Maharashtra
(2002 est. pop. 98.6 million). Maharashtra, the third largest state of the Indian Union in terms of area and population, lies on the west coast of India facing the Arabian Sea. The state shares its boundary with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Goa. A 720-kilometer by 80-kilometer coastal expanse called Konkan forms a continuous band along the coast. Parallel to this runs the Western Ghats mountain range, which is flanked, on its eastern side, by the fertile plateau that forms the dominant physical environment of the state. Three major rivers—Godavari, Bhima, and Krishna (Kistna)— flow through this region.
The soil of the plateau is rich and supports the extensive cultivation of cotton, sugarcane, peanut, and tobacco along with different varieties of mangoes, grapes, oranges, and bananas. The coastal region produces rice and coconuts in abundance. The state receives its rainfall mainly from the southwest monsoon which is very active in the coastal belt, but loses its vigor once it approaches the central parts.
Maharashtra's early history stretches from the time of the Mauryan empire in the third century BCE to the reign of the Yadavas in the thirteenth century. The high point of this history comes with the rise of Sivaji in the seventeenth century, who succeeded in establishing an independent Maratha kingdom despite repeated Muslim attacks. Sivaji's successors ruled the territory with occasional reverses till the British took control of the region in early nineteenth century. At the time of independence the state was part of the Bombay presidency under the British. It got its present identity on 1 May 1960 when all the Marathi-speaking areas from neighboring states were united to form Maharashtra. The state has thirty-three administrative districts and has a bicameral legislature. It has a representation of nineteen members in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) and forty-eight members in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament.
More than 60 percent of the people in Maharashtra depend on agriculture for a living. In addition to a thriving agricultural sector, Maharashtra has a well-developed industrial base. Because of its convenient location as the link between northern and southern India, it functions as a bridgehead of financial and commercial activities. Mumbai (Bombay), the capital of Maharashtra, is the business capital of India and the largest stock exchange in the country. It has a big textiles market and a busy port. Many small and medium industries have grown around the city and it showcases products from all over India. Food products, breweries, tobacco and related products, textiles, plasticware, petroleum and coal products, paper, rubber, basic chemicals and chemical products, and crude oil are some of the items manufactured and marketed from Maharashtra. Major corporate houses in India are Mumbaibased. The city is also well known for its film industry, which is the chief source of the popular Hindi cinema.
Further Reading
Kulkarni, A. R. (1999) Maharastra: Society and Culture. Columbia, MO: South Asia Books.
Sirsikar, M. (1995) Politics of Modern Maharastra. Sangam Books.
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