Truly a 'Great Land, and the most fascinating region of India. Maharashtra is known world over for its rich cultural heritage. Even though it has a great degree of homogeneity in terms of aspects like the State language Marathi, there are ethnic traits adopted from other parts of India. The chief festival celebrated in Maharashtra is the Ganesh Puja - an elaborate affair akin to the Puja festival in West Bengal. Some of the well known tourist places include the world famous Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad, Elephanta Caves near Mumbai, the famous Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi, Historic Forts in the Konkan belt etc. 

Temples

The State of Maharashtra has to its credit hoary pilgrimage centers as well as landmarks in the evolution of Indian Temple architecture. Two of the grand ancient rock cut temples of India dedicated to Shiva - The Elephanta Cave Temple and the Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora are in Maharashtra. Also in this state are three of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines, two of the Shakti Peethas, the eight Ashta Vinayak shrines and the revered Vitthala shrine at Pandharpur - glorified by the saints of Maharashtra.

Beaches

Maharashtra has its fair share of beaches. Unknown, unsung beaches fringing the coastine sporadically, places where sand and sea meet with pleasant effect. While the beaches of Goa and Kerala are sung of and written about and the endless stretch of sand called Marina, that lines the shores of Madras city, has its own share of followers, the coastal sands of Maharashtra remain comparatively undiscovered. And that is their biggest attraction. Some of the famous beaches in Maharashtra are Bassein, Dahanu - Bordi, Ganpati Pule, Juhu Beach, Manori Gorai, Vengurla & others.

Dance and Music

Maharashtra has been equally well known for its music. Its vibrant folk forms like lavnis, Povadas, gondnals and Bharuds are a true reflection of the society. Besides India's greatest treasure on classical music of medieval times the "Sangitratnakara" was written by Sharang Dev in the 13 century. Many of India's greatest stalwarts of music reside and perform here like Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Lata Mangeshkar, Bal Gandharva, Kishori Amonkar etc. Maharashtra also has a flourishing theatre tradition.

Cuisines

The variety that is Maharashtra, is expressed fully in it's cuisine.In this cuisine, the staple diet of 'bhakari' and 'zunka' symbolises the lean and hardy character of the State's peasantry. These 'bhakaris' and the almost endless varieties of Koshimbirs (salads) and Usals (sprouted lentils) are also ideal for the modern, health conscious city-dwellers. Given the size of the State, there is great regional variety from the Malwani cuisine (seafood curries) of the Konkan coast to the spicy meat curries of Kolhapur and the orange 'burfis' (sweets) of the Vidarbha plains.

Maharashtra festivals, are a tribute to its rich culture and legacy. Ganesh festival, Gokul Ashtami, Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Padwa etc. provide a common platform for people from all walks of life to interact with one another. In all Maharashtra signifies culture and a modern cosmopolitan outlook.

Aurangabad    Dadra & Nagar    Kolhapur    Lonavala & Khandala    Mahabaleshwar    Mumbai    Nasik    Pune   

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