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Maharashtra is the third
largest state in India both in area and population. The state
is bounded by the Arabian Sea in the west, Gujarat in the
north west, Madhya Pradesh in the north and the east, Andhra
Pradesh in the south east and Karnataka and Goa in the south.
Phisiography
Maharashtra consists of two major relief divisions. The
plateau which is a part of the Deccan tableland and the Konkan
coastal strip abutting on the Arabian Sea. The state of Maharashtra forms a huge irregular triangle with its base on
the west coast of India, overlooking the Arabian Sea. The
coastal strip, about 720 km, long and not more than 80 km
wide, is the Konkan dotted with paddy fields and coconut
gardens. The Sahyadris or the western ghats running almost
parallel to the sea coast flank the Konkan on its east. To the
east of the Sahyadris stretches a vast plateau forming the
apex of the triangle. The major parts of Maharashtra is
underlined by rocks of volcanic origin the lavas. These lava
beds are a distinctive feature of landscape in Maharashtra and
many of them present as black and massive girdles a
spectacular display on the scarp face of the Sahyadri.
The drainage system of Maharashtra consists of both
west-flowing rivers draining to the Arabian Sea and east
flowing one which drain to the Bay of Bengal after traversing
Andhra Pradesh and Mysore. The major rivers of the plateau are
Tapi, The Godavari, the Bhima, the Krishna, the Wardha, and
Wainganga. The Godavari is the principal river of Maharashtra.
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Sight Seeing
Maharashtra’s ancient history
goes back more than 2000 years. A profusion of Buddhist, Hindu
and Jain rock-cut monuments, some dating back to 200 BC, lie
strewn across the state. The finest of these cave temples and
monasteries, are located near Aurangabad about 400 km east of
Mumbai. This bustling commercial city, named after the Mughal
Emperor Aurangzeb, is the ideal base for a visit to the
celebrated World Heritage cave sites at Ajanta and Ellora.
Buddhist monks carved out the 30 caves at Ajanta between 200
BC and 650 AD and decorated them with the most wonderful
frescoes and sculptures.
Even more remarkable, in terms of architectural excellence and
sculptural detail, are the 34 Buddhist, Hindu and Jain
monolithic temples at Ellora, made between 350 AD and 1000 AD.
The temples come alive during the Ellora Festival, held in
March each year, when they form a splendid backdrop for
classical dance and music performances by leading artistes.
The landscape of western Maharashtra is punctuated with
hilltop forts, a legacy of the vital trade routes that lay in
the region and moulded its political history. This was the
land of the legendary Maratha hero, Shivaji, who forged the
local forces into a strong regional power to challenge the
Mughals in the 17th century. Pune, the seat of power of the
Marathas, is now a thriving industrial centre, academic and
cultural centre and the second largest city in the state. It
is also known internationally as the home city of the Osho
Commune founded by the new-age guru, Bhagwan Rajneesh.
Mumbai is the state capital, a bustling cosmopolitan city that
is the financial and commercial nerve centre of the country.
Part of the Portuguese colonial possession s in India, it was a
mosquito infested island given to Charles II of England as
dowry upon his marriage to Catharine of Braganza in 1661. From
those dubious beginnings, it developed into a thriving centre
of economic and industrial activity.
The Sahayadri Range, which runs parallel to the coast, is
dotted with hill stations presenting a wide choice of places
for a cool retreat to beat the summer heat and humidity -
Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Matheran (100 km from Mumbai),
Lonavala,Khandala and several others. If you prefer the sea
and sand, the state has a number of beaches in the Konkan
region – Murud-Janjira, Malvan, Ganapatipule and Kashid being
the least frequented and relatively unspoilt. Some of these
places have recently been developed as holiday resort
complexes.
Maharashtra extends east right to the heart of the
subcontinent, known as its Vidarbha region. The biggest city
here is Nagpur, famous as the ‘orange capital’ of India, for
its bountiful production of this citrus fruit. 75 km southwest
of Nagpur is Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram at Sevagram (‘The Village
of Service’), set up in 1933, which later became the pivot of
the Indian Independence movement.
About 195 kms northeast of Mumbai, on the banks of the
Godavari River, is the pilgrim city Nashik. The riverbank here
is lined with bathing ghats and temples. The city becomes a
seething mass of humanity during the Kumbh Mela (held every 12
years), when upto four million devout Hindus come here for a
holy dip. |
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