Maharashtra State - Overview of District and Talukas
Overview of Maharashtra State
The shape of Maharashtra state is like a triangle. It has 450 miles long coastline. The state
is surrounded by Gujarat in the northwest, Madhya Pradesh in the north, Chhattisgarh in
the east, Telangana in the southeast, Goa in the southwest and Karnataka in the south. There is Goa
in the southwest direction and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the Arabian Sea in the west. The role of
Maharashtra in Indian politics and economy is very important. There are 36 districts in the
state and these 36 districts of Maharashtra are divided into 109 sub-divisions and 357
talukas.
History of Maharashtra State
The name of Maharashtra is believed to be derived from the word ‘Maharathi’ meaning the
great chariot driver. Various rulers and dynasties of India are Vatakas, Rashtrakutas,
Yadavas and Chalukyas. Islamic ruling also has a great influence on the history of
Maharashtra. Khiljis, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, and Bahmani Sultanate are a few Islamic rulers who
rule the region. Maratha Empire is a landmark for Maharashtra. Chatrapati Sivaji brought
the region out from the clutches of Muslim rulers. He and his sons ruled Maharashtra for a
considerable amount of time.
After this, Maharashtra was under the rule of Peshwas. These are the last rulers of the Sivaji
dynasty. From then the state was under British rule and after independence, there were
a lot of political changes in the state. ‘Bombay State’ was the union of western Maharashtra
and present Gujarat. Easter parts of present Maharashtra were in the ‘Hyderabad State’.
Modern Maharashtra was formed in 1960 and Bombay was chosen as the capital city.
Tourist Places in Maharashtra state
Beautiful mountains and beaches, wonderful sceneries, many types of museums, historical
places, forts etc are there in Maharashtra, making it the most popular tourist destination
There is no doubt that visiting Maharashtra will be a memorable experience for any tourist.
There are around 350 forts and most of them were built by Chatrapati Sivaji. Among these
Vijaya Durga, Sidhu Durga, and Sivaneri – the birthplace of Sivaji, Pratap Ghad and others are the
popular forts. Lonawala, Kandalama, Panchgani and others are the popular hill stations.
There are nearly 13 museums and among these Girijan museums in Pune, the Prince of Wales
museum and Jahangir art gallery are popular. Tourists will love the Marine Drive, Choupatti
and other beaches. Other must visit tourist places in Maharashtra are Ajanta and Ellora
caves, Elephanta caves, and Mahalakshmi temple to name a few.
Districts of Maharashtra State
| Ahmednagar | Akola | Amravati |
| Aurangabad | Beed | Bhandara |
| Buldhana | Chandrapur | Dhule |
| Gadchiroli | Gondia | Hingoli |
| Jalgaon | Jalna | Kolhapur |
| Latur | Mumbai City | Mumbai Suburban |
| Nagpur | Nanded | Nandurbar |
| Nashik | Osmanabad | Palghar |
| Parbhani | Pune | Raigad |
| Ratnagiri | Sangli | Satara |
| Sindhudurg | Solapur | Thane |
| Wardha | Washim | Yavatmal |