Maharastra
This article on Maharashtra GK covers all the important facts which are generally asked in competitive exams of UPSC, SSC, IBPS, Defence services Exams, State PSCs. Maharashtra, the land of unique culture and customs is around 1350 km away from our capital. It contributes to 9.29% population in India. This state is known for its mixed culture of traditional beliefs and modernity. It is also the hub of industries in India.
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| Topic | Data/Facts |
| 1 History | 1.1 In 1950, after Indian independence, princely states and Jagirs of the Deccan States Agency, were merged into Bombay State, which was created from the former Bombay Presidency. 1.2 In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act reorganised the Indian states along linguistic lines, and Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly Marathi-speaking regions of Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) from erstwhile Hyderabad state and Vidarbha region from the Central Provinces and Berar. 1.3 On 1st May 1960, it is founded by splitting up the Bombay State in Maharashtra & Gujarat. 1.4 Other important facts: 1st May is celebrated as ‘’Maharashtra Day” |
| 2 Geography | 2.1 Climate: Tropical Climate, with three distinct seasons: (i) Summer (March–May), (ii) Monsoon (June–September), and (iii)Winter (October–February). However, dew and hail also occur sometimes, depending on seasonal weather. 2.2 Agriculture: Agriculture includes Crops, Horticulture, Milk, Animal Husbandry, Aquaculture, Fishing, Sericulture, Aviculture, Forestry, and Related Activities. (i) The principal monsoon crops are Jwar, Bajra, different varieties of rice, wheat, pulses and onion. (ii) The main Cash crops include cotton, sugarcane, turmeric, and several oil seeds including groundnut, sunflower and soybean. (iii) The fruits are mangoes, bananas, grapes, pomegranate and oranges. (iv) It is one of the leading states in marine fish production in India. Major fish landing centres are New Ferry Wharf, Sassoon Dock and Versova, situated in Mumbai metropolitan area. 2.3 Other Important Facts: (i) Agriculture sector contributes 25% GDP of Maharashtra. (ii) Certain agricultural products carry popularity with particular places like: Chiku of Gholvad, Orange of Nagpur, Nashik grapes, Mahabaleshwar strawberry, Waghya Ghevada (a French bean variety) of Satara district, Jalgaon eggplant, Rice of Ambemohar 2.3 Natural Resources: (i) The major resources are Manganese, Coal, Iron Ore, Limestone, Copper, Bauxite, Silica Sand, and Common Salt. (ii) The Bhandara, Nagpur, and Chandrapur regions are particularly rich in bituminous coal. (iii) Undersea petroleum deposits were discovered near Mumbai in the 1970s. 2.4 Major rivers: Rivers drain into Arabian Sea: Tapi, Godavari, Pravara, Krishna. Rivers with Inland Drainage : Purna, Venna, Koyana, Tungabhadra, Bhima. (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) The Major Lakes of Maharashtra: Lonar Lake (It is a meteoric crater),Buldhana District Talao Pali Lake (Masunda Talao), Mastani Lake,Pune Venna Lake, Mahabaleshwar (It is manmade lake) Upvan Lake, Thane Rankala lake, Kolhapur (It is oldest lake in Maharastra) The Ramkund Lake, Nashik Shivsagar Lake, Satara The Khindsi Lake in Nagpur district Ambazari Lake, Nagpur Pashan Lake, Pune (It is artificial lake constructed during British Period to attract migratory birds) 2.5 Animals: Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Four-Horned Antelope, Blue Bull, Chital, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Small Indian Civet, Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, Striped Hyena, Hare etc. 2.6 Neighbouring States: Maharashtra is bound by Indian states: Gujarat- North West Madhya Pradesh-North Chhattisgarh—East Telangana- South East Goa- South West Dadra and Nagar Haveli -West The Arabian Sea -west 2.7 Capital city: Mumbai (Earlier known as Bombay) Nagpur (Winter) Other Important Facts: (i) Mumbai also known as ‘’Gateway of India’’. 2.8 Total Land Area: Total Land Area: 307,713 sq. km. Rank in India in terms of Land Area: 3rd (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) |
| 3 Forestry | 3.1 Forest: Forest Cover: 61,939 sq. km. (20.13% of State’s Geographical Area) Protected Forest: 35.18 sq. km. (Data as per ISFR 2019 assessment) 3.2 National Parks: (i) Chandoli National Park,Mandaur (ii) Gugamal National Park, Amravati (iii) Nawegaon National Park, Nishani (iv) Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivilli (v)Tadoba National Park, Chandrapur (vi)Pench National Park 3.3 Wild Life Sanctuary: (i) Amba Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary, Buldhana, Chandrapur (ii) Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary, (iii) Aner Dam Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhule (iv) Bhamragarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandrapur (v) Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Pune (vi) Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Wardha (vii) Bordharan Wildlife Sanctuary, Wardha (viii) Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary, Gadchiroli (ix) Deolgaon-Rehkuri Wildlife Sanctuary, Ahmednagar (x) Dhyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary, Gerumatargaon (xi) Gautala Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Aurangabad And Jalgaon (xii) Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandrapur (xiii) Kalsubai Harishchandragad Wildlife Sanctuary, Ahmednagar (xiv) Karanja Sohol Wildlife Sanctuary, Washim (xv) Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, Khaksi (xvi) Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary, Kothali (xvii) Koka Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhandara (xviii) Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Satara (xix)Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary, Lonar Lake, Buldhana (xx) Malvan Marine Wildlife Sanctuary, Malvan (xxi) Mansingdeo Wildlife Sanctuary, Khursapur (xxii) Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Pune (xxiii) Melghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Amravati (xxiv) Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhandara And Gondia (xxv) Naigaon Mayur Wildlife Sanctuary, Beed (xxvi) Nandur Madhameshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Chapadgaon (xxvii) Narnala Wildlife Sanctuary, Shahanur (xxviii)Nawegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Nishani (xxix) New Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Manoli (xxx)New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhandara (xxxi) Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary, Morchandi (xxxii) Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, Raigad (xxxiii) Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolhapur (xxxiv)Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Sangli (xxxv)Sudhagad Wildlife Sanctuary, Avandhe (xxxvi) Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary, Thane (xxxvii)Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, Thane (xxxviii)Thane Creek Flamingo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thane (xxxix)Thillari Wildlife Sanctuary, Tillari (XL)Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Yavatmal (XLI)Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Palghar (XLII)Umred-Kharngla Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagpur (XLIII)Wan Wildlife Sanctuary, Amravati (XLIV)Yawal Wildlife Sanctuary, Jalgaon (XLV) Yedsi Ramling Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Osmanabad 3.4 Birds Sanctuary: (i) Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, Solapur (ii) Mayani Bird Sanctuary, Satara (iii) Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Navi Mumbai (iv) Jayakwadi Bird Sanctuary, Paithan |
| 4 Economy | 4.1 Major Economic Data: (i) GDP Growth: 8% (2020-21) (ii) GDP: ₹26 trillion (450 billion US dollars by Nominal 2020–2021) (iii) GDP Rank: 1st (iv)Per Capita Income: ₹1,91,740/- (FY 2019 ) (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) 4.2 Industries: (i) The 11 important industries in the state are Cotton Textiles, Pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, Heavy Chemicals, Electronics, Automobiles Machinery, Food processing, Electricals, Transport, and Metallurgy. (ii) Maharashtra is India’s leading industrial state contributing 13% of national industrial output. |
| 5 Transportation | 5.1 Air, Rail, Road Routes by Buses, Cars and Auto Rickshaw and Seaports. Other Important Facts: This state has the largest road network in India. 5.2 Major Railway Stations (i) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (ii)Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (iii) Kalyan Railway Station (iv) Bhusawal Railway Station (v) Nagpur Train Station (vi) Pune Junction (vii) Jalgaon Railway Station (viii) Nasik Road (ix)Thane Railway Station (x) Dadar Railway Station (xi) Igatpuri Railway Station (xii) Borivali Railway Station (xiii) Daund Junction Other Important Facts: The first passenger train in India ran from Mumbai to Thane on 16 April 1853. 5.3 Major Air Ports: International Airports: (i) Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, (ii) MumbaiJuhu Airport, Mumbai (iii)Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur (iv) Pune Airport Domestic Airports: (i) Aurangabad Airport (ii) Jalgaon Airport (iii) Kolhapur Airport (iv) Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport, Nanded (v) Ozar Airport, Nashik (vi) Shirdi Airport (vii) Sindhudurg Airport Indian Air Force Stations: Gandhinagar Airport,Nashik Ratnagiri Airport 5.4 Important National Highways passing through Maharastra: NH-3 NH-6 NH-7 NH-17 NH-222 (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) |
| 6 Infrastructures | 6.1 Power installed Capacity: 44140.58 MW Other Important Facts: (i) Maharashtra is the largest power generating state in India. (ii) Maharashtra has major generating sources: Thermal Power Generation Hydro Electricity Wind Generated Electricity (iii) Large thermal power plants, which burn coal, are located near Nagpur and Chandrapur. (iv)The nuclear power Plant at Tarapur, 113 km north of Mumbai, is India’s first nuclear power plant. |
| 7 Census and Demography | 7.1 Demographic Data: (i) Population: 112,374,333(11.24 Crore) (ii) Gender Ratio: 929 females per 1000 males (iii) Male: 58,243,056 (iv) Female: 54,131,277 (v) Population Growth: 15.99% (vi) Percentage of total population of the country: 9.28% (vii) Density: 365/Sq Km (viii) Rural Population: 54.78% (ix) Urban Population: 45.22% (x) 2nd most populous state in India (Based on 2011 census) 7.2 Major Religion followers: (i) Hinduism: 89,703,057 (79.83%) (ii) Christianity: 1,080,073 (0.96%) (iii) Islam: 12,971,152 (11.54%) (iv) Jainism: 1,400,349 (1.25%) (v) Buddhism: 6,531,200 (5.81%) (vi) Sikhism: 223,247 (0.20%) 7.3 State Literacy Data: (i) Literacy rate: 82.34% (ii) Total: 81,554,290 (iii) Male: 45,257,584 (iv) Female: 36,296,706 (Based on 2011 census) 7.4 Important Tribes: Bhil Gond- Madia Koli Katkari Oraon Warli (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) |
| 8 Culture | 8.1 Literature: (i) The earliest instances of Marathi literature is by Sant Dnyaneshwar with his Bhawarthadeepika (popularly known as Dnyaneshwari). (ii) In13th century, the literature was by Bhakti sants.They were Tukaram, Nam Dev,Eknath, Ramdas and Gora Kumhar.Their composition are mainly poetic and called Abhang. 8.2 Major Poets & Authors: (i) Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (ii) Ranjit Ramchandra Desai (iii) Shivaji Sawant (He is also known as Mrityunjaykar) (iv) Vishwas Patil (v) Vijay Tendulkar (vi) Vasant Purushottam Kale (vii) Bhalchandra Nemade (viii) Kusumagraj (ix) Gopal Nilkanth Dandekar (x) Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar (xi) Achyut Godbole (xii) G. A. Kulkarni (xiii) Vyankatesh Madgulkar (xiv) Vinda Karandikar (xv) Pralhad Keshav Atre 8.3 Major Festivals: (i) Ganesh Chathurthi (ii) Nag Panchami (iii) Gudhi Padwa – The Harvest Festival of Maharashtra (iv) Narali Pournima (v) Krishna Janmashtami (vi) Makar Sankranti (vii) Bhau Beej (viii) Ellora Festival (ix) Ashadhi Ekadashi (x) Mangala Gauri (xi) Pola (xii) Shivaji Jayanti (xiii) Banganga Festival 8.4 Folk Dance: (i) Lavani (ii) Koli (iii) Tamasha (iv) Dhangari (v) Povadas (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) 8.5 Major Religious Places: (i) Siddhivinayak Temple,Mumbai (ii) Dagadusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple,Pune (iii) Shirdi Sai Baba Temple,Shirdi (iv) Haji Ali Dargah,Mumbai (v) Vigneshwara Temple,Pune (vi) Aundha Nagnath Temple,Nanded (vii) Ballaleshwar Ganpati Temple,Raigad (viii) Bhimashankar Temple, Bhimashankar (ix) Harihareshwar Temple,Harihareshwar (x) Mahalakshmi Temple,Kolhapur (xi) Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple,Trimbak (xii) Global Vipassana Pagoda,Borivali (xiii) Mount Mary Church,Bandra (xiv) Hazur Sahib Nanded |
| 9 Education | 9.1 Major Universities: (i) Savitribai Phule Pune University,Pune (ii) University of Mumbai, Mumbai (iii) Symbiosis International University, Pune (iv) Kavayitri Bahinabai Chaudhari North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon (v) Shivaji University, Kolhapur (vi) Flame University, Pune (vii) Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Amravati (viii) Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded (ix) Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune (x) Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 9.2 Major Institutions: (i) IIT Bombay, Mumbai (ii) VNIT Nagpur, Nagpur (iii) IIM Nagpur, Nagpur (iv) Narsee Monjee Institute of Management and Higher Studies, Mumbai (v) Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (vi) Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (vii) Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai (viii) Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (ix) International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai |
| 10 Tourism | 10.1 According to a survey, most tourists visiting places in Maharashtra are from the state. Two other states, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh send the largest number of domestic visitors to Maharashtra. Foreign visitors to Maharashtra account for just 2% of the tourist. Visitors from the US, UK, Germany, and UAE each form a significant percentage of foreign tourists. Aurangabad is the tourism capital of Maharashtra. 10.2 Major Tourist Spots: (i) Gateway of India, Mumbai (ii) Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Aurangabad (iii) Kailasa Temple, Aurangabad (iv) Mahabaleshwar (v) Lonavala (vi) Igatpuri Hill Station (vii) Karjat (viii) Matheran (ix) Mahalaxmi Temple, Kolhapur (x) Shirdi Temple (xi) Ashtavinayaka (xii) Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) |
| 11 Sports | 11.1 State Game: (i) Sports are an essential part of Maharashtrian culture. In Maharashtra, cricket is considered the most popular sport, but Kabaddi, field hockey, Kho Kho, badminton, and table tennis are also widely played. (ii) In the state’s rural regions, wrestling championships such as Hind Kesari and Maharashtra Kesari regularly take place. (iii) Maharashtra is home to India’s first cricket museum, Blades of Glory, which is based in Pune and run by Rohan Pate, a former cricketer, and which opened during the 2013 Indian Premier League season. 11.2 Major Stadium: (i) Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (ii) DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai (iii) Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur (iv) Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (v) Dadaji Kondadev Stadium, Thane (vi) Indira Gandhi Stadium, Solapur (vii) Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, Nanded (viii) Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Pune 11.3 International Players from the state: 11.3.1 Cricket: (i) Sachin Tendulkar (ii) Sunil Gavaskar (iii) Rohit Sharma Dilip Vengsarkar 11.3.2 Hockey: (i) Dhanraj Pillay (ii) Viren Rasquinha (iii) Hiranna M. Nimal |
| 12 Governance & Administrative Divisions | 12.1 Administrative divisions: (i) Number of Districts: 36 (ii) Number of Tehsils: 358 (iii) Number of Police Stations: 1200 (iv) Number of Urban Towns: 378 (v) Number of Villages: 63,663 (vi) District with maximum Area: Ahemadnagar (vii) District with Minimum Area : Mumbai city 12.2 Official Languages: Marathi 12.3 Constituent Facts: (i) Number of Assembly seats: 288 (ii) Number of Council Seats: 78 (iii) Number of Parliament seats: 48 (iv) Number of Rajyasabha seats: 19 (v) Number of Gram panchayat: 14, 234 Other Important facts: Legislature: Bicameral 12.4 Chief Minister: Ek Nath Shinde (15th Chief Minister of Maharashtra) ( From 30/06/2022) 12.4.1 1st Chief Minister of Maharastra: Yaswantrao Balwantrao Chavan ( 01/05/1960 to 19/11/1962) 12.5 Governor: C P Radhakrishnan (24th Governor of Maharashtra) (From 27 July, 2024) 12.5.1 1st Indian Governor of Maharastra( Bombay): Raja Sir Maharaj Singh CIE ( 06/01/1948 to 30/05/1952) 12.6 Judiciary: The Bombay High Court or The Mumbai High Court was founded on 14th August, 1862. 12.6.1 Benches of Bombay High Court: Aurangabad, Nagpur & Panji 12.6.2 Number of Judges: 94 (Permanent: 71; Addl: 23) 12.6.3 Judge Retirement Age: 62 Years (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) |
| 13 Other Important facts | 13.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (i) Ajanta Caves (ii) Ellora Caves (iii) Elephanta Caves (iv) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (v) The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai 13.2 GI Tags: (i) Solapur Chaddar (ii) Kolhapuri Chappal (iii) Nashik Valley Wine (iv) Paithani Saree & Fabrics (v) Nashik Grapes (vi) Nagpur Orange (vii) Karvath Kati Sarees & Fabrics (viii) Ajara Ghansal Rice (ix) Waigaon Turmeric (x) Mangalwedha Jowar (xi) Bhiwapur Chilli (xii) Sindhudurg & Ratnagiri Kokum (xiii) Waghya Ghevada (xiv) Warli Painting (xv) Kolhapur Jaggery (xvi)Ambemohar Rice (xvii) Navapur Tur Dal (xviii) Vengurla Cashew ((xix) Sangli Raisins (xx) Lasalgaon Onion (xxi) Dahanu Gholvad Chikoo (xxii) Beed Custard Apple (xxiii) Jalna Sweet Orange (xxiv) Jalgaon Banana (xxv) Mahabaleshwar Strawberry (xxvi) Marathwada Kesar Mango (xxvii)Jalgaon Bharit Brinjal (xxviii) Solapur Pomegranate Other Important Facts: (i) State Bird: Yellow-footed green pigeon (ii) State Flower: Jarul (iii) State Tree: Mango (iv) State Animal: Indian giant squirrel (Facts/ data are important for competition point of view for Maharastra GK) |
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