West India · Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Sources: wikimedia
About Maharashtra
- Coastal
- Hills
Where it is
Maharashtra is a large state in western India, with the Konkan coast along the Arabian Sea, the Western Ghats, or Sahyadri, running behind it, and the Deccan Plateau stretching east to Vidarbha; its capital is Mumbai.
History
The Satavahanas, Vakatakas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas ruled here in turn, leaving the cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora, and the Yadavas ruled from Devagiri until the 14th century. After the Deccan sultanates and the Mughals, Shivaji founded the Maratha kingdom in the 17th century, which grew into an empire led by the Peshwas from Pune. Under British rule Bombay became a great port and industrial city, and Maharashtra was formed on 1 May 1960.
People
Marathi is the official language, spoken alongside Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and many other languages, especially in Mumbai. The Warkari pilgrimage to Pandharpur, lavani and tamasha folk theatre, and festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Gudi Padwa are central to Marathi culture.
Known for
- Mumbai and the Gateway of India
- The Ajanta and Ellora caves
- Shivaji's hill forts in the Sahyadri
- Ganesh Chaturthi
- Vada pav and misal pav
Did you know?
In 2025 twelve Maratha-era forts, eleven in Maharashtra and Gingee in Tamil Nadu, were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.