Maharashtra is India's second largest state by area and population. It has a population of over 110 million people, making it more urbanized and literate than India as a whole. Marathi is the most widely spoken language in the state. The state has a variety of climates and cultures due to its large size. It produces a diverse array of crops, with cotton and sugarcane among the most important cash crops. Maharashtrian cuisine incorporates vegetables, coconuts, and grains in dishes served with breads like poli or bhakri. The state celebrates many festivals throughout the year.

1. MAHARASHTRA

2. LARGE, LITERATE AND URBANIZED
 India’s 2nd largest State
 308,000 sq kms, from coast to central India
 110 m people (9%), more than most countries
 42% Urban, against India’s 28%
 Young, 67% below 34 years
 Literacy 77% (India: 65%), sharp increase in
female literacy in last decade

3. Geography
• Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km²
(119,000 mi²), and is the third largest state in India. It
is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the
north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the
south east, Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the
southwest.
• The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the
Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli sandwiched
in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's
west coast.

5. • The Western Ghats form one of the
three watersheds of India, from which many South
Indian rivers originate, notable among them
being Godavari River, and Krishna River, which
flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are
a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an
average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). To the
east of the Ghats lies the flat Deccan Plateau.

6. Religion
• Hinduism
Hindus form 83.2% of total population .
• Islam
Islam is the second largest religion with 12 per cent of the
population.
• Buddhism
Comprises 6 % in Maharastra's total population.
• Jains
• Christians
• Judaism
• Zoroastrians

7. Language
• Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra. Other
languages that are the native language of more than one
percent of the population are:
• Language Percentage in state
• Marathi 68.89
• Hindi 11.50
• Urdu 7.13
• Gujarati 2.39
• Telugu 1.45
• Kannada 1.3
• Other languages 4.6

8. Climate & Agriculture
• Maharashtra has typical monsoon climate, with hot, rainy and
cold weather seasons. Tropical conditions prevail all over the
state, and even the hill stations are not that cold. Dew, frost,
hail can also be happened sometimes according to the
seasonal weather.
• Approximately 140-145 lakh hectares of land is cultivated in
the kharif season and 60-65 lakh hectares is cultivated
in rabbi season.
• Main Cash Crops
Cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, turmeric and vegetables are the
main cash crops in Maharashtra. Since industries like textile
mills and sugar factories are dependent on cotton and
sugarcane, these cash crops are considered most important.

9. • Horticulture
The climate of Maharashtra is conducive for horticulture, as
inadequate rainfall does not have an adverse effect on
production of fruits.
• Fruit-production constitutes 25% of the total agricultural
produce in the State. Approximately, 103 lakh tons of fruits are
produced every year. Maharashtra ranks first in the country in
the production of fruits.
• Bananas constitute 25% of the total fruit-production in the
country, whereas the production of grapes, pomegranates and
oranges is highest in Maharashtra as compared to other parts
of the country. Other fruits like mango, coconut, cashew-nuts
are also produced to a large extent in Maharashtra.

11. Culture
• As Maharashtra is a vast state, the people of this colourfull
state wears different types of costumes, take different
cuisines, has different forms of dances and music according
to the physical features of their locality.
• Costumes of Maharashtra : Generally, men wear dhoti and
pheta in olden days, while women wear choli and saree..In
urban areas like bombay, pune western outfits are very
popular among youths due to strong Presence of Bollywood
industry.

12. Festivals of Maharashtra
• Being multicultural state maharashtra enjoys ‘n’
no.’s of festivals ranging from :
• Ganesh Chaturthi (Most widely celebrated)
• Janamashti
• Dipwali
• Maha Shivratri
• Id-ul-fitr
• X-mas
• Buddh Purnima

14. Dances of Maharashtra
•
Gifted with its rich culture and traditions, Maharashtra has
different types of dance forms. Povada is the dance form
that showcases the lifetime achievements of the Maratha
ruler Shivaji Maharaj.
Music of Maharashtra
•
Every festive occasion is accompanied by song, music and
dance in Maharashtra. Talking about the music of
Maharashtra won't complete without the mention of Natya
Sangeet, numerous folk songs and its great saint poets.

15. Cuisines
• Maharashtrian cuisine comprises the coastal Konkan cuisine
and the Varadi cuisine of interior Maharashtra. Marathi food
uses a variety of vegetables, fish, coconuts, peanuts and
cashew nuts. Peanut oil is the main cooking medium, the
cardinal principle is that oil should not be visible in a dish and
therefore vegetables are usually steamed. Taat Vadhany-(a
method offsetting food on the plate) is the traditional and
aesthetic way of serving food on a tvaata (plate).
• Staple dishes are the -
Poli or Chapati - Unleavened bread made of wheat flour, more
common in urban areas.
Bhakri - Bread made of all kinds of flours, mainly jowar and
bajra, form part of daily food in rural areas.

16. • Rice - Rice is eaten throughout Maharashtra and is a large part
of the daily meal, although Maharashtrians are not totally
dependent on rice only. Normally meals contain some form of
bread, some bhaji (sabzi) and some rice with dal.
• Various snacks of Maharashtra :
• Chivda Pohay
• Upma Puran poli
• Vada pav Matar-usal- pav
• Misal Pav Pav bhaji
• Sabudana Khichadi Khichdi
• Bakarwadi Bhadang
• Shira Chana daliche

17. Cuisine of Maharashtra