Portal:Maharashtra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र, literally: Great Nation) is India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. It is bordered by the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and is home to 96 million people. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. Mumbai, India's largest city, is the capital of Maharashtra. Maharashtra's earliest recorded history dates back to the 3rd century BC, and was once part of Ashoka's Magadha Empire. It came under Islamic influence in the 13th century before becoming the seat of the Maratha Empire lead by Shivaji in the 17th century. The modern state was created in 1960 with the Bombay State being split into Gujarat and Maharashtra. Today Maharashtra is India's most industrialised state, and its capital Mumbai is the commercial centre of India, with the majority of corporate institutions being located in the city, in addition to the Bombay Stock Exchange, India's largest. Mumbai is also home to the Hindi Bollywood, the largest film industry in the world. (more)  Mumbaī (Marathi: मुंबई), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with an estimated population of about 13 million. Located on the west coast of Maharashtra, and along with its neighbouring suburbs, it forms the world's fifth most populous metropolitan area with a population of about 20 million. The city has a deep natural harbour and the port handles over half of India's passenger traffic and a significant amount of cargo. Artefacts found near Kandivali, in northern Mumbai indicate that the islands on which Mumbai is built have been inhabited since the Stone Age. In the 3rd century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Aşoka. The Hindu rulers of the Silhara Dynasty later governed the islands until 1343, when the kingdom of Gujarat annexed them. In 1534, the city passed to Portuguese control and later in the 17th century to British rulers, who headquartered there. Since independence, an economic boom has fuelled migration towards the city, causing it to overtake Calcutta as India's most populous city. Today Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, and houses important financial institutions, such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies. Mumbai has attracted migrants from all over India because of the immense business opportunities, and the relatively high standard of living, making the city a potpourri of various communities and cultures. The city is home to India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai is also one of the rare cities to accommodate a national park, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, within its city limits.  The Ajanta Caves are a group of caves in a wooded ravine about 3½ km from the village of Ajinthā in Aurangabad, celebrated for its cave art and monastic architecture. Believed to have been originally constructed in the 5th century CE, they were intended as Buddhist viharas and stupas which were dug into the side of the mountain. The caves contain elaborate artwork, mostly describing the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha and his preivious reincarnations as described in the Jataka tales. After being lost to the world, the caves were rediscovered through excavation over a period of three centuries, ending in 1956. Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been an UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the international World Heritage program.  Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891 — December 6, 1956) was a Buddhist revivalist, an Indian jurist, scholar and Bahujan political leader who is the chief architect of the Indian constitution. Born in an Untouchable community; he spent his life fighting against the discrimination system of Hindu untouchability and the Hindu Caste System. He is also credited for having sparked Dalit Buddhist movement. Overcoming numeous social and financial obstacles, Ambedkar became one of the first untouchables to obtain college education in India. He went on to pursue higher studies in the United States and England, where he earned law degrees and multiple doctorates for his studies and works in law, economics and political science. A famous scholar, Ambedkar practised law for a few years before he began publishing journals advocating political rights and social freedom for India's untouchables. Leading numerous public agitations, he would become a fierce critic of Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. Ambedkar organized untouchable political parties and social organizations, and served in the legislative councils of British India. He would intensify his criticism of orthodox Hindu society and would oppose nationalist rebellions. Despite this, his reputation as a scholar led to his appointment as free India's first law minister, and chairman of the committee responsible to draft a constitution. Ambedkar's work would guarantee political, economic and social freedoms for untouchables and other ethnic, social and religious communities of India. His polemical condemnation of Hinduism and attacks on Islam would make him unpopular and controversial, although his conversion to Buddhism sparked a revival in interest of Buddhist philosophy in India.
Goa • Gujarat • India • Kerala • Tamil Nadu • West Bengal
|
