More Sponsored Links For:
MaharashtraThe mountains of the Western Ghats run parallel to the coast of the state, leaving a narrow strip known as the Konkan between the Arabian Sea and the interior plateau. There is a series of small ports along the coast in addition to Mumbai. Beyond the Western Ghats is a vast plateau drained by the Tapi, Godavari, Bhima, Krishna, Wardha, and Vainganga rivers. The great Tapi trough, a fertile belt where cotton is cultivated, is there. The heaviest rainfall is along the coastal area, where it averages 80 to 120 in. (203–305 cm) a year. The climate in general is tropical. In the plateau areas, only 25 to 80 in. (64–203 cm) of rain fall annually, creating a semiarid climatic zone. Rice, grown in the coastal area, is the primary food crop, but it is supplemented by the production of grain sorghum and small millet. The state is rich in minerals; manganese, iron ore, bauxite, coal, and salt are mined. Industry, including the manufacture of textiles, electrical products, and chemicals, is mainly concentrated in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, and Nagpur.
The Muslim rulers of India controlled the area of Maharashtra from the early 14th cent. to the mid-17th cent., when the great Maratha leader Śivaji formed a Maharashtran confederacy. In the 16th cent., Portugal was the leading foreign power in the region, but Great Britain gradually gained influence and by the early 19th cent. had incorporated the Maharashtran area into the Bombay presidency, which later became a province of British India. Maharashtra is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to a bicameral legislature with one elected house and by a governor appointed by the president of India.
The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
- Jalgaon
Jalgaon, city (1991 pop. 242,193), Maharashtra state, W central India. It is the center of a significant cotton-growing district.
- Amravati
Amravati, city (1991 pop. 421,576), administrative headquarters of Amravati district, Maharashtra state, central India. The city is a growing industrial center, with major industries in cotton...
- Bhusawal
Bhusawal, city (1991 pop. 159,709), Maharashtra state, W central India. The city is on the Mumbai-Delhi railroad. It has railroad workshops, cotton factories, and an oil-processing industry.
- Pandharpur
Pandharpur, town (1991 pop. 79,902), Maharashtra state, W India, on the Bhima River. Many Hindu pilgrims attend the festivals held four times a year at the temple of Vishnu.
- Sangli
Sangli, town (1991 pop. 363,751), Maharashtra state, SE India, on the Krishna River. It is an agricultural market and a district administrative center. Oilseed and turmeric are particularly im...
- Ulhasnagar
Ulhasnagar, city (1991 pop. 368,772), Maharashtra state, W central India. It is a residential and industrial suburb of Mumbai, with chemical and textile chemicals. It lies in the Thane industr...
- Wardha
Wardha, town (1991 pop. 102,985), Maharashtra state, central India, on the Mumbai-Kolkata RR. It is a district administrative center and a market for cotton. Wardha, founded in 1866, is the he...
- Marathas
Marathas or Mahrattas, Marathi-speaking people of W central India, known for their ability as warriors and their devotion to Hinduism. From their homeland in Maharashtra their chieftains rose ...
- Hyderabad, former state and modern city, India
Hyderabad, former princely state, S central India. The former princedom of Hyderabad is now divided among the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. The Mughal empire conquered ...
- Akola
Akola, city (1991 pop. 328,034), Maharashtra state, W central India, on the Morna River. It is a district administrative center, a market town, and an important road and rail junction. Cotton,...
