate level panchayat between the Zilla Parishad (district councils) at the district level and gram panchayat (village councils) at the lower level.[93][96]

Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai, Hinduism is the dominant religion in Maharashtra

According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, Maharashtra is the richest state in India and second most populous state in India with a population of 112,374,333 (9.28% of India's population) of which male and female are 58,243,056 and 54,131,277, respectively. The total population growth in 2011 was 15.99 percent while in the previous decade it was 22.57 percent.[99][100] Since independence, the decadal growth rate of population has remained higher (except in the year 1971) than the national average. For the first time, in the year 2011, it was found to be lower than the national average.[100] The 2011 census for the state found 55% of the population to be rural with 45% being urban based.[101][102]

Bihari, Gujarati, Sindhis, Punjabis, Parsis, Marwari, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil minorities are scattered throughout the state. There are also a substantial number of migrants from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Kerala.[103] The 2011 census found scheduled castes and scheduled tribes to account for 11.8 and 8.9% of the population, respectively.[104] The scheduled tribes include adivasis such as Thakar, Warli, Konkana and Halba.[105]

According to the 2011 census, Hinduism was the principal religion in the state at 79.8% of the total population, while Muslims constituted 11.5% of the total population. Buddhism accounted for 5.8% in Maharashtra's total population, with 6,531,200 followers, which is 77.36% of all Buddhists in India. Sikhs, Christians and Jains constituted 0.2%, 1.0%, 1.2% of the population, respectively.[98]

The state contributes 9.28% to India's population.[106] The sex ratio in Maharashtra was 929 females per 1000 males, which was below the national average of 943.[7] The density of Maharashtra was 365 inhabitants per km² which was lower than national average 382 per km². Since 1921, the populations of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg shrank by −4.96% and −2.30%, respectively, while the population of Thane grew by 35.9%, followed by Pune at 30.3%. The literacy rate rose to 83.2%.[107] Of this, male literacy stood at 89.82% and female literacy 75.48%.

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.[151] Maharashtra is the most industrialised state and has maintained the leading position in the industrial sector in India.[152] The State is pioneer in small scale industries.[153] Mumbai, the capital of state and the financial capital of India, houses the headquarters of most of the major corporate and financial institutions. India's main 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.[154]

Mumbai is major contributor to the economy of Maharashtra

The Service sector dominates the economy of Maharashtra, accounting for 61.4% of the value addition and 69.3% of the value of output in the state.[155] The state's per-capita income is 40% higher than the all-India average.[156] The gross state domestic product (GSDP) at current prices for 2011–12 is estimated at 11,995.48 billion and contributes about 14.4% of the GDP.[157] The agriculture and allied activities sector contributes 12.9% to the state's income.[158][159] Net State Domestic Product (State Income), as per the first revised estimates was 10,827.51 billion and Per Capita State Income was 95,339 during 2011–12. The percentage of fiscal deficit to GSDP was 1.7 per cent and debt stock to GSDP was 18.4 per cent during 2012–13, well within Consolidated Fiscal Reform Path stipulated by the Thirteenth Finance Commission. In 2012, Maharashtra reported a revenue surplus of ₹1524.9 million (US$24 million), with a total revenue of ₹1,367,117 million (US$22 billion) and a spending of ₹1,365,592.1 million (US$22 billion).[155] Maharashtra ranks first in FDI equity and percentage share of total FDI inflows is 32.27%.[158] Total FDI inflows into Maharashtra are US$53.48 billion.[155] Top countries that invested FDI equity in Maharashtra (from January 2000 to December 2011) were Mauritius (39%), Singapore (10%), United Kingdom (10%), United States (7%) and Netherlands (5%).[155]

Freshly grown sugarcane, agriculture is the second leading occupation in Maharashtra

Maharashtra contributes 25% of the country's industrial output[160] and is the most indebted state in the country.[161][162] Industrial activity in state is concentrated in four districts: Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane and Pune.[163] Mumbai has the largest share in GSDP (21.5 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.[163] 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.[163] Industries in Maharashtra include chemical and chemical products (17.6%), food and food products (16.1%), refined petroleum products (12.9%), machinery and equipment (8%), textiles (6.9%), basic metals (5.8%), motor vehicles (4.7%) and furniture (4.3%).[164] Maharashtra is the manufacturing hub for some of the largest public sector industries in India, including Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Tata Petrodyne and Oil India Ltd.[165]

Maharashtra has an above average knowledge industry in India with the Pune Metropolitan area being the leading IT hub in the state. Approximately 25% of the top 500 companies in the IT sector are situated in Maharashtra.[166] The state accounts for 28% of the software exports of India.[166] The state houses important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, the SEBI and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. It is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy.[163]

The banking sector comprises scheduled and non-scheduled banks.[166] Scheduled banks are of two types, commercial and co-operative. Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) in India are classified into five types: State Bank of India and its associates, nationalised banks, private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks and others (foreign banks). In 2012, there were 9,053 banking offices in the state, of which about 26 percent were in rural and 54 percent 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.[167] Three largest urban cooperative banks in India are all based in Maharashtra.[168]

With more than half the population being rural, agriculture and allied industries play an important role in the states's economy. The agriculture and allied activities sector contributes 12.9% to the state's income. Staples such as rice and millet are the main monsoon crops. Important cash crops include sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds, tobacco, fruit, vegetables and spices such as turmeric.[60] Animal husbandry is an important agriculture related activity. The State's share in the livestock and poultry population in India is about 7% and 10% respectively. Maharashtra was a pioneer in the development of Agricultural Cooperative Societies after independence. In fact, it was an integral part of the then Governing 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,[169][170][171] Apart from sugar, Cooperatives play a crucial role in dairy,[172] cotton, and fertiliser industries.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport(Mumbai)

Mumbai-Pune Intercity Express train

A container ship at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust

The state has a large, multi-modal transportation system with the largest road network in India.[173] In 2011, the total length of surface road in Maharashtra was 267,452 km;[174] national highways comprised 4,176 km[175] and state highways 3,700 km.[174] The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) provides economical and reliable passenger road transport service in the public sector.[176] 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, 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. Almost 98% of villages are connected via the highways and modern roads in Maharashtra. Average speed on state highways varies between 50 and 60 km/h (31–37 mi/h) due to heavy presence of vehicles; in villages and towns, speeds are as low as 25–30 km/h (15–18 mi/h).[177]

The first passenger train in India ran from Mumbai to Thane on 16 April 1853.[178] Rail transportation is run by Central Railway, Western Railway, South Central Railway and South East Central Railway zones of the Indian Railways with the first two zones being headquartered in Mumbai, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Churchgate respectively and Konkan Railway which is headquartered in Navi Mumbai.[179][180] The Mumbai Rajdhani Express, the fastest rajdhani train, connects the Indian capital of New Delhi to Mumbai.[181] Thane and CSMT are the busiest railway stations in India,[182] the latter serving as a terminal for both long-distance trains and commuter trains of the Mumbai Suburban Railway.

The two principal sea ports, Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which is also in the Mumbai region, are under the control and supervision of the government of India.[183] There are around 48 minor ports in Maharashtra.[184] 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.

Almost all the major cities of Maharashtra have airports. CSIA (formerly Bombay International Airport) and Juhu Airport are the two airports in Mumbai. The two other international airports are Pune International Airport and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur. While Aurangabad Airport is a domestic airport operated by Airports Authority of India. Flights are operated by both private and government airline companies.

Most of the State's airfields are operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) while Reliance Airport Developers (RADPL), currently operate five non-metro airports at Latur, Nanded, Baramati, Osmanabad and Yavatmal on a 95-year lease.[185] 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.[186] Additional smaller airports include Akola, Amravati, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gondia, Jalgaon, Karad, Kolhapur, Nashik Road, Ratnagiri, and Solapur.[187]

Census of 2011 showed literacy rates in the state for males and females were around 78% and 67% respectively.[188]

Primary and secondary level

Students at a state-run primary school in Raigad district.

Maharashtra schools are run by the state government or by private organisations, including religious institutions. Instruction is mainly in Marathi, English or Hindi, though Urdu is also used.Physical education is mandatory.[195] The secondary schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open School (NIOS) or the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. 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.

Tertiary level

Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, was one of the institutions established after the Indian independence movement

Maharashtra has 24 universities with a turnout of 160,000 Graduates every year.[196][197] Maharashtra has played a pioneering role in the development of the modern education system in India. The University of Mumbai, is the largest university in the world in terms of the number of graduates and has 141 affiliated colleges.[198] According to prominent national rankings, 5 to 7 Maharashtra colleges and universities are ranked among the top 20 in India.[199][200][201] Maharashtra is also home to such notable autonomous institutes as Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 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).[202] 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, Film and Television Institute of India, Armed Forces Medical College and National Chemical Laboratory were established in Pune soon after the Indian independence in 1947. Mumbai has an IIT, has National Institute of Industrial Engineering and Nagpur has IIM and AIIMS.

Some of the 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).

Maharashtra has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions. Most of the private colleges were set up in the last thirty years after the State Government of Vasantdada Patil liberalised the Education Sector in 1982.[203] Politicians and leaders involved in the huge cooperative movement in Maharashtra were instrumental in setting up the private institutes[204][205] There are also local community colleges with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.

Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (Agricultural university) at Akola

The state also has four agricultural universities namely Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth and Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth,[206] besides these, there are other regional universities like 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, all well established and nationally renowned, to cover the educational needs at the district levels of the state. Apart from this, there are a number of deemed universities in Maharashtra, including Symbiosis International University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and Tilak Maharashtra University.[207]

Times of India building in Mumbai

More than 200 newspapers and 350 consumer magazines have an office in this state and the book-publishing industry employs about 250,000 people. Sakal published from Pune and other major Maharashtrian cities, has the largest circulation for Marathi Newspaper in Maharashtra as of December 2016.[258] Other major Marathi newspapers are Maharashtra Times, Loksatta, Nava Kal, Pudhari and Lokmat. Tarun Bharat and Kesari, two newspapers that once were quite influential during the colonial and the post-independence era have stopped the print edition and are now published only digitally. Popular Marathi language magazines are Saptahik Sakal, Grihashobhika, Lokrajya, Lokprabha and Chitralekha.[259] Major English language newspapers which are published and sold in large numbers are 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, Business Standard and The Financial Express are widely circulated.[260] Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil and Urdu are also read by a select readership.

The television industry developed in Maharashtra and is a significant employer in the state's economy.[261] Numerous Indian and international television channels can be watched in Maharashtra through one of the Pay TV companies or the local cable television provider. The four major India broadcast networks are all headquartered in Maharashtra: The Times, STAR India, CNN-IBN and ZEEL. Doordarshan is the state-owned television broadcaster and provides two free terrestrial channels. Multi system operators provide a mix of Marathi, Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, English and international channels via cable. The wide range of cable channels available includes sports channels like ESPN, Star Sports, National entertainment channels like Colors, Sony, Zee TV and Star Plus, Business news channels like CNBC Awaaz, Zee Business, ET Now and Bloomberg UTV. Marathi 24-hour television news channels include ABP Majha, News18 Lokmat, Zee 24 Taas, Saam, TV9 Marathi and Jai Maharashtra. Also, Marathi Entertainment Channels includes Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva, Colors Marathi, Star Pravah, Sony Marathi and Fakt Marathi.

All India Radio is a public radio station. Private FM stations are available in all major cities. Vodafone, Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Aircel, MTS India, Tata Indicom, Idea Cellular and Tata DoCoMo are available cellular phone operators. Maharashtra has the highest share of the internet market at 18.8% of total households internet users in India.[262] Broadband internet is available in all towns, villages and cities, provided by the state-run MTNL and BSNL and by other private companies.[263] Dial-up access is provided throughout the state by BSNL and other providers.

The most popular sports in Maharashtra are Kabaddi and Cricket.

Children playing cricket in Mumbai

A Cricket match at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur

A mallakhamba team of the Indian Army's Bombay Sappers performs on the pole.

As in the rest of India, cricket is popular in Maharashtra and is played on grounds and in streets throughout the state. Maharashtra has various domestic level franchise-based leagues for hockey, chess, tennis and badminton. The state is home to top national football clubs such as Mumbai Tigers F.C., Kenkre F.C., Bengal Mumbai FC and Air India FC.[264] Adventure sports such as paragliding, water sports, rock climbing, backpacking, mountaineering and scuba diving are also popular in the state.[265] Other notable sports played in the state include Kho kho, fencing, archery and shooting.

Maharashtra has an Indian Premier League franchise known as the Mumbai Indians and also had the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant and Pune Warriors India; The state has three cricket associations viz. Mumbai Cricket Association which is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai, Greater Mumbai and Thane districts,[266] Vidarbha Cricket Association which is the governing body for cricket in Vidarbha Region[267] and Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) which is the governing body for cricket for rest of Maharashtra. Maharashtra has three domestic cricket teams: the Mumbai cricket team, Maharashtra cricket team and Vidarbha cricket team. Wankhede Stadium which has a capacity of around 33,000 hosted the final match of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.[268][269] It is home to the Mumbai Indians and Mumbai cricket team[269] while the MCA Stadium in Pune is home to the Maharashtra cricket team and Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur is home to the Vidarbha cricket team.

Maharashtra football team represents the state in competition for the Santosh Trophy. Pune FC and Mumbai FC were the football clubs from the state that played in I-League. Maharashtra has two teams in the Indian Super League (ISL), FC Pune City and Mumbai City FC representing the two cities respectively.

The state has two club franchises playing in American football's Elite Football League of India.[270] Mumbai Gladiators and Pune Marathas[271] are teams based in Mumbai and Pune respectively.[272]

Mumbai and Pune hold derby races at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and Pune Race Course respectively.[273][274] The wrestling championships Hind Kesari and Maharashtra Kesari are widely popular in the rural regions and are affiliated with the All India Amateur Wrestling Federation (AIAWF).[275] Maharashtra Chess Association is the apex body for the game of chess in Maharashtra.[276] Maharashtra Tennis League is India's first league format in tennis.[277][278]

Notable athletes from Maharashtra include India's first individual Olympic Medalist- wrestler Khashaba Jadhav, retired cricket legends and former captains of the Indian national cricket team, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar;,[279][280][281] Indian national cricket team player Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, Commonwealth Games gold medalists – shooters Anjali Bhagwat, Rahi Sarnobat and Tejaswini Sawant, Asian Games silver medalist Hiranna M. Nimal, chess player Rohini Khadilkar, tennis player Gaurav Natekar, former hockey players Dhanraj Pillay, Viren Rasquinha and badminton players Nikhil Kanetkar and Aparna Popat.[282]

According to a survey, most tourists visiting places in Maharashtra are from the state. Two other states, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh send the largest number of domestic visitors to Maharashtra. Foreign visitors to Maharashtra account for just 2% of the tourist. Visitors from the US, UK, Germany, and UAE each form a significant percentage of foreign tourists.[286]

Mumbai, the biggest and the most cosmopolitan city in India attracts tourists from all over the world for its many attractions including colonial architecture, beaches, movie industry, shopping, and an active nightlife. Pune, called the cultural capital of Maharashtra, also attracts many visitors during the annual Ganeshotsav festival.

The area around Aurangabad has many ancient and medieval sites including the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora caves, the Daulatabad Fort, and the Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad.

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 with people interested in trekking, hiking and Heritage tourism related to Shivaji.[287]

The British built many hill-stations during the colonial era for government officials to escape from the heat of Indian summers.These places have been magnets for tourism for a long time. The important hill stations in Western Maharashtra are Mahabaleshwar, and Matheran. In Vidarbha region, Chikhaldara is the hill station popular with visitors.

Places of worship that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include the Sikh Gurudwara of Hazur Sahib at Nanded, Khandoba temple at Jejuri in Pune district where worshipers shower each other with Bhandar[288] and the shrine of Saibaba at Shirdi. The places associated with the Warkari sect such as Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi attract pilgrims from all over Maharashtra throughout the year but particularly during religious observations at these places.[289]

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,[290] Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagpur district, the Nagzira wild life sanctuary and Navegaon National Park (bird sanctuary) of Gondia District.

The state government has established Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) for systematic development and promotion of tourism in the state. MTDC has, since its inception, been involved in the development and maintenance of the various tourist locations of Maharashtra. MTDC owns and maintains resorts at all key tourist centers and having more resorts is on the plan.[291]

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  Night-time skyline of Downtown Mumbai at Nariman Point
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  Ganeshotsav festival in Pune
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  Khandoba at Jejuri.
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  Venna Lake at Mahabaleshwar
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  Indian Tigers at Tadoba Tiger reserve

• Deccan
• List of Maratha dynasties and states
• List of Marathi people
• List of people from Maharashtra
• List of synagogues in Maharashtra
• Make in Maharashtra
• Religion in Maharashtra