Maharashtra

Modern Indian state along the Arabian
Sea, stretching east over the Western
Ghats to encompass the northern part
of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is
one of the “linguistic” states formed
after Indian independence in 1947;
these states were created to unite people
with a common language and culture (in
this case, Marathi) under one state government. It was formed in 1960 by splitting the former state of Bombay into the
present states of Gujarat and
Maharashtra. Bombay, the capital, is the
financial and industrial center of modern India. The western regions are heavily industrialized; the eastern regions are
more agricultural, dominated by sugar
plantations. Historically, Maharashtra is
the homeland of the Marathas, a group
whose eighteenth-century empire
stretched across much of northern
India. The Rashtriya Svayamsevak
Sangh and the Shiv Sena, two Hindu
nationalist organizations that have both
tried to influence Indian politics, were
founded in Maharashtra. Along with its
economic and political importance, the
state contains many important historical, cultural, and religious sites.
Historical and cultural sites include the
rock-cut caves of Ellora, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site; the Buddhist caves at
Ajanta; and the cave temple at
Elephanta in the Bombay harbor. Places
of religious importance include the
Godavari and Bhima rivers and their
attendant sacred sites (tirthas); the sites
associated with the saints of the Varkari
Panth religious community, particularly
the temple to the god Vithoba at
Pandharpur; and three of the jyotirlingas, which are sites particularly holy to
the god Shiva: Bhimashankar,
Ghrneshvar, and Tryambakeshvar. For
general information about Maharashtra
and other regions of India, see Christine
Nivin et al., India. 8th ed., Lonely
Planet, 1998.