Maharashtra

Maharashtra – the land of dreams, history, forts, caves, beaches and many more. A destination which is a must visit for every person at least once in lifetime. Being the largest state along the costal line, Maharashtra has many beautiful beaches in this pocket. Maharashtra is also one of the most diverse states in India. Having popular cities of India, Maharashtra tanks top in attracting maximum tourists every year.

Mumbai aka amchi Mumbai , the city of dreams and the capital of Maharashtra . Mumbai is one of the busiest cities in India and it is a financial hub of the country. It is also the home of Indian entertainment industry, the “Bollywood”. Located on the coastal line, Mumbai has many beautiful beaches like Juhu, Chowpathi, Aksa and Marve. A road along the Arabian Sea, The Marine Drive is very famous for its sunset view and Night view when the lights are lid up. One of the busiest Airport, The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the rail terminal, The Victoria Terminal are one of the attractions. The Gate way of India is one of the famous tourist spots. Apart from these Mumbai even attracts many devotees of different religions. Many famous temples, churches and mosques located here, such as ISKON temple, Mahalakshmi temple, Siddhi Vinayak temple, the Mount Mary Church and Haji Ali. The night life, fashion and its fast pace makes it attractive for the younger generation as well. The newly constructed Sea link which connects Mumbai to the suburbs of South Mumbai has become one of the tourist attraction in the city. Magnificent rivers like Godavari, Krishna and Tapi flow through this beautiful state.

Pune, where history and future go hand in hand is another major city in Maharashtra. On one hand we have the long standing Maratha empire and stories of Veer Shivaji and on the other hand we have old universities for art, science, law attracting not only Indian but international students as well. Various attractions in Pune are the 8th century Pataleshwar rock-cut temple, Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum displays collection of art work, lamps, paintings, musical item etc, Shinde Chhatri a memorial of Mahandji Shinde displaying his silver likeness, turbans and shawls, Katraj snake Park has a wide collections of snakes, reptiles, birds and leopards.

Named after the mughal emperor Aurangzeeb, Aurangabad is located on the banks of Kham river. The main attraction of this city is the Ajanta and Ellora caves, three main museum, the Sunheri Mahal Museum, the University Museum and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum displaying fine and great art work. The Bani Begum gardens are worth a visit to get lost in the beauty of nature.

Lonavala, Khandala, Matheran and Mahabaleshwar, established during the British rule to rejuvenate souls in summer heat. Since then they have grown as hotspot for travelers. All these hill stations are great holiday destinations throughout the year.

Other cities to visit to feel Marathi culture and unlimited, untouched beautiful nature are in Nashik, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Amravati and Thane.

Moving on to the culture of Maharashtra, it’s very vibrant and colorful. It’s a mixture of festival, food, music, dance, arts and crafts. People of Maharashtra celebrate every festival with a lot of fun and music. Two of the most popular festivals are the Dahi Handi festival where groups of people make a human pyramid and break the earthen pot hanging high and the other festival is the Ganesh Chaturthi where the idol of Lord Ganesha is brought home and on the last day of the festival these idols are brought to the ocean and are sank in ocean.

Talking about the cuisine, even though you can find both vegetarian and non vegetarian flavor with distinct taste but being on the coastal line non vegetarian and sea food dominates the cuisine. The popular dishes are sungtachi-hinga kodi, which consists of prawns in coconut gravy, bombil or the Bombay duck and Bangda a popular fish.

Visit Maharashtra to experience dazzling hill stations, sensuous beaches, quiet forts, bust towns, sculpted monuments, serene temples, majestic rock caves and over all diverse culture.