Native name	Aurangabad
Other name	औरंगाबाद   اورنگ آباد
Nickname	City of Gates,
Capital	''Tourism capital of Maharashtra''
Old name	Khadki
Type	city
Skyline	Bibi ka Maqbara.JPG
Skyline caption	Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad.
Official languages	Hindi, Marathi, English and Urdu.
Region	Marathwada
State name	Maharashtra
District	Aurangabad
Leader title	Divisional Commissioner of Aurangabad
Leader name	Bhaskar Munde
Leader title 2	Mayor
Leader name 2	Anita Ghodele
Altitude	513
Population as of	2011
Population total	1710285+ inculdes nearest suburbs, waluj
Pop metro	1400560
Population density	6051
Area magnitude	1 E?
Area total	300
Area telephone	0240
Postal code	431 XXX
Vehicle code range	MH 20
Website	www.AurangabadMahapalika.org
Footnotes	http://www.citypopulation.de/world/Agglomerations.html }}

Aurangabad (, }}), , is a city in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. Aurangabad (meaning "Built by the Throne") is named after the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded with many historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Bibi Ka Maqbara. The administrative headquarters of the Aurangabad Division or Marathwada region, Aurangabad is said to be a ''City of Gates'' and the strong presence of these can be felt as one drives through the city. Recently, Aurangabad has been declared as Tourism Capital of Maharashtra. The city is also one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

History

Aurangabad was founded in 1610 A.D. by Malik Ambar, the Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar, on the site of a village called Khadki. He made it his capital and the men of his army raised their dwellings around it. Within a decade, Khadki grew into a populous and imposing city. Malik Ambar cherished strong love and ability for architecture. Aurangabad was Ambar's architectural achievement and creation. Malik Ambar died in 1626. He was succeeded by his son Fateh Khan, who changed the name of Khadki to Fatehnagar. With the capture of Daulatabad previously known as Devagiri by the imperial troops in 1633, the Nizam Shahi dominions, including Fatehnagar, came under the possession of the Moghals.

In 1653 when Prince Aurangzeb was appointed the viceroy of the Deccan for the second time, he made Fatehnagar his capital and renamed it Aurangabad. Aurangabad is sometimes referred to as Khujista Bunyad by the Chroniclers of Aurangzeb's reign.

Bibi Ka Maqbara was built in 1660 by Aurangzeb's son, Azam Shah, as a loving tribute to his mother, Dilras Bano Begam. In 1720, Nizam-ul-Mulk Asif Jah, a distinguished General of Aurangzeb with the intention of founding his own dynasty in the Deccan, arrived at Aurangabad and made it his capital. He paid a visit to Delhi in 1723, but returned in 1724, Nizam Ali Khan Asaf Jah II transferred his capital from Aurangabad to Hyderabad in 1763.

Aurangabad was a part of Nizam's princely Hyderabad State until its annexation into Indian Union and thereafter a part of Hyderabad state of India until 1956. In 1956 it became a part of newly formed bilingual Bombay state and in 1960 it became a part of Maharashtra state.

1857 War of Independence

The year 1857 was eventful in the history of Aurangabad with the rest of the country. The British moved the first cavalry from Mominabad (Ambejogai) to Aurangabad, in order to relieve 3rd cavalry which had marched to Malegaon, and was the first regiment to show signs of disaffection. The 2nd Infantry also came under suspicion. The authorities at Hyderabad were kept informed of the course of events by express. Upon this, a column of troops was ordered to march from Pune to Aurangabad. In the meanwhile, the artillery was also showing signs of rebellion, but the rumour of Bombay troops marching towards Aurangabad had a quieting effect. The men of the cavalry also returned to their posts.

The Pune force was under the command of General Woodburn. Upon his arrival, General Woodburn marched straight to the encampment of the 3rd Cavalry, and the disaffected regiment was ordered out to a dismounted parade. The rissaldar of the first troop was directed to call out the names of the revolutionaries, and commenced by giving the name of the senior jamadar, who ordered his men to load their carbines. By this time the General with his staff and the English officers were mixed up with the disaffected troops, and hence the guns could not be used to put down the latter. In the confusion that followed, some of the troopers broke away, ran to their horses and fled away. The guns were fired upon them and the Hussars were sent in pursuit; but several of them managed to escape. A dafadar of the cavalry, Mir Fida Ali by name, fired a shot at his commanding officer, Captain Abbott. For this act of his, he was tried by a drum-head, court-martialed and hanged. The court-martial continued its sittings, and 24 men were condemned, of whom 21 were, shot and three blown away from guns. About two-thirds of the regiment which had remained quiet was marched to Edalabad and recruited to its full strength by men from the other three regiments of the cavalry. Subsequently the third cavalry served throughout the campaign under Sir Hugh Rose.

Photographs taken by Lala Deen Dayal & others in the 19th century, sourced from the British Library, ''Views of HH the Nizam's Dominions, Hyderabad, Deccan''.

Geography and climate

The co-ordinates for Aurangabad are N 19° 53' 47" - E 75° 23' 54". The city is surrounded by hills on all directions.

Climate Classification: Aurangabad features a semiarid climate under the Koppen climate classification.

Temperature: Annual temperatures in Aurangabad range from 9 to 40 °C, with the most comfortable time to visit in the winter - October to February. The highest maximum temperature ever recorded was 46 °C (114 °F) on 25 May 1905. The lowest recorded temperature was 2 °C (36 °F) on 2 February 1911. In the cold season, the district is sometimes affected by cold waves in association with the eastward passage of western disturbances across north India, when the minimum temperature may drop down to about 2 °C to 4 °C (35.6 °F to 39.2 °F).

Rainfall: Most of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season from June to September. Average annual rainfall is 725 mm.

Demographics

{{IndiaCensusPop |title= Population growth |1901= 36837 |1911= 34902 |1921= 36876 |1931= 36870 |1941= 50924 |1951= 66636 |1961= 97701 |1971= 165253 |1981= 301000 |1991= 592000 |2001= 902179 |2006= 1414918 |estimate= |estyear= |estref= |footnote=Source:Census of India }} The city with cantonment had a population of 30209 in 1880s of whom Hindus were 59.1 per cent, Muslims were 39.2 percent, Christians were 1.1 percent, Parsis were 0.1 percent, and others were 0.5 percent. In the city proper Brahmins were 7.1 percent and Muslims were 38.5 percent. The city area then was roughly two and half to three and half square miles. In 1971 the city had a population of 1,50,514, (excluding cantonment) the growth during the decade from 1961 to 1971 was 71.86 percent. The growth was highest in the state even higher than Greater Bombay which grew by 43.75 percent. Marathi and Urdu are the principal languages of the city. According to 1961 census the percentage of residents speaking Marathi were 43.60 percent and residents speaking Urdu were 36.69 percent. Hindi speakers were third with 11.99 percent.

Economy

There is evidence to believe that Aurangabad was developed as a trading hub four centuries ago. aurangabad is the one the most fastest developing city in Asia continenet. it ranks no.1 in developing city. It lies on a major trade route that used to connect north-west India's sea and land ports to the Deccan region. Recently Aurangabad was in news for placing single largest order for Mercedes Benz cars in a single transaction in India — 150 Mercedes Benz cars worth Rs 65 crore.

Industry

The city was a major silk and cotton textile production centre. A fine blend of silk with locally grown cotton was developed as Himroo textile. Paithani silk saris are also made in Aurangabad. With the opening of the Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railways in the year 1900 several ginning factories were started. After 1960, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) began acquiring land and setting up industrial estates. Aurangabad is now classic example of efforts of state government towards balanced industrialisation of state.

The Maharashtra Centre For Entrepreneurship Development's main office is in Aurangabad.

Many renowned Indian and MNCs have established themselves in the Industrial Estates of Aurangabad:

Audi India

Škoda Auto

Volkswagen

Wockhardt

Videocon

Siemens

SABMiller India

pepsico

Bajaj Auto

Johnson & Johnson

Colgate-Palmolive

Kenstar

Endress+Hauser

Crompton Greaves

Knewron

MAN Diesel

Sterlite Optical Technologies

Franke

Greaves Cotton

Goodyear

lupinpharmaceuticals

Forbes Gokak Ltd

Baxter

Lombardini India

Intelenet Global Services

Mahyco Seeds / Monsanto

Wipro Lighting Ltd

Aurangabad also has 5 star hotels like ITC Welcomgroup's The Rama International, The Ajanta Ambassador, The Taj Residency, The Lemontree (formerly The President Park), Vits (formerly Hotel Vedant)and the Aurangabad Gymkhana

Recently Aurangabad became the third city in Maharashtra (after Pune & Nashik ) to host an auto cluster namely Marathwada Auto Cluster(MAC). Electrical goods major Siemens has set up a plant for manufacturing of superior quality bogies for locomotives, electric multiple units and metro coaches at Shendra MIDC Aurangabad.

Financial services

Modern banking in the district may be said to have begun when the Central Bank of India was established in Hyderabad State on 19 February 1932, at Jalna, and in next year i.e., on 20 December 1933, at Aurangabad. Later on in 1945 the Bank of Hyderabad was established under the Hyderabad State Bank Act of 1350 Fasli.

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Aurangabad has seen a spurt in financial activities, with almost all public sector and private banks have opened up branches including the State Bank of India, State Bank of Hyderabad, Bank of Maharashtra, Citibank India, Deutsche Bank, ICICI Bank, Bank of India, HDFC Bank, etc. Also Regional Rural Bank viz. Maharashtra Godavari Gramin Bank has its head office in Aurangabad city.

Administration and politics

Local administration

Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is the local civil body. It is divided into six zones. The Municipal Council was established in 1936, the Municipal Council area was about 54.5 km². It was elevated to the status of Municipal Corporation from 8 December 1982, and simultaneously including eighteen peripheral villages, making total area under its jurisdiction to 138.5 km² extended its limits.

The city is divided in 99 electoral wards called as ''Prabhag'', and each ward is represented by a Corporator elected by the people from each ward. There are two Committees, General Body and Standing Committee headed by the Mayor and the Chairman respectively. AMC is responsible for providing basic amenities like drinking water, drainage facility, road, street lights, healthcare facilities, primary schools, etc. AMC collects its revenue from the urban taxes which are imposed on citizens. The administration is headed by the Municipal Commissioner; an I.A.S. Officer, assisted by the other officers of different departments.

State and central administration

Aurangabad division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. Aurangabad divisions almost completely coincides with the Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

Aurangabad contributes one seat to the Lok Sabha - Aurangabad (Lok Sabha constituency). The seat is currently held by Mr. Chandrakant Khaire, MP of the Shiv Sena party. It also holds the seat for the Assembly - Aurangabad West. Mr Rajendra Darda of (Indian National Congress) is the MLA from Aurangabad East constituency and holds the portfolio of Cabinet Minister for Education, Government of Maharashtra. In latest constituency arrangements made by, Aurangabad will conrtibute one Loksabha seat, and three state assembly seats namely Aurangabad East, Aurangabad West and Aurangabad Central. The latest MLAs being - Aurangabad (East) - Rajendra Darda of Congress(I), Aurangabad (Central) - Pradeep Jaiswal (Independent) and Aurangabad (West) Sanjay Shirsat of Shiv-Sena.

Judiciary

Bombay High Court Aurangabad Bench : The Aurangabad bench of The Bombay High Court was established in 1982. Initially only a few districts of Maharashtra were under the Aurangabad bench. Subsequently in 1988, Ahmednagar and others districts were attached to the bench. The jurisdiction of the Aurangabad Bench is over Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalna, Jalgaon, Beed, Parbhani, Latur and Osmanabad. The Aurangabad bench has a strong Bar of more than 700 advocates. The Aurangabad bench has now 15 judges. The present building of bench is situated in a very huge premises. The first phase of centrally located magnificent High Court edifice, having 6,202.18 square metres built up area was opened in the month of June 1995.

Media and communication

Newspapers: Lokmat, Sakaal, Punyanagri, Samana, Loksatta, Aurangabad Times, Aurangabad Express, Shama-e-Rahbar, Asia Express and Sanjvarta. Divya Marathi(Bhaskar group of news paper)

Radio: The city has four FM radio stations - 1) All India Radio, 2) Gyaanvani 3) Radio Mirchi 98.3fm, 4) Red FM 93.5.

Internet: Internet facilities are provided by several suppliers, Now All City is Wi-Max (WI-FI), BSNL is leading internet facilities provider, Media:Broad

Transport

Air

Aurangabad Airport is a international airport serving the city and has connecting flights to Delhi, Udaipur, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune, Nagpur. Recently flights were made available to the people traveling to the Hajj pilgrimage.

Rail

Aurangabad (station code:AWB) is a station located on the Secunderabad-Manmad section of the Nanded division of South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Aurangabad has rail connectivity with Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad. It is also connected to Nanded, Parli, Nagpur, Nizamabad, Nasik, Pune, Kurnool, Renigunta, Erode, Madurai, Bhopal, Gwalior. But there is still a demand for direct rail connectivity to other major cities of India. The Aurangabad Jan Shatabdi Express is the fastest train connecting it with Mumbai.

Road

Aurangabad is well connected by roads with various major cities of Maharashtra and other states. National Highway 211 from Dhule to Solapur passes through the city. Aurangabad has road connectivity to Jalna, Pune, Ahmednagar, Nagpur, Beed, Mumbai and the route is currently being upgraded into four lane road of National Highway standard. A new Nagpur–Aurangabad–Mumbai express highway is also being developed. ;Local transport

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and numerous other private bus operators provide bus service connecting the city to all parts of the state. (MSRTC) also operates an intra-city bus service called 'Aurangabad City Bus' which connects different parts of the city together along with connecting the city to its nearby suburbs.

Education

Aurangabad has transformed into a major education centre in the Deccan due to its rapid industrial growth and proximity to Mumbai and Pune. It has schools run by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation and private schools owned and run by trusts and individuals. Aurangabad has many schools and colleges for higher studies.

In the recent past, a couple of new quality schools have recently started in the city of Aurangabad. This is helping the students from becoming the victim of rote pattern of learning. Some of the schools in the city of Aurangabad are:

# Maharashtra Public School # Indus World School, F - 4/1 Golden Dreams I. T. Business Park, MIDC Chikalthana, Aurangabad.(CBSE curriculum) # Podar International School # Nath Valley School # Cambridge International School # Stepping Stones School # Holy Cross English High School # Jain International School # The Jain International School # SBOA

The city is transforming into major technological and management study hub with many engineering and management institutes. Some of the engineering and management colleges are:

# Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad # Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College # PES College of Engineering # Marathwada Institute of Technology (MIT) # Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies, Railway Station Road, Aurangabad. # Hitech College of Engineering # University Department of Chemical Technology # School of Management Studies, Dr. B A M University # Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) (has its center in Aurangabad Chikalthana MIDC ) # MGM Institute of Management, etc.

Indogerman Tool Room is an industrial training center established by joint venture of the governments of India and Germany. It provides very skilled manpower to the industry of Aurangabad and the state.

Aurangabad is one of the pharmacy hubs of India with many pharmacy colleges in the city. Some of them are: # Government College of Pharmacy # Y B Chavan College of Pharmacy # Bhagwan Shikshan Parasark Mandal Pharmacy College # Dr. Vedprakash Pharmacy College, etc. # Yash Institute of Pharmacy

Aurangabad has a good number of medical colleges. # Government Medical College and Hospital # MGM Medical College and Hospital # SCSM Ayurvedic and Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Paithan Road # D K M M Homoeopathic Medical College, Samarth Nagar # MGM College of Naturopathy, etc.

There are good number of institutes in the city which offer education in basic science, commerce and arts. Some of these are as follows. # Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University # Government Institute of Science, Aurangabad # Government College of Science, Delhi Gate, Aurangabad # Government College of Arts, Delhi Gate, Aurangabad # MGM College of Dance and Music # University Art Departments # Deogiri College of Arts, Commerce and Science # Shri Saraswati Bhuvan College of Arts, Commerce and Science # Maulana Azad College of Arts and Commerce # Maulana Azad College of Science # Vivekanad College of Science # Sardar Dilipsingh College of Arts and Commerce # Vasantrao Naik College of Arts and Commerce # University Departments of Physics, Chemistry and Biology # Aurangabad College for Women, Naukhanda.

Aurangabad has good number of law colleges. Some are as follows: # M P Law College # Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Law College # University Department of Law

The city is one of the major tourist hubs in India. The city also offers hotel management and tourism courses. Some of the institutes for hotel management are: # Institute of Hotel Management, Dr. Rafiq Zakaria Campus, Aurangabad # MGM institute of Hotel Management # University Department of Tourism, etc.

Aurangabad has many polytechnic and industrial training institutes, which not only offer education in engineering technology but also specialized courses such as Food Technology, Nursing, Crafts, Animation, etc. The Institute of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, one of the specialised institutes in avionics is in Aurangabad. The Government Polytechnic of Aurangabad provides courses in Dress Designing and Garment Manufacturing.

For the category of working people many colleges in Aurangabad offer distance education as well as evening college facility. Indira Gandhi National Open University has its center in city with classroom facility. The city has the Regional Directorate of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University. Marathwada Institute of Technology has the engineering center of the same.

Apart from this, the city has many colleges/training institutes/coaching centers, which provide professional training in English proficiency, software-hardware tools, UPSC, GATE, MHCET, AIEEE, CAT, PMT, JEE, etc.

Aurangabad has one of the finest English schools in India. One of the best schools in Aurangabad is Nath Valley School(CBSE pattern) which is ranked among the top 10 schools of India. It has the best faculty, infrastructure and environment. It has managed to prove itself at the National and the International level and was awarded the "Best School Award" by the British Council.

Vedic School: Shri Sant Dnyaneshwar Ved Vidya Pratishthan, located near Harsul Lake

As Aurangabad is one of the major Urdu speaking city it has some good Urdu schools too:

# Burhani National Urdu Primary School, Deodi Bazaar, Burhani Street, Aurangabad # Al-Saif National Education Society's..... # Iqra Urdu School (has separte buildings for girls and boys)

Aurangabad Cantonment

Aurangabad Cantonment is the greenest area of the Aurangabad city. It also has a nine hole golf course, the only such course in Marathwada region. Aurangabad Cantonment was formed in the year 1819 with European Officers to train the Nizam Army. In 1903, a treaty was signed between British and the Nizam, and it was decided to establish a proper Cantonment. Today the Cantonment is spread across with civil population of 19274 as per 2001 census.

Tourist attractions

Bibi Ka Maqbara: Situated about 3 km. from the city is Bibi Ka Maqbara, the burial place of Aurangzeb's wife, Rabia-ud-Durrani. It is an imitation of the Taj at Agra and due to its similar design, it is popularly known as the Mini Taj of the Deccan. The Maqbara stands in the middle of a spacious and formally planned Mughal garden with axial ponds, fountains, water channels, broad pathways and pavilions. Behind the mausoleum is located a small archaeological museum.

Panchakki (water mill): Is a 17th century water mill situated at a distance of 1 km from the city. An intriguing water mill, the Panchakki is famous for its underground water channel, which traverses more than 8 km. to its source away in the mountains. The channel culminates in a mesmerising 'artificial' waterfall that powers the mill. The beauty of the mosque housed in the inner enclosure is enhanced by a series of 'dancing' water fountains.

Gates in Aurangabad: One of the things that makes Aurangabad stand out from the several other medieval cities in India are its 52 'gates' each of which have a local history or had individuals linked with them. Not many people are aware of the fact that Aurangabad is also known as the 'City of Gates'.

Aurangabad Caves: Situated at a distance of 5 km, nestled amidst the hills are 12 Buddhist caves probably dating back to 3 A.D. Of particular interest are the Tantric influences evident in the iconography and architectural designs of the caves. One is also treated to a panoramic view of the city as well as the imposing Maqbara from this point.

Khadkeshwar Shiva Mandir: A huge temple of Lord Shiva is located in Khadkeshwar.

Varad Ganesh Mandir: A well known Ganesh temple in the city located in Samarthnagar.

Quila-E-Ark: In 1692, Aurangzeb ordered a palace to be built and named it as the Killa Arrak. The space enclosed by the Killa Arrak or citadel covered nearly the whole ground between the Mecca and Delhi gates of the city. It had four or five gateways and a nagarkhana for the musicians. The walls were battle-mented and loop-holed and had semi-circular towers at the angles, on which guns were once mounted. The inner portion was occupied by recesses similar to those in the city walls. To the right of the entrance was a high terrace extending the whole length of the ground enclosed.

Kali Masjid, Jumma Masjid: Among the mosques, the Jumma masjid and the Kali masjid built by Malik Ambar, and the Shah Ganj mosque are the most conspicuous. Malik Ambar is said to have built seven mosques which go by the general name of Kali masjid. The Kali masjid is in Juna Bazar area and was erected in 1600 A. D. It is a six-pillared stone-building standing on a high plinth. The Jumma masjid of Malik Ambar is near the Killa Arrak. It has fifty polygonal pillars arranged in five rows, and connected by a system of arches, which divide the building into twenty-seven equal compartments, each covered by a domical vault of simple but elegant design. There are nine pointed arches in front. Of these, five were erected by Malik Ambar in 1612 A. D. and the remaining four were added by Aurangzeb.

Shahganj Masjid: Occupying the great market square of Aurangabad is the large Shah Ganj mosque, one of the finest edifices of its class to be found in any put of India. It was built in about 1720 A.D. Khafi Khan, the author of Muntakhabu-1-Lubab, referring to Sayyad Husain Khan’s viceroyalty of the Deccan (1714–1719) says "the reservoir at Shah Ganj was begun by Sayyad Husain Ali, and although Aazu-d Daula Iraz Khan enlarged and made higher the buildings and mosques still Sayyad Husain Ali was the originator of that extensive reservoir, which in summer, when water is scarce relieves the sufferings of the inhabitants".

Chowk Masjid: In 1655 was built the Chauk Masjid by Shayista Khan, the maternal uncle of Aurangzeb. Its front has five pointed arches, and is two arches in depth. These are connected with one another by eight pillars and corresponding pilasters, and support five domes. The central dome, with a metallic spire is lofty, while the others are concealed in the roof. The corners are decorated with minarets.

Salim Ali Lake & Bird Sanctuary: Salim Ali Sarovar (lake) popularly known as Salim Ali Talab is located near Delhi Gate, opposite Himayat Bagh, Aurangabad. It is located in the northern part of the city. During the Mughal period it was known as Khiziri Talab. It has been renamed after the great ornithologist and naturalist Salim Ali. It also has a bird Sanctuary and a garden maintained by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation.

Culture and cuisine

Culture

The culture of Aurangabad city is heavily influenced by Hyderabad. The old city still retains the cultural flavour and charms of Muslim culture of Hyderabad. Its influence is reflected in the language and cuisine of the locals. Although Marathi and Urdu are the principal languages of the city, they are spoken in Dakhni – Hyderabadi Urdu dialect.

Wali Dakhni also known as Wali Aurangabadi (1667–1731 or 1743) was a classical poet of Urdu from Aurangabad. He was the first established poet to have composed in Urdu language. Prominent poets like Shah Hatem, Shah Abro, Mir Taqi Mir, Zauq and Sauda were among his admirers. Other prominent poets from Aurangabad include Siraj Aurangabadi, Azad Bilgrami and Sikandar Ali Wajd.

Abul Ala Maududi one of the Muslim scholar ( 1903–1979 ) was born in Aurangabad, India. Syed Abul A'ala Maududi was born to Maulana Ahmad Hasan, a lawyer by profession. Maududi was the youngest of his three brothers. His father was "descended from the Chishti line of saints; in fact his last name was derived from the first member of the Chishti Silsilah i.e. Khawajah Syed Qutb ul-Din Maudood Chishti (d. 527 AH) He was also the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Islamic revivalist party.

Cuisine

Aurangabadi food is much like Mughlai or Hyderabadi cuisine with its fragrant pulao and Biryani. Meat cooked in fresh spices and herbs is a speciality, as are the delectable sweets. The local cuisine is a blend of Mughlai and Hyderabadi cuisine, with an influence of the spices and herbs of the Marathwada region.

Naan Qalia is a dish that is associated with Aurangabad in India. It is a concoction of mutton and a variety of spices. Naan is the bread made in tandoor (Hot furnace) while Qalia is a mixture of mutton and various spices.

The dish originated in the army camp of Muhammad bin Tughlaq when he shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in the year 1327. Later the dish was used in the army camps of the Mughals who had their base in and around Daulatabad and Aurangabad in the deccan. Soldiers and camp followers settled in Aurangabad patronised the dish and the tradition continues to this day.

Tahri or Tahari is similar to pulao–Biryani and is very popular in Aurangabad and Marathwada. Tahri is prepared by adding the meat to the rice, as opposed to traditional Biryani where the rice is added to the meat.

Aurangabad / Marathwada / Dakhni cuisine is a blend of the Puneri and the Hyderabadi cuisine (which beautifully blends the use of typical South Indian ingredients such as curry leaves, tamarind and coconut into their celebrated culinary practices). Distinctively different from the Hyderabadi cuisine, the Deccani cuisine (Marathwada, North Karnataka and Telangana) is a simple yet sumptuously wholesome affair. The stress is on the powdered masalas and their right proportions while cooking, unlike the Mughlai items where emphasis is on opulent garnishing and seasoning. While Mughlai is mostly prepared by low-simmer in dum-style, Deccani food is not as time consuming and spicy as its royal counterpart.

The availability of staple, easily used ingredients and some derivatives such as the Vadis (dried rice/lentil nuggets), vegetables of the season – Vangi (brinjals) appear on most menus while the other lentils from the region make their presence felt in the Jhunkas and Pitlas (raw tomato curry made thick with besan). The use of groundnut with garlic, chillies and kopra are seen in the creation of the Chutney, 'thecha' and pastes/gravy (with the onion as the main ingredient). The mutton and fowl are celebrated for their tenderness and taste (locally, the Gavran Chicken though fibrous as compared to the broiler is a hot favourite for its robust taste). The accompanying bread is of Jwarichi bhaakri, or Bajrichi Bhakari, Poli and variations such as 'Dhapate' are well known, the Thalipeeth, which is made from a combination of various grains and partaken with butter. In 2010 Asia's biggest mall Prozone was inaugurated .

Local arts

Paithani Textiles: The Paithani sarees from Paithan are considered to be priced possession by one and all. One can get an opportunity to witness this age old art of weaving Paithani sarees. The yarn used is of pure silk and the zari or gold threads drawn from pure gold.

Mashru and Himroo

Aurangabad is famous for Mashru and Himroo fabrics made of cotton and silk with the luster of satin. Himru is an age-old weaving craft, and was originally known as kum khuab. Himroo: The fabric is said to have originated in Persia, though not conclusively proved, Himroo is associated with the times of Mohammad Tughlaq who ruled in the 14th century. When Mohammad Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad many weavers came and settled here. During the exodus the weavers instead of returning to Delhi stayed back here. During the reign of Malik Ambar, the city's fame attracted many people from far and wide. During the Mughal rule under Aurangzeb's governorship, Auarangabad the capital and the weavers became more prosperous. The only industry in Aurangabad allured hundreds of craftsman. Members of the royal family and an elite few used the famous Aurangabad Himroo. Himroo weaving is very characteristic and distinctive. Fabrics and shawls from Aurangabad are much in demand for their unique style and design.

Bidriware : A unique form of gold and silver inlays on copper is preserved here from ancient Persian traditions that have been sustained in the Deccan. This ancient art still finds expression in the modern items like cufflinks, nameplates and more. Typical bidri items include plates, bowls, vases, ashtrays, trinket boxes, huqqa bases and jewellery.

Kaghzipura : A place situated near Daulatabad made first handmade paper in India after the technology was brought here by Mongol invaders. Interestingly this paper has been used to print the Quran.

See also

Aurangabad Tourism Capital of Maharashtra

Sufi Saints of Aurangabad

Aurangabad Naher water system

Neighborhoods of Aurangabad City

Aurangabad CIDCO

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University

Gallery

Nirala Bazar is situated in the heart of the city; you will find branded show rooms here. Connaught Place is now becoming very popular place amongst young and slowly but surely making its presence noticed. Aurangpura situated in the old city and it is a hub for education. You will find premium school, college, tuitions and books sellers' shops here. Paithan Gate Second best place for shopping of ready made cloths and shoes and few branded show rooms. City Chowk as its name suggest, is the chowk (center) of the city, most of the festival and celebration held in the city chowk, near the chowk is Buddi Lane known for spicy and delicious foods Shah Gunj is a biggest fruit and vegetables market in the city

Geographical location

References

External links

new face of Aurangabd City

Complete City Portal of Aurangabad

Aurangabad District website

Aurangabad City Information

Aurangabad City Portal

Category:Cities and towns in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra Category:Populated places established in 1610 Category:Hyderabad State Category:Talukas in Maharashtra Category:Aurangabad district, Maharashtra Category:Municipal Corporations in Maharashtra Category:Railway stations in Maharashtra Category:Railway stations in Marathwada Category:Former Indian capital cities

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name	Maharashtra
native name
type	State
image seal	Seal of Maharashtra.png
map caption	Location of Maharashtra in India
image map1	Maharashtra locator map.svg
map caption1	Map of Maharashtra
coor pinpoint	Mumbai
coordinates type	region:IN-MH_type:adm1st
coordinates display	inline,title
coordinates region	IN-MH
subdivision type	Country
subdivision name
established title	Established
established date	1 May 1960
parts type	Districts
parts style	para
p1	35 total
seat type	Capital
seat	Mumbai
seat1 type	Largest city
seat1	Mumbai by population, Pune by area
governing body	Government of India, Government of Maharashtra
leader title	Governor
leader name	K. Sankaranarayanan
leader title1	Chief Minister
leader name1	Prithviraj Chavan
leader title2	Deputy Chief Minister
leader name2	Ajit Pawar
leader title3	Legislature
leader name3	Bicameral (288 + 78 seats)
leader title4	Parliamentary constituency
leader name4	Maharashtra
leader title3	Parliamentary constituency
leader name3	48
leader title4	High Court
leader name4	Bombay High Court
unit pref	Metric
area footnotes
area total km2	307713
area rank	3rd
population total	112,372,972
population as of	2011
population rank	2nd
population density km2	auto
timezone1	IST
utc offset1	+05:30
iso code	IN-MH
blank name sec1	HDI
blank info sec1	0.689 (medium)
blank1 name sec1	HDI rank
blank1 info sec1	12th (2005)
blank name sec2	Literacy
blank info sec2	82.9% (6th)
blank1 name sec2	Official languages
blank1 info sec2	Marathi
area code type	UN/LOCODE
website	maharashtra.gov.in
footnotes	ng }}

Maharashtra (Marathi: '''', ) is a state located in India. The word Maharashtra is derived from the Sanskrit words ''Maha'' meaning ''Great'' and ''Rashtra'' meaning ''Nation'', thus rendering the name ''Maharashtra'' (Great Nation). It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. It is the richest state in India, contributing to 15% of the country's industrial output and 13.2% of its GDP in 2005-06.

Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is India's largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Marathi is the official language of the state, while English and Hindi are also widely spoken throughout Maharashtra.

In the 17th century, the Marathas rose under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji against the Mughals who were ruling a large part of India. By 1760, Maratha power had reached its zenith with a territory of over 250 million acres (1 million km²) or one-third of the Indian sub-continent. After the third Anglo-Maratha war, the empire ended and most of Maharashtra became part of Bombay state under a British Raj. After Indian independence, Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti demanded unification of all Marathi speaking regions under one state. At that time Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was of opinion that linguistic reorganizaion of states should be done with - "One state - One language" principle and not with "One language - One state" principle. He submitted a memorandum to the reorganization commission stating that, " Single Government can not administer such a huge state as United Maharashtra". The first state reorganization committee created the current Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960 (known as Maharashtra Day). The Marathi-speaking areas of Bombay state, Deccan states and Vidarbha (which was part of Central Provinces and Berar) united, under the agreement known as Nagpur Pact, to form the current state.

Geography

Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km² (119,000 mi²), and is the third largest state in India. It is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli sandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's west coast.

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). Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik City is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra. 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 Western Ghats form one of the three watersheds of India, from which many South Indian rivers originate, notable among them being Godavari River, and Krishna, which flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India.

Protected areas of Maharashtra

Several wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Project Tiger reserves have been created in Maharashtra, with the aim of conserving the rich bio-diversity of the region. As of May 2004, India has 92 national parks, of which six are located in Maharashtra. A large percentage of Maharashtra's forests and wildlife lie in the Zadipranta (Forest rich region) of far eastern Maharashtra OR eastern Vidarbha.

Navegaon National Park, located near Gondia in the eastern region of Vidarbha is home to many species of birds, deer, bears and leopards.

Nagzira wildlife sanctuary lies in Tirora Range of Bhandara Forest Division, in Gondia district of Vidarbha region. The sanctuary is enclosed in the arms of the nature and adorned with exquisite landscape. The sanctuary consists of a range of hills with small lakes within its boundary. These lakes not only guarantee a source of water to wildlife throughout the year, but also greatly heighten the beauty of the landscape.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, a prominent tiger reserve near Chandrapur in Vidarbha. It is 40 km away from Chandrapur.

Pench National Park, in Nagpur district, extends into Madhya Pradesh as well. It has now been upgraded into a Tiger project.

Chandoli National Park, located in Sangli district has a vast variety of flora and fauna. The famous Prachitgad Fort and Chandoli dam and scenic water falls can be found around Chandoli National Park.

Gugamal National Park, also known as Melghat Tiger Reserve is located in Amravati district. It is 80 km away from Amravati.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, also known as Borivali National Park is located in Mumbai and is the world's largest national park within city limits.

Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, a man made wildlife sanctuary situated 30 km from Sangli. Ancient temples of Lord Shiva and Jain Temple of Parshwanath located in Sagareshwar are a major attraction.

Maldhok Sanctuary, situated in Solapur district. Some of its part is in Ahmednagar district. The sanctuary is for a bird which is sometimes known as The Great Indian Bustard.

Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state, listed here. Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary are the important ones.

Apart from the above, Matheran, a Hill station near Mumbai has been declared an eco-sensitive zone (protected area) by the Government of India.

Economy

Year	Gross Domestic Product (millions of )
1980	166,310
1985	296,160
1990	664,330
1995	1,578,180
2000	2,386,720
2005	3,759,150

Favourable economic policies in the 1970s led to Maharashtra becoming India's leading industrial state in the last quarter of 20th century. Over 41% of the ''S&P; CNX 500'' conglomerates have corporate offices in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra's gross state domestic product for 2010 is at $190.310 billion. The state's debt was estimated at 36 per cent of GDP in 2005.

In 2007 Maharashtra reported a revenue surplus of . Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state with urban population of 42% of whole population. The headquarters to the Financial Planning Standards Board India is in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra is India's leading industrial state contributing 15% of national industrial output and over 40% of India's national revenue. 64.14% of the people are employed in agriculture and allied activities. Almost 46% of the GSDP is contributed by industry. Major industries in Maharashtra include chemical and allied products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum and allied products. Other important industries include metal products, wine, jewellery, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, machine tools, steel and iron castings and plastic wares. Food crops include mangoes, grapes, bananas, oranges, wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, and pulses. Cash crops include groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, turmeric, and tobacco. The net irrigated area totals 33,500 square kilometres.

Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India, houses the headquarters of all major banks, financial institutions, insurance companies in India. India's largest stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange, the oldest in Asia, is also located in the city. After successes in the information technology in the neighboring states, Maharashtra has set up software parks in Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Nashik, Now Maharashtra is the second largest exporter of software with annual exports of and accounts for more than 30 per cent of the country's software exports, with over 1,200 software units based in the state. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai is the busiest port in India. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai is the busiest airport in South Asia as per passenger volume.

The coast of Maharashtra has been a shipbuilding center for many centuries. The expertise and the manpower available in the local area make this business more attractive. This is reflected by the number of companies operating shipyards in the state such as Bharati Shipyard at Ratnagiri and the upcoming Rajapur Shipyards at Rajapur, apart from the state owned Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai.

Mumbai is the home for the world's largest film industry- Bollywood, Hindi filmmaking industry. Maharashtra ranks first nationwide in coal-based thermal electricity as well as nuclear electricity generation with national market shares of over 13% and 17% respectively. Maharashtra is also introducing Jatropha cultivation and has started a project for the identification of suitable sites for Jatropha plantations.

Ralegan Siddhi is a village in Ahmednagar District that is considered a model of environmental conservation.

An international cargo hub (Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur, MIHAN) is being developed at Nagpur. MIHAN will be used for handling heavy cargo coming from South-East Asia and Middle-East Asia. Project will also include Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Information Technology (IT) companies. This will be the biggest development project in India so far.

Prominent Indian and foreign automobile makers such as Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Skoda Auto, Fiat and Volkswagen are also either based in or have a manufacturing presence in Maharashtra.

Government

Like all states in India, the nominal head of state is the governor, appointed by the Union Government. The Governor's post is largely ceremonial. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. Maharashtra's legislature is bicameral, one of the few states in India to have a bicameral type. The Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) is the lower house consisting of directly elected members. The Chief Minister is chosen by the members of the Vidhan Sabha. The Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) is the upper house, whose members are indirectly voted through an electoral college. Maharashtra is allocated nineteen seats in the Rajya Sabha and forty-eight in the Lok Sabha, India's national parliament.

The capital city Mumbai is home to the Vidhan Sabha – the state assembly and Mantralaya, the administrative offices of the government. The legislature convenes its budget and monsoon sessions in Mumbai, and the winter session in Nagpur, which was designated as the state's auxiliary capital.

After India's independence, most of Maharashtra's political history was dominated by the Indian National Congress. Maharashtra became a bastion of the Congress party producing stalwarts such as Y.B. Chavan, one of its most prominent Chief Ministers. The party enjoyed near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until 1995 when the right wing Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a coalition. After a split in the Congress party, former chief minister Sharad Pawar formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but formed a coalition with the Congress to keep out the BJP-SS combine. The 2004 elections saw the NCP gaining the largest number of seats to become the state's largest party, eroding much of the Shiv Sena's base. Under a pre-poll power sharing agreement, the Chief Minister would be from the Congress while the deputy Chief Minister would be from the NCP. Prithviraj Chavan is the current Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar is the Deputy Chief Minister. Now new parties emerging in Maharashtra's politics specially Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)(Marathi: महाराष्ट्र नवनिर्माण सेना) based regional political party operating on the motto of "Sons (of)for the Soil" founded on the March 9, 2006 in Mumbai by Raj Thackeray after he left the Shiv Sena .

The 2009 elections saw the Congress-NCP alliance winning with clean sweep to the BJP-Shivsena alliance.

Revenues of government

This is a chart of trend of own tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Maharashtra assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees (7px).

Year	Own Tax Revenues
2000	198,821
2005	332,476

This is a chart of trend of own non-tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Maharashtra assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees (7px).

Year	Own Non-tax Revenues
2000	26,030
2005	30,536

Judiciary

Mumbai is also home to the Bombay High Court which has jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, with the benches being at Nagpur and Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Panaji, Goa.

The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa enrolled approximately 90,000 advocates on its roll (2009 data). The Bar Council is represented by 25 elected members from the above territory; the Advocate General of each state is an ex-officio member of the Council. This Bar Council elects one representative to the Bar Council of India as its member and also elects a chairmirman for the council. The tenure of the entire Council is five years.

Attorney General of India

Goolam Essaji Vahanvati is the Attorney General of India. M. C. Setalvad, Soli Sorabjee have served as the Attorney General of India.

Solicitor General of India

Harish Salve has served as the Solicitor General of India.

Advocate-General of Maharashtra

Shri. Ravindra M. Kadam is the Advocate General of Maharashtra.

Additional Solicitor General

Shri. Darius J. Khambatta is the Additional Solicitor General, (Bombay)

Education and social development

Maharashtra has good human resource development infrastructure in terms of educational institutions—301 engineering/diploma colleges, 616 industrial training institutes and more than 24 universities with a turnout of 160,000 technocrats every year.

It is home to institutions like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) which developed India's supercomputer, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), University Department of Chemical Technology, College of Engineering Pune (COEP), Government College of Engineering Aurangabad, Government College of Engineering Karad, Walchand College of Engineering-Sangli (WCES), Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology Nanded (SGGSIE&T;) and top management institutions. 50,000 youth trained to take up self-employment ventures every year by the Maharashtra Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (MCED), Aurangabad.

The literacy rate is well above the national average at 77.27%. University of Mumbai, one of the largest universities in the world in terms of the number of graduates. The Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay), Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), and University Institute of Chemical Technology (UICT), which are India's premier engineering and technology schools, and SNDT Women's University are the other autonomous universities in Mumbai.

Mumbai is home to Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR) and several other management schools. Government Law College and Sydenham College, respectively the oldest law and commerce colleges in India, are based in Mumbai. The Sir J. J. School of Art is Mumbai's oldest art institution. College of Engineering Pune, established in 1854 is the third oldest college in Asia.

Mumbai is home to two prominent research institutions: the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The BARC operates CIRUS, a 40 MW nuclear research reactor at their facility in Trombay.

The University of Pune, the National Defence Academy, Film and Television Institute of India, National Film Archives, Armed Forces Medical College and National Chemical Laboratory were established in Pune after the independence of India.

ILS Law College, established by the Indian Law Society is one of the top ten law schools in India. Established medical schools such as the Armed Forces Medical College and Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College train students from all over Maharashtra and India and are amongst the top medical colleges in India. Military Nursing College (affiliated to the AFMC) ranks among the top nursing colleges in the world.

University of Nagpur, established in 1923, one of the oldest universities in India, manages more than 24 engineering colleges, 43 science colleges and many colleges in the Arts and Commerce faculties. Nagpur is the home for Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) (also referred to as NIT, Nagpur, formerly known as Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering (VRCE), Nagpur) is one of the first six Regional Engineering Colleges established under the scheme sponsored by Government of India and the Maharashtra State Government and is one of the Institutes of National Importance.

Thus the universities in Maharashtra include (alphabatical):

Amaravati University (Amravati), Bharati Vidyapeeth (Pune), Central Institute of Fisheries Education (Mumbai), Deccan College Post Graduate & Research Institute (Pune), Dr.B R Ambedkar Marthwada University (Aurangabad), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technology University (Lonere), Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (Akola), Gokhale Institute Of Politics & Economics (Pune), Indian Institute of Technological Mumbai (Mumbai), Indira Gandhi Institute of Develop. Research (Mumbai), International Institute for Population Sciences (Mumbai), Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth (Dapoli), Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (Rahuri), Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (Parbhani), Nagpur University (Nagpur), North Maharashtra University (Jalgaon), Shivaji University (Kohlapur), Smt. Nathivai Damodar Tackersey Women's University (Mumbai), Solapur University (Solapur), Swamy Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University (Nanded), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai), Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (Pune), University of Mumbai (Mumbai), University of Pune (Pune), Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (Nashik).

The geographical center of India lies at Nagpur, known as Zero Mile Stone. Nagpur is the headquarter for Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and an important location for the Dalit Buddhist movement. Nagpur is also the home for National Fire Institution, Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti (promotion of and for spreading the national language, Hindi) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC-Western zone).

Maharashtra in total, has 40% India's Internet users and 35% of PC penetration in the country.

Demographics

{{IndiaCensusPop | title= Population Growth | 1961= 39554000 | 1971= 50412000 | 1981= 62784000 | 1991= 78937000 | 2001= 96752000 | 2011=112373000 | estimate= | estyear= | estref= | footnote=Source:Census of India }}

As per the 2001 census, Maharashtra has a population of 96,752,247 inhabitants making it the second most populous state in India, and the second most populous country subdivision in existence, and third ever after the Russian SFSR of the former Soviet Union. The Marathi-speaking population of Maharashtra numbers 62,481,681 according to the 2001 census. This is a reflection of the cosmopolitan nature of the state. Only eleven countries of the world have a population greater than Maharashtra. Its density is 322.5 inhabitants per square kilometre. Males constitute 50.3 million and females, 46.4 million. Maharashtra's urban population stands at 42.4%. Its sex ratio is 922 females to 1000 males. 77.27% of its population is literate, broken into 86.2% males and 67.5% females. Its growth rate between 1991–2001 was pegged at 22.57%

Marathi is the official state language. In Mumbai and suburban areas, apart from the native Marathi and English, other languages are also spoken. In the northwest portion of Maharashtra, a dialect Ahirani is spoken by 2.5 million people. In south Konkan, a dialect known as Malvani is spoken by most of the people. In the Desh (inland) region of the Deccan, a dialect called Deshi is spoken , while in Vidarbha, a dialect known as Varhadi is spoken by most of the people.

The Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2008-09, which was released on Wednesday, says the percentage of the state’s population that names Marathi as its mother tongue has declined to 68.8% from 76.5% over the past three decades.

Outlining migratory trends in the state, the survey highlights the sharp rise in the Hindi-speaking population in the same period. The number of people citing Hindi as their mother tongue rose to 11% from 5% in the same period

The Total Fertility Rate in 2001 was 2.23. Hindus - 2.09, Muslims - 2.49, Christians - 1.41, Jains - 1.41, Sikh - 1.57, Buddhist - 2.24, Others -2.25, Tribals - 3.14.

Religions

The majority of Marathi people are Hindus form 83.2% of total population and Hinduism plays important role in Maharashtrian people in there day-to-day life. Krishna in the form of Vithal is the most popular deity amongst Marathi Hindus, they also worship the Shiva Family deities such as Shankar & Parvati under various names and also Ganesh. The Warkari tradition holds strong grip on local Hindus of Maharastra. The public Ganesh festival started by Lokmanya Tilak in the late 19th century is very popular. Marathi Hindus also revere Bhakti saints of all castes, such as Dnyaneshwar (Deshastha Brahmin), Savata Mali (Mali), Tukaram (Moray Maratahi-Kunbi), Namdev (Shimpi-Artsian,Vaishya) and Chokhamela (Mahar). Jainists are a mayor group in Maharashtra. Jain community census for 2001 in Maharashtra area was 1,301,843. Cultural roots on Maharashtra for Jainism explain this numbers, as this more than 5,000 year old religion has some ancient temples in Maharashtra. Christians account for 31,049 of Maharashtra's population. Most of the Christians are Catholics whilst some adhere to Protestantism. There are also significant number of Goan, Mangalorean, Malayalam and Tamil Christians in the urban pockets of Mumbai and Pune. There are Two ethnic Christian Community in Maharashtra one is East Indians & concentrated in and around Mumbai, for example in Konkan districts of Thane and Raigad. Portuguese missionaries brought Catholicism to this area during 13th century. Second is Marathi Christians who are Protestants and found some Parts of Maharashtra, especially in Ahmednagar & Solapur. Protestantism was brought to these areas by American and Anglican Missionaries during 18th century. Marathi Christian have largely retained their pre-Christian practices.

Most Marathi Buddhists are followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Buddhism accounts nearly 6% in Maharastra's total population.

Muslims belong mostly to the Sufi tradition. Visiting the tombs of Sufi saints is very important to this community. Hindus also visit these tombs in great numbers, especially during the annual Urs. Zoroastrians also called Parsi, are mainly found in Mumbai. According to tradition, the present-day Parsis descend from a group of Iranian Zoroastrians who immigrated to Western India during 10th century AD, due to persecution by Muslims in Iran. The long presence in the region distinguishes the Parsis from the Iranis, who are more recent arrivals, and who represent the smaller of the two Indian-Zoroastrian communities.

There is also a 3,000 strong community of Marathi Jews, popularly known as Bene Israel Most of them have migrated to Israel. Before the migration this community numbered at least 90,000.

Festivals

Lord Ganesha's devotion is celebrated by Ganesh Chaturthi (''Ganesh's birthday'') in August–September of every year. Town of Pen in Raigad district is famous for Ganesh Idols. Lalbaugcha Raja, Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Shri Ashtavinayaka's are the major holy places for Maharashtrians.

Popular forms of God are Shiva, Krishna and Ganesha. Lord Shiva's devotion is celebrated by taking part in Maha Shivaratri (''Night of Shiva'') festival. In modern times, the Elephanta island in Mumbai, Lord's Shiva island in local mythology, originated the Elephant Festival.

Lord Krishna's devotions are celebrated in the state-wide Gokul Ashtami (or Krishna Janmashtami, ''Krishna's birthday'') whereby many devotees fast on the entire day until midnight. The Dahi-Handi (Matki-fod) is also observed on this day at many places. Lord Krishna's devotion are also celebrated at Kaartik Aamawasya (or Diwali) and at Narak Chaturdashi as returning of Lord Shri Rama.

The other festivals celebrated on the large scale are Vijayadashami or Dasara (Marathi: दसरा), Navaratri, Holi, Diwali, Eid (Ramzan Eid). ''Simollanghan'' is a ritual performed on Dasara or Viajaya Dashami day in Maharashtra. Simollanghan is crossing the border or frontier of a village or a place. In ancient times, kings used to cross the frontier of their kingdom to fight against their rivals or neighbor kingdoms. They used to perform ''Ayudha Puja'' on Dasara and begin the war season. On Dasara, people cross the borders of their places (Seemollanghan) and collect the leaves of Apta tree (आपट्याची पाने) and exchange among their friends and relatives as gold (सोने म्हणून आपट्याची पाने देतात). People worship Shami tree and its leaves (शमीची पाने) on this day. On Vijayadashami or Dasara 14 October 1956 Dr. B. R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with his 2-3 lakh followers at Nagpur. And since then Buddhist people observe it as a '''Dhammachakra Pravartan'' Day' (Marathi: धम्मचक्र प्रवर्तन दिन).Buddha purnima(vaishakh purnima i.e. fullmoon of may month) and bhim jayanti(14 April) are festivals which is celebrated by Buddhists people of Maharashtra with joy.

Saints (Sant)

Maharashtra has produced or been closely associated with many saints throughout its history. These have risen from all across the several castes. Some of the very revered examples of Bhakti saints are Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev, sant Gora Kumbhar, Samarth Ramdas, Chokhamela, and Savta Mali. There have also been several other Harijan saints such as Sant Banka Mahar, Sant Bhagu, Sant Damaji panth, Sant Kanhopatra, Sant Karmamelam, Sant Nirmala, Sant Sadna, Sant Sakhubai, Sant Satyakam Jabali, Sant Soyarabai, and Sant Eknath. It has also been the birthplace and home of world-reputed saints like Sai Baba of Shirdi, Gajanan Maharaj, Swami Shukadas Maharaj, Swami Samarth Maharaj, and Meher Baba, whose tomb-shrine in Meherabad has become a place of world pilgrimage. Maharashtra is also equally famous for ardent devotees (or ''Bhaktas''). For example, Namdev Mahar and his wife Bhagubai from Kharagpur are both devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba. The Sai Baba template in Shirdi is the second richest one in the country, a close second after the Lord Tirupati temples at Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.

Languages

Marathi is the Official language of Maharashtra. According to 2001 census, it is Mother tongue of 68.89 % of the population. Other languages which are Mother tongue by more than one percent of the people are as follows

! Language	! Percentage in state
	68.89
Hindi	11.04
Urdu	8.81
Kannada	2.50
	2.39
	1.31
	1.04
	1.02

Divisions and regions

Maharashtra is divided into six revenue divisions, which are further divided into thirty-five districts. These thirty-five districts are further divided into 109 sub-divisions of the districts and 357 talukas.

Divisions

The six administrative divisions in Maharashtra state are Amravati Division, Aurangabad Division, Konkan Division, Nagpur Division, Nashik Division, Pune Division.

Division	Districts
Mumbai (Konkan)	Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban (Mumbai Upanagar), Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg
Pune	Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur
Nashik	Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Nandurbar
Aurangabad	Aurangabad, Jalna, Latur/Lattalur, Nanded, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Hingoli and Beed
Amravati	Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana and Yavatmal
Nagpur	Nagpur, Chandrapur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli

Regions

Geographically, historically and according to political sentiments, Maharashtra has five main regions:

Vidarbha Region - ''(Nagpur and Amravati divisions)'' - (Central Provinces and Old Berar Region)

Marathwada Region - ''(Aurangabad division)''

Khandesh and Northern Maharashtra Region - ''(Nashik Division)''

Desh or Western Maharashtra Region - ''(Pune division)'' and

Konkan Region - ''(Konkan Division)'' - (including, Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban Area).

The state capital Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban Area are the parts of the Konkan Division

Border dispute

Maharashtra has a border dispute with neighbouring state of Karnataka over the district of Belgaum. Belgaum was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka) with the passage of the ''States Reorganisation Act'' (1956), which reorganised India's states along linguistic lines despite having about three-fourths of the total population. speaking Marathi. Since then, Maharashtra has continued to claim the district. The case is currently awaiting a verdict in Supreme Court of India.

Principal urban agglomerations

Maharashtra has one of the highest level of urbanization of all Indian states. The mountainous topography and soil are not as suitable for intensive agriculture as the plains of North India; therefore, the proportion of the urban population (42.4 per cent) contrasts starkly with the national averageveloping metro and many large towns. Mumbai is the state capital with a population of approximately 15.2 million people. The other large cities are Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Amravati, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sangli and Solapur.

Mumbai: Mumbai (including Thane and Navi Mumbai in its metropolitan area) is the financial and commercial capital of India and is the Administrative Capital of Maharashtra. It has the largest proportion of taxpayers in India and its share markets transact almost 70 per cent of the country’s stocks. It offers a lifestyle that is rich, cosmopolitan and diverse, with a variety of food, entertainment and nightlife. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai is the biggest and the second busiest airport in India. The new airport, Navi Mumbai International Airport coming up at Panvel, Navi Mumbai will be the all modern and state of art facility airport in India. The city is India's link to the world of telecommunications and the Internet. VSNL (Now Tata Communications Limited) is the terminal point in India for all telephone and internet traffic. Mumbai is India's flagship port destination. It is also home to the Indian Navy's Western Command (INS).

Pune: Pune, the second largest city by population and largest by area in Maharashtra and the seventh largest in India, is the state's cultural and heritage capital with a population of 4.5 million people. About 170 km from Mumbai by road, Pune was the bastion of the Maratha empire. Under the reign of the Peshwas, Pune blossomed into a centre of art and learning. Several far reaching revenue and judicial reforms were also initiated in the city. Shaniwarwada, Saras baug, Aga Khan Palace, Parvati Temple, Khadakwasla Dam, Sinhgad are the most visited places by tourists in Pune. 'Ganeshotsav', a festival of Lord Ganesh is celebrated in Pune with lot of enthusiasm and worship. Pune is connected to Mumbai by the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Pune also has very important military cantonments as well as the HQ of the Southern Command, the National Defence Academy, the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, CME, and the Indian Air Force base at Lohegaon too. Pune is a major Information Technology hub of India as well as a foremost destination for Automobile manufacturing and component industry City.

Nashik: It is fourth largest and highly industrialised cities in the Maharashtra. One of the holy cities of the Hindu tradition, Nashik lies on the banks of the sacred river Godavari and has a population of about 1.6 million people. It is believed that Lord Rama, hero of the great Indian epic, the Ramayana, spent a major part of his exile here. Nashik is one of the Kumbhmela places. Nashik is also a temple town, with over 200 temples. Nashik is the wine capital of India. It has an Internatioal status in the winary business. It is also called as Napa Valley of India due to its pleasant environment. Due to proximity to Mumbai and large number of natural resources like land and water Nashik is growing fastly and becoming a best option for Mumbai and Pune. Nashik today is rapidly developing in ITs, industries, Pharmaceuticals and westernisation. Nashik is also an educational hub and Educational and Cultural capital of North Maharashtra. Nowadays International institutes like Cambridge and MET are approaching Nashik. Also it state's unique health science university Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and open university Yashvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University; It also leads in Agriculture Business. Nashik is Asia's leading market for Onions, Grapes, and Tomatoes.

Nagpur: It is the third largest city in Maharashtra and 13th largest in India. The erstwhile capital of the Nagpur Province since 1853 in British India, which was in 1861 made the capital of Central Province, then in 1903, it was made capital of CP & Berar, then in 1935 it was made capital of a provincial assembly, with same name Central Provinces and Berar providing for an election by, Government of India Act, passed by British parliament. After independence, the “CP & Berar” was kept a separate entity with Nagpur as capital. In 1950 Nagpur became the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Nagpur was recommended capital of Vidarbha state by Hon. Fazal Ali commission for reorganisation of states. Nagpur was described by the first prime minister of India Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, as " Heart of India". Nagpur is the nerve centre of Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra), Nagpur - the ''Orange City'' as it is known - is located in the centre of the country and is also a geographical center of India, with a population of about 2.4 million people (2.1 Million as per census 2001). It is also Second Administrative Capital of Maharashtra. Nagpur is a growing industrial centre and the home of several industries, ranging from food products and chemicals to electrical and transports equipment. Service and software industry is rapidly increasing in Nagpur. An international cargo airport, MIHAN is coming up in the outskirts of the Nagpur city hich will house number of service industries in its SEZ. The Maintenance Command of Indian Air Force is located in Nagpur. The "Zero Mile Stone" or the geographical center of India is located in Nagpur. Deekshabhoomi, Sitabardi Fort, Ambazari Lake, Seminary Hills, Futala Lake, Dragon Palace Temple, Ramtek Temple, Khindsi Lake, Pench National Park are some of the tourist attractions in and around Nagpur.

Aurangabad: The city means "built by the throne", named after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb), is a city in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded with many historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Bibi Ka Maqbara. The administrative headquarters of the Aurangabad Division or Marathwada region, Aurangabad is said to be a 'City of Gates', as one can not miss the strong presence of these as one drives through the city. Aurangabad is also one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Sangli: The ‘Turmeric city of India’ is the largest trade centre for turmeric in the country. Situated on the banks of river Krishna, Sangli-Miraj twin cities form the largest urban agglomeration in South Maharashtra. Sangli is famous for its grapes and Wine industry. Miraj is known for Indian classical musical instruments exported all over the world. Ganapati Temple of Sangli and its Ganesh Festival attract tourists from all over India. Sangli houses some renowned engineering and medical institutions. Density of hospitals in Sangli-Miraj twin cities is the highest in India. Sangli is now coming up as a major wind power generation hub. Sangli is well known for its sugar factories and dairy farms. Recently, large textile units are coming up around Sangli which is also witnessing developments in IT/ITES sector.

Transport

Maharashtra has the largest road network in India at 267,452 kilometers. The length of National Highways in Maharashtra is 3688 kilometers The Indian Railways covers most of the Maharashtra and is the preferred mode of transport over long distances. Almost the entire state comes under the Central Railways branch which is headquartered in Mumbai. Most of the coast south of Mumbai comes under the Konkan Railway. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) runs buses, popularly called ST for State Transport, linking most of the towns and villages in and around the state with a large network of operation. These buses, run by the state government are the preferred mode of transport for much of the populace. In addition to the government run buses, private run luxury buses are also a popular mode of transport between major towns.

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the busiest airport in India as per passengers handled with another coming up at Navi Mumbai for a whopping . Pune has a civilian enclave international. airport with flights to Dubai, Frankfurt and Singapore, with plans on for a brand new greenfield International Airport. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur is another important international airport. Other large cities such as Nasik, Aurangabad, Nanded, Latur, Kolhapur and Solapur are served by domestic airlines. Nashik has many flights To Mumbai and Soon Other Metros will be added after the construction of a new Airport at Nashik. Ferry services also operate near Mumbai, linking the city to neighbouring coastal towns. Other modes of public transport, such as a seven-seater tempo have gained popularity in semi-urban areas. Maharashtra has a large highway network. The Yeshwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the first access controlled tolled road project in India also exists within the state. Maharashtra has three major ports at Mumbai (operated by the Mumbai Port Trust), the JNPT lying across the Mumbai harbour in Navi Mumbai, and in Ratnagiri, which handles the export of ores mined in the Maharastra hinterland.

Air

Maharashtra is the leading state with maximum number of air ports in India.

International Airports

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai

Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur

Pune International Airport, Pune

Aurangabad International Airport, Aurangabad

Domestic Airports

Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, Mumbai

Pune Airport, Pune

SOLAPUR Airport

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport Nagpur

HAL Nashik Airport

Baramati Airport

Kolhapur Airport

Aurangabad Airport

Nanded Airport

Akola Airport

Latur Airport

Upcoming International Airports

Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Chakan International Airport, Pune.

MIHAN International Airport, Nagpur.

Shirdi International Airport.

Upcoming Domestic Airports

Navi Mumbai Domestic Airport, Panvel

Chakan Domestic Airport, Pune

New full fledged Nashik Domestic Airport

Shirdi Domestic Airport

Jalgaon Domestic Airport

Amravati Domestic Airport

Road

Expressways

Mumbai Pune Expressway

Mumbai Nashik Expressway

Nashik-Aurangabad Expressway

Manmad-Ahmednagar Expressway

Aurangabad-Pune Expressway

Aurangabad-Jalna Expressway

Pune-Maharashtra-Karnataka Border Expressway

Mumbai-Gujarat Border Expressway

Shilphata-Bhiwandi Highway.

Upcoming Expressway Extension Projects

Mumbai Pune Expressway from 6 lane to 10 lane and will be extended from Panvel to Chembur.

Mumbai-Pune Old Expressway from 4 lane to 6 lane up-to Sinhgad Road Corner.

Pune-Satara 4 lane to 6 lane.

Pune-Shirur 4 lane to 6 lane.

Upcoming 6 lane and 4 lane Expressway projects

Mumbai-Goa Border Expressway.

Nashik-Pune Expressway.

Dhule-Nagpur Expressway.

Pune-Solapur Expressway.

Ahmednagar-Karmala Expressway.

Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway Part.

Dhule-Solapur Expressway.

Railways

Terminus Stations

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kurla(east) Mumbai

Bandra Terminus, Mumbai

Mumbai Central, Mumbai

Dadar Terminus, Mumbai

Pune Junction

Amravati Station

Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus, Kolhapur

Manmad Junction

Hujur Sahib, Nanded

Nagpur Central Station

Solapur Station

Bhusawal Junction

Gondia Junction

Major Railway Lines

Mumbai-Manmad-Bhusawal-Kolkata

Bhusawal-Delhi

Mumbai-Ahmedabad

Kalyan-Pune-Solapur-Chennai

Manmad-Nanded-Secunderabad

Pune-Miraj-Bengaluru

Manmad-Daund

Jalgaon-Surat

Delhi-Nagpur-Hyderabad

Panvel-Roha-Ratnagiri-Goa-Kochin

Nagpur-Mudkhed

Parbhani-Latur Road Junction-Hyderabad

Miraj-Pandharpur-Kurduwadi-Osmanabad-Latur Road

Purna-Hingoli-Akola Junction-Ajmer

Chalisgaon-Dhule

Daund-Baramati

Badnera-Amravati-Narkhed

Vasai Road-Diva

Diva-Panvel

Mumbai-Panvel

Thane-Sanpada

Turbhe-Juinagar

Upcoming Rail Routes

Manmad-Dhule-Nardana-Indore

Baramati-Lonand

Nashik-Dahanu

Kalyan-Kasara 3rd Line

Culture

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra. Maharashtrians take great pride in their language and history, particularly the Maratha Empire, its founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is considered a folk hero across India. About 60% of Maharashtrians are Hindu, and there are significant Muslim, Christian and Buddhist minorities. There are many temples in Maharashtra some of them being hundreds of years old. These temples are constructed in a fusion of architectural styles borrowed from North and South India. The temples also blend themes from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cultures. A ''National Geographic'' edition reads, "The flow between faiths was such that for hundreds of years, almost all Buddhist temples, including the ones at Ajanta, were built under the rule and patronage of Hindu kings." The temple of Vitthal at Pandharpur is the most important temple for the Varkari sect. Other important religious places are the Ashtavinayaka temples of Lord Ganesha, Bhimashankar which is one of the Jyotirling (12 important Shiva temples). Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad as well as Elephanta Caves near Mumbai are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and famous tourist attractions. Mughal architecture can be seen is the tomb of the wife of Aurangzeb called Bibi Ka Maqbara located at Aurangabad.

In 1708, the year following the death of Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh the tenth spiritual leader of the Sikhs came over to Nanded, his permanent abode. He proclaimed himself the last living Guru and established the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs. This elevates the reverence of Granth to that of a living Guru. A monument has been constructed at place where he breathed his last. Maharaja Ranjit Singh's endowment saw the construction of a beautiful Gurudwara at Nanded around 1835 AD. The Gurudwara features an imposing golden dome with intricate carvings and a breathtakingly beautiful artwork. It is known as Shri Huzur Abchalnagar Sachkhand Gurudwara.

Maharashtra has a large number of hill, land and sea forts. Forts have played an important role in the history of Maharashtra since the time of the Peshwas. Some of the important forts in Maharashtra are Raigad, Vijaydurg, Pratapgad, Sinhagad. Majority of the forts in Maharashtra are found along the coastal region of Konkan.

Maharashtra, like other states of India, has its own folk music. The folk music viz. Gondhal Lavani, Bharud and Powada are popular especially in rural areas, while the common forms of music from the Hindi and Marathi film industry are favoured in urban areas.

The earliest instances of Marathi literature is by Sant Jnyaneshwar with his ''Bhawarthadeepika'' (popularly known as ''Jnyaneshwari''). The compositions written during this period are spiritually inclined. The other compositions are by Sant Tukaram, Sant Namdev, and Sant Gora Kumbhar. The compositions are mostly in poetic form, which are called bhajans. These bhajans by saints are popular and part of day to day life. The modern Marathi literature has been enriched by famous poets and authors like P. L. Deshpande, Kusumagraj, Prahlad Keshav Atre and Vyankatesh Madgulkar. This literature has been passed on to the next generations through the medium of large numbers of books that are published every year in Marathi.

The world famous film industry Bollywood is in Maharashtra, located in the economic capital of India, Mumbai. The Marathi film industry was once placed in Kolhapur but now is spread out through Mumbai too. The pioneer of Indian movie industry, Bharat Ratna Shri Dadasaheb Phalke, producer & director V. Shantaram, B.R. Chopra, Shakti Samanta, Raj Kapoor, form a few names of the Hindi film fraternity, while writer, director, and actor P. L. Deshpande, actor Ashok Saraf, actor Laxmikant Berde, actor & producer, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Mahesh Kothare belong to the Marathi film industry. Dada Kondke was the most popular name in Marathi film industry.The early period of Marathi theatre was dominated by playwrights like Kolhatkar, Khadilkar, Deval, Gadkari and Kirloskar who enriched the Marathi theatre for about half a century with excellent musical plays known as Sangeet Naatak. The genre of music used in such plays is known as Natyasangeet. It is during this era of the Marathi theatre that great singer-actors like Bal Gandharva, Keshavrao Bhosle, Bhaurao Kolhatkar and Deenanath Mangeshkar thrived.

Some of the popular Marathi television news channels are IBN Lokmat, Star Majha, Zee Talkies, Zee Chovis Taas and entertainment channels areMi Marathi, DD Sahyadri, Zee Marathi, Zee Talkies, ETV Marathi, Star pravah and Saam Marathi which host shows ranging from soap operas, cooking and travel to political satire and game shows.

The cuisine of Maharashtra varies according to the region of Maharashtra. The people of the Konkan region have a chiefly rice based diet with fish being a major component, due the close proximity to the sea. In eastern Maharashtra, the diet is based more on wheat, jowar and bajra. Puran Poli, Bakarwadi, plain simple Varan Bhat (a dish cooked with plain rice and curry),Modak and chivada are a few dishes to name. Chicken and mutton are also widely used for a variety of cuisines. Kolhapuri Mutton is a dish famous for its peculiar spicy nature.

Women traditionally wear a nine yard or five yard sari and men a dhoti or pajama with a shirt. This, however, is changing with women in urban Maharashtra wearing Punjabi dresses, consisting of a Salwar and a Kurta while men wear trousers and a shirt.

The cricket craze can be seen throughout Maharashtra, as it is the most widely followed and played sport. Kabaddi and hockey are also played with fervor. Children’s games include Viti-Dandu (Gilli-danda in Hindi) and Pakada-pakadi (tag).

Hindus in Maharashtra follow the Shalivahana Saka era calendar. Gudi Padwa, Diwali, Rangapanchami, Gokulashtami and Ganeshotsav are some of the festivals that are celebrated in Maharashtra. Ganeshotsav is one of the biggest festival of Maharashtra which is celebrated with much reverence and festivity throughout the state and has since some time become popular all over the country. The festival which continues over ten days is in honour of Ganesha, the deva (like guardian angel ) of learning and knowledge under the one supreme lord . A large number of people walk hundreds of kilometers to Pandharpur for the annual pilgrimage in the month of Ashadh.

Dances of Maharashtra

Maharshtra, is a land of culture and traditions, where religious festivals are great occasions of social entertainment. Various folk dances are performed during festive or special occasions, representing rich its cultural heritage.

''Lavni''

Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of 'Dholak', an drum like instrument. This dance is performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. The women gyrate on the pulsating beats of traditional music.

The word Lavani originates from "Lavanya", meaning beauty. Earlier, this art form dealt with different and varied subject matters such as society, religion, politics, romance, etc. Lavani was used as a form of entertainment and morale booster to the tired soldiers during the 18th and 19th century Maratha battle. Many famous Marathi poets like Honaji Bala, Ramjoshi, Prabhakar, etc. contributed to the popularity of Lavani.

''''Dhangari Gaja''

This particular dance form is performed by Dhangars or shepherds of Sholapur district of Maharashtra. The Dhangars earn their living by rearing sheep and goats. Their poetry is mainly inspired by the evergreen trees all around. The poetry is in a form called 'Ovi' which is made up of couplets. These poems also contain tales of the birth of their God "Biruba", in simple and basic lines.

The Dhangari Gaja Dance is performed to please their God for his blessings. The traditional Marathi dresses that Dhangar dancers wear are, Dhoti, Angarakha, Pheta and a colorful handkerchiefs. The group of dancers surround the drum players and move at the rhythm.

''Povadas''

Povadas are Marathi ballads, describing the events in the life of the great Maharashtrian leader, Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He holds a highly respected position in the hearts the people of Maharashtra. Through these ballads they remember Shivaji, a great hero of his time.

''Koli''

Koli is one of the most popular dance form of Maharashtra that derives its name from the fisher folk of Maharashtra - Kolis. These fishermen are famous for their distinct identity and lively dances. Their dances consists elements from their occupation that is fishing.

This dance form is performed by both men and women, who are divided in groups of two. These fishermen portray the movement of the rowing of a boat in this dance form. The dancers also portray the movements of waves and the casting of nets to catch the fish.

''Tamasha''

Tamasha is one of the most important form of folk theater of Maharashtra. The word Tamasha is Persian and means fun or entertainment. This form is a blend of several different influences. Some scholars believe that this form of theater has been inspired by two forms of Sanskrit drama - the "Prahsana" and the "Bhana". This dance form developed in 16th century. The love songs ('Lavanis') are the heart of Tamasha and are very popular. Instruments used are the Dholki drum, 'Tuntuni' (a single string instrument), 'Manjeera' cymbals, 'Daf' (a tambourine-like instrument with a single leather surface), 'Halgi' (smaller Daf), the metal triangle called 'Kade', the 'Lejim' (an instrument with a jangling sound), the Harmonium and 'Ghunghroos' (ankle bells). Tamasha is associated with two of the communities of Maharashtra, they are Kolhati and Mahar.

''Religious & Festive Folk Dance '' Folk dances generally evolve from the rural areas. In Maharashtra different folk dances are performed during festive occasions that represent their culture and merry-making.

''Dindi''

Dindi is a folk dance of Maharashtra that is usually performed during Ekadashi day in the month of Kartik. This religious devotional dance describes the playful attitude of Lord Krishna. Dindi is a small drum, like a 'Tamate'. The dancers dance to the rhythm by surrounding the musicians, providing the essential musical background. Kala

Kala is another folk dance form that describes the playful attitude of Lord Krishna. This dance form features a pot symbolizing fertility. The main attraction of this dance is the beat and the rhythm.

References

External links

Maharashtra Districts Maps

Pincodes Directory Of Maharashtra

Maharashtra State Blood Transfusion Council

Government of Maharashtra

Public Works Department Maharashtra State Official Website

maharashtra1.com

Category:States and territories of India Category:States and territories established in 1960

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name	Rahul Gandhi
birth date	June 19, 1970
birth place	New Delhi, India
residence	New Delhi, India
nationality	Indian
office1	Member of Lok Sabha from Amethi
term start1	2004
office2	General Secretary of the Indian National Congress
term start2	2007
office3	Chairperson of IYC and NSUI
term start3	2007
alma mater	Rollins CollegeTrinity College, Cambridge
relations	Rajiv Gandhi (father) Sonia Gandhi (mother)
party	Indian National Congress
signature	Signature of Rahul Gandhi.svg
date	5 June
year	2011
signature	}}

Rahul Gandhi ( ; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and member of the parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency. His political party is the Indian National Congress.

Early life and career

Rahul Gandhi was born in Delhi on 19 June 1970 as the first of the two children of Rajiv Gandhi, who later became the Prime Minister of India and Sonia Gandhi, who later became President of Indian National Congress, and as the grandson of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He is also the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Priyanka Vadra is his younger sister. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, is originally from Turin, Italy; his parents met in Cambridge, England where she was a student at Bell Educational Trust's language school and he, an engineering student at Trinity College. They married in New Delhi in 1968. Rajiv Gandhi later obtained a commercial pilot's license and was a pilot in Indian Airlines when Rahul was born.

Rahul Gandhi attended St. Columba's School, Delhi before entering The Doon School in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), also his father's ''alma mater'', from 1981–83. Meanwhile, his father had joined politics and became the Prime Minister on October 31, 1984 when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Due to the security threats faced by Indira Gandhi's family from Sikh extremists, Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka were home-schooled since then. Rahul Gandhi joined St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1989 for his undergraduate education but moved to Harvard University after he completed the first year examinations. In 1991, after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE during an election rally, he shifted to Rollins College due to security concerns and completed his B.A. in 1994. During this period, he assumed the pseudonym Raul Vinci and his identity was known only to the university officials and security agencies. He further went on to obtain a M.Phil from Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1995. After graduation, Rahul Gandhi worked at the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm, in London. In 2002 he was one of the directors of Mumbai-based technology outsourcing firm Backops Services Private Ltd.

In 2004, Rahul Gandhi told the press that he has a girlfriend Veronique, a Spanish architect who lives in Venezuela.

Political career

In 2003, there was widespread media speculation on the issue of Rahul Gandhi's imminent entry into active politics, which he did not confirm. Sonia Gandhi, his mother, had joined politics in 1997 after staying away for years despite the demands by Congress party and had become the president of Indian National Congress. In 1999 General Elections, he appeared with his mother at public events and Congress meetings. He also traveled to Pakistan on a goodwill visit to watch the first cricket series between the countries in 14 years in a One Day International with his sister Priyanka Gandhi.

Speculation heightened in January 2004 about his and his sister's possible entry into politics when they visited their father's former constituency of Amethi, which their mother held at the time. He refused to give a definitive response, stating "I am not averse to politics. I have not decided when I will enter politics and indeed, if I ever will."

In March 2004, he announced his entry into politics by announcing that he would contest the May 2004 elections, standing for his father's former constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament. Before that, his uncle Sanjay held the seat before his death in a plane crash. The seat had been held by his mother until she transferred to the neighbouring seat of Rae Bareilly. The Congress had been doing poorly in Uttar Pradesh, holding only 10 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state at the time. At the time, this move generated surprise among political commentators, who had regarded his sister Priyanka as being the more charismatic and likely to succeed. Party officials did not have a curriculum vitae ready for the media, such was the surprise of his move. It generated speculation that the presence of a young member of India's most famous political family would reinvigorate the Congress party's political fortunes among India's youthful population In his first interview with foreign media, he portrayed himself as a uniter of the country and condemned "divisive" politics in India, saying that he would try to reduce caste and religious tensions. His candidature was greeted with excitement by locals, who had a long standing affinity with the family's presence in the area. , Politician of Indian National Congress He won with a landslide majority, retaining the family stronghold with a margin of over 100,000 as the Congress unexpectedly defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Until 2006 he held no other office and concentrated mainly on constituency issues and the politics of Uttar Pradesh, and it was widely speculated in the Indian and international press that Sonia Gandhi is trying to groom him for a chance to become a national-level Congress leader in the future.

In January 2006, at a convention of the Indian National Congress in Hyderabad, thousands of party members asked for Gandhi to take a more prominent leadership role in the party and demanded that he address the delegates. He said "I appreciate and I am grateful for your feelings and support. I assure you I will not let you down", but asked for patience and declined to immediately seek a higher profile role.

Gandhi and his sister (married to Robert Vadhera) managed their mother's campaign for reelection to Rae Bareilly in 2006, which was won easily with a margin greater than 400,000 votes.

He was a prominent figure in a high profile Congress campaign for the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections; Congress, however, won only 22 seats with 8.53% of votes. The election saw the Bahujan Samaj Party, which represents low caste Indians, to become the first party to govern in its own right in Uttar Pradesh in 16 years.

Rahul Gandhi was appointed a general secretary of the All India Congress Committee on 24 September 2007 in a reshuffle of the party secretariat. In the same reshuffle, he was also given charge of the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India.

In 2008, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily mentioned “Rahul-as-PM” idea when the PM of India Manmohan Singh was still abroad. Indian Politicians drew own conclusions. Evidently, the Prime Minister also took notice of it.

Youth politics

In his attempt to prove himself as a youth leader in November 2008 he held interviews at his 12, Tughlak Lane residence in New Delhi to handpick at least 40 people who will make up the think-tank of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), an organisation that he has been keen to transform since he was appointed general secretary in September 2007.

Under Rahul Gandhi, IYC and NSUI has seen a dramatic increase in members from a few hundred thousand to several million.

Rahul Gandhi participated in an interactive session with students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. The University student unions have been traditionally dominated by the Left. His party, INC, however, was quick to play up Rahul's visit to JNU as an “excellent example of youth participation in politics”. Rahul's grandmother, Indira Gandhi had to face huge opposition from Left student unions during her visit to the university campus in 1982 because of her decision to impose emergency. Rahul was quizzed by the students on issues ranging from hiearchial politics in India, to his visits to Dalit Houses, economic growth in the country and education reforms. Some papers, however, reported Rahul's visit to JNU as a political attempt to strengthen the newly constituted unit of NSUI at JNU.

In various reports it has been proved that Rahul Gandhi has failed in his promise to eliminate family, patronage, money from Youth Congress. It has been seen that an aspiring delegates need to pay a substantial sum as nomination fee. Hence, an aspiring office-bearer with deep pockets sponsors them thereby allowing money power to have a role in the elections.

2009 elections

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he retained his Amethi constituency by defeating his nearest rival by a margin of over 333,000 votes. In these elections congress is said to have revived itself in Uttar Pradesh by winning 21 out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats and the majority of the credit for this turnaround is given to Rahul Gandhi. He spoke at 125 rallies across the country in six weeks.

He is referred to as RG in party circles.

Land Acquisition Protests Arrest

On 11 May 2011 Rahul Gandhi was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police at Bhatta Parsaul village after he turned out in support of agitating farmers demanding more compensation for their land being acquired for a highway project. He was released after being held for about three hours and later returned to New Delhi. He was to be presented before a Sub-Divisional Magistrate on 12 May 2011.

Political and legal issues

Comparison of RSS and SIMI

Rahul Gandhi has been critical of right-wing groups like the RSS and compared them to terrorist organizations like SIMI. According to a cable leaked by Wikileaks, in 2009, he allegedly shared concerns with the American ambassador to India Timothy Roemer that radicalized Hindu groups may pose a bigger threat to India than Islamic terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba. His comments on radical Hindu groups were criticized by the opposition party, as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Sukanya Devi

It has been alleged that Rahul Gandhi had detained a girl and her parents since 2007. On 01st Mar 2011, the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi., however all the allegations were found to be false. Allahbad high court not only dismissed the case after the girl in question appeared in the court, but slapped a 50 lakh penalty against the petitioner ordering a CBI inquiry against her and websites publishing the story.

13th Jul 2011 Terror Attack remarks

On 14th Jul 2011, a day after the serial bombing in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi gave a statement that "it was very difficult to stop every single terror attack". The remark resulted in a number of strong criticism from a number of Shiv Sena party members.

See also

Political Families of The World

References

External links

Profile at ''BBC News''

Profile at Govt. of India website

Rahul Gandhi collected news and commentary at ''The Times of India''

Category:Indian National Congress politicians Category:Nehru–Gandhi family Category:14th Lok Sabha members Category:15th Lok Sabha members Category:Doscos Category:Harvard University alumni Category:People from New Delhi Category:Rollins College alumni Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Children of Prime Ministers of India Category:Indian people of Italian descent Category:University of Delhi alumni

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