Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Capital City: Mumbai
Population: 112,372,972
Area : 307,713 square kms
Average Climate: Typical monsoon climate. In Summers 22°C to 39°C (March – May), Winter 12 °C - 34°C (November till February),
Best time to visit: Mumbai can be visited throughout the year, but it is experienced best October till the month of March.
Situated in the Deccan plateau of the Indian subcontinent, Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea in the West and it shares its boundaries with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, along with Goa and Chhattisgarh. The state houses a 720 km long coastline along with the majestic Satpura Hills which are its natural borders in the east. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in the world and the second largest state in India. Mumbai, earlier known as Bombay is the financial capital of India and the capital city of Maharashtra known for Bollywood, the Hindi film industry.
The state has an extremely versatile geographical distinction as it includes elevated lands, in terms of Sahyadri ranges, plain regions situated in the Konkan coastal plains and plateaus in the form of Deccan plateau. The region also has many rivers, such as Krishna, Bhima and Godavari flowing through its terrains. Such diverse landscaping makes Maharashtra an extremely popular tourist destination. Some of the extremely popular cities for tourism are Amravati, Aurangabad, Kohlapur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik and Pune.
Maharashtra's history is poignantly important for the rise of the Maratha dynasty under the leadership of Shivaji. The architecture ranging from caves, forts to sculptures have a distinct mark of the Islamic, British and Maratha dynasty. Maharashtra has been an important historical site for the textile and sugar industry in India. It also produces mangoes, chemicals and machinery for export to other nations. This is precisely the reason that Maharashtra is one of the highest contributing states in the GDP of India.
A tourist visiting Maharashtra gets to experience the history, spirituality, architecture and beaches, all in one place. Some of the famous tourist destinations include Gateway of India, Haji Ali Dargah, Elephanta Cave, Ajanta and Ellora caves, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Lonavala and Shirdi. The tourism transcends all boundaries of religion and spiritualism and transports the visitor to the history and architectural marvels present in the state.
Maharashtra is also popular for its diverse flora and fauna. It houses 5 national parks and 24 bird sanctuaries popular among them are Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary and Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The state is especially known for its avifauna. Some exclusive wildlife species present in Maharashtra include giant Indian squirrel, spotted deer, sambhar, Blackbuck, tiger, wild dog, butterflies, python and flying fox.
Tourist destinations in Maharashtra
Mumbai , Aurangabad , Kolhapur, Nanded, Nagpur, Nashik, Ajanta, Ashtavinayak, Ellora, Lonar, Bhimashankar
