Travel-India

Details: Written by Anchal B Chaudhary

Maharashtra

Located in West India, Maharashtra is India’s third largest state in terms of both area and population.

Said to be India’s Powerhouse, the state of Maharashtra is home to the country’s commercial or financial capital, Mumbai, which also happens to be state’s capital.

Maharashtra was once the most powerful state and its shores have been a witness to few most of the most important events in the history of India.

The British had arrived India through the Mumbai docks and it was through the arches of the famous Gateway of India in Mumbai that the last British troops left newly Independent India and departed by sea.

The imprints of the British have been left behind in the form of prominent colonial architecture including the Gateway of India which was ceremonially built for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911.

Gateway of India is one of the most popular places to visit in Mumbai during a trip to the region as are the world famous Ajanta caves, Ellora caves and Elephanta caves. The rock cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora are classical masterpieces of art and were declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1983.

Close to Mumbai, is located Pune, the second largest city in Maharashtra and the 7^th largest in India. One of the most prominent centres for music and theatre, Pune is Maharashtra’s cultural and heritage capital.

In the southwest Maharashtra is located Kolhapur city renowned for its Kolhapuri chappal, Kolhapuri gur, Kolhapuri cuisine and Kolhapuri mirch. The city of Kolhapur has a strong cultural identity and is also popular as Kalapur for being birth place of many artists.

Maharashtra is also home to the world famous Hindi Film industry Bollywood.

Besides the populous, busy and crowded cities, the state of Maharashtra is also known to a number of famous hill-stations like Lonavala, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani which provide much needed respite and breather from the maddening routine life of the urban.

Maharashtra has a number of places of interest for the tourists. Beaches, lakes, caves, religious shrines, heritage monuments, art galleries, museums, fun parks, clubs and plethora of adventure sports opportunities. The state has something or the other to offer to each one.

Shrines and Places of Worship in Mumbai

Reflecting the faith of the locals in the Almighty, are a number of religious shrines dotted all over Maharashtra. Most popular of them are:

Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai, Mahalakshmi Temple in Mumbai, ISKCON Temple at Juhu Beach, Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur, Panchganga Temple in Mahabaleshwar, Tryambakeshwar Temple in Nasik.

Heritage Sites in Mumbai

Where on one hand, Maharashtra is home to a city like Mumbai which has a strong global flavour, on the other it has preserved carefully a number of heritage sites which are definitely worth seeing atleast once in a lifetime.

Few of the most popular heritage sites of Maharashtra are: Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, Elephanta Caves near Mumbai, Gateway of India in Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal in Mumbai, Bassein Fort in Mumbai, Haji-Ali-Mosque in Worli, Bibi-ka-Maqbara near Aurangabad, Daulatabad Fort near Aurangabad and Aga Khan Palace in Pune.

Dance and Music of Maharashtra

Maharashtra is gifted with rich cultural heritage. The state has various folk songs and many different types of dance forms. Some of the popular dance forms are Lavani, Koli, Dhangari, Povadas and Tamasha.

Amongst the folk songs, Lavangi and Povada are most popular folk songs, while other popular ones are Bhaleri, Owi, Palane, Artya and Natya sangeet.