Bombay ll Pune ll Aurangabad ll Ajanta ll Ellora

Historically, Maharashtra falls into three regions. Western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada. Among these, vidarbha has a hoary past and is mentioned many times in the Mahabharata.

Maharashtra is a rugged land, far more ancient than the magnificent snow-capped Himalayas. It is guarded by the Arabian Sea in the west, and bounded by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on the north. 

With the rise of Shivaji, Maharashtra entered a new phase in history. Shivaji welded the Marathas into a powerful nation. They became rulers instead of subjects. The Maratha power received a set back at Panipat, in 1761, when the Afghan ruler Ahmed shah Abdali routed the Maratha forces.

Bombay, the first city of India, and the seat of Maharashtra's government, imparts the state a peculiar significance of its own. Places like Pune, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nagpur, Ahmed Nagar, Paithan, Aurangabad, Ajanta, Amravati, Nanded, Nasik, Wardha and other make Maharashtra, a land of great historical, religious and tourist importance.
 

General Information

 

Population	96,752,247
Area	307,690 sq km
Capital	Mumbai (Bombay)
Languages Spoken	Marathi
District	35
People Per Sq. km	314
Literacy	77.27%
Best Season	September to March

Festivals

Ashadhi Ekadashi

This festival is more of a religious procession and is celebrated during the months of June- July (Aashaadh Shukla paksha). People consider the two eleventh days, "Ekadashi", of every month to be of special importance. But the eleventh day (bright) of Ashadh is known as the great Ekadashi or Mahaekadashi. This Mahaekadashi is also known as Shayani Ekadashi, because on this day Vishnu falls asleep to wake up four months later on Prabodhini Ekadashi in the Kartik month. This period is known as Chaturmas and coincides with the rainy season.

The Ellora Festival

Surrounded by hundreds of sculptural and architectural splendors, is the Ellora Festival of Classical Dance and Music. Usually in March, this festival showcases the best talents and is a unique and charming way to experience the magnificent caves, imbibing centuries of history and culture.

The Elephanta Festival

The Elephanta Festival is a festival of Music and Dance This festival is held annually in the month of February. The Elephanta Island, the tranquil abode of Lord Shiva, just one-and-a-half-hour's journey by motor launch from Mumbai is the favored destination for this festival.

Ganesh Chaturthi

This is one of the main festival of Hindus. This is the birthday of Lord Ganesha and is known as the day most sacred to Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August - September). It is observed throughout India, as well as by devoted Hindus in all parts of the world.

Palkhi Festival

Palkhi, a unique feature of Maharashtrian culture, is a 1000-year-old tradition followed by the warkaris (people who follow the wari, a fundamental ritual). People collectively go singing and dancing, chanting Dnyanba-Tukaram in what are called as Dindis (organised group of warkaris) to the holy town of Pandharpur in Hindu months of Ashadh (June-July) and Karthik (November-December).

The Palkhi starts in the month of Jyeshth (June) and the whole process lasts a total of 22 days. Every year on the eleventh day of the first half of the month of Ashadh, the Palkhi reaches Pandharpur. Every saint, right from Sant Dnyaneshwar to Sant Tukaram was following the wari tradition. 

Nag Panchami 

This festival is marked as worship of snakes. In Hindu mythology, the cobra has a special significance and the earth, it is believed, rests on the head of 'Shesha' - the thousand-hooded cobra. It is a festival in the honour of the Snake God, Shesha Nag. 

According to the Hindu calendar Nag Panchami is celebrated in the month of Shravan (July-August). During the monsoon when the snakes come out of the pit they are worshipped as they protect crops from getting damaged by rats and other rodents. Snakes have also been a part of the Puranas and took part in "Sagar Manthan" and is also worn by Lord Shiva around his neck. 

On this day Indians worship the snake by offering milk and doing Puja. It was thought that snakes are worshipped as they are harmful and dangerous, but that is not true. During the Vedic era the Aryans wanted to spread the message of Vedas so that they are accepted universally. In doing so they adopted diverse ways of worshipping, like doing Pujas of many gods and goddesses. One of them is Nagpuja.

Art and Handicraft

Kolhapur Jewellery

Kolhapur jewelry is beautifully crafted with delicate embossing and workmanship. The 'Kolhapuri Saaj", a special type of necklace is very popular with Maharashtrian Women. The 'Saaj' is designed in all over Maharashtra but the Kolhapuri Saaj is famous.  

Jewellery from here has an array of 'Har' and 'Malas': "Mohanmal", 'Bormal", "Chaplahar", "Kolhapuri" "Saaj", "Pohehar", "Putlihar" to name a few.

Kolhapuri Chappals

Kolhapur is famous for its hand-made leather sandals or chappals. Kolhapuri chappals are popular throughout the world for their simple styles, quality of leather and design. They come in different sizes and shapes that ideally complement ethnic designer wear. This footwear of cured, dried, tanned and treated colored leather has been favored for decades by the 'arty'.  

Mashru And Himroo

Aurangabad is famous for Mashru and Himroo fabrics made of cotton and silk with the luster of satin. Himroo is an age-old weaving craft, and was originally known as "Kum khuab". Himroo in its original form is made of silver and gold. The threads of silver and gold were so fine that the final cloth appeared as "GOLD CLOTH".

Himroo is a distinctive, luxurious fabric, once used as dress material by the nobles. The techniques uses a special loom, with cotton yarn forming the warp and silk yarn forming the weft, to produce a brocade-like fabric used mainly for shawls, bedspreads and furnishing.

Warli Painting

Warli Painting an Tribal art, is the vivid expression of daily and social events of the Warli tribe of Maharashtra. A form of wall painting is the typical human figures, which are the main striking features of this painting.

These tribal paintings of Maharashtra are traditionally done in the homes of the Warlis. Painted white on mud walls, they are pretty close to pre-historic cave paintings in execution and usually depict hunting, dancing, sowing and harvesting scenes. The only color used in creating Warli paintings is white, with occasional dots in red and yellow. This color is obtained from grounding rice into white powder.

Places of interest

Bombay (Mumbai)

From obscure, humble beginnings as a set of seven small islands with tidal creeks and marshes between them, the city has risen to such eminence that, today, it is India’s most important commercial and industrial center.  

Bombay is part of India’s beautiful west coast that runs down from Gujarat, through Bombay to Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. South of Bombay, narrow beaches and plains sweep up into the forested hills of the western ghats. The city boasts a perfect natural harbor which was developed by the British and once the Suez Canal opened in the 19^th centaury, the port of Bombay never knew a dull moment. Today it handles more than 40 % of India’s maritime trade.

General information

Altitude	Sea level.
Best Season	Throughout the year.
STD Code	022

Temperature And Rainfall Chart

A. Maximum temperature in degrees centigrade

B. Minimum temperature in degrees centigrade

C. Average rainfall in millimeters

How to get there

Air

Bombay's International Airport is at Sahar (30 km) and Domestic Airport at Santacruz, 26 km. It is connected with all the major cities of India and the world.

Rail

Bombay is the headquarters for both western & Central Railways. Regular train services connect Bombay with all major towns and cities in India.

Road

Bombay is connected by good motorable road to Pune 163 km, Nasik 185 km, Mahabaleshwar 239 km, Shirdi 307 km, Aurangabad 392 km, Vadodara 432 km, Ahmedabad 545 km, Panaji 597 km, Hyderabad 711 km, Bangalore 998 km.

In and around

St. Andrew

St. Andrew's in the suburb of Bandra is a fine example of an original, Portuguese - style façade.

Afghan Church

Afghan Church 4.5 km, of St. John the Evangelist is in the Colaba area, which is the long arm of South Bombay that stretches into the sea. The church was established in 1847 and consecrated 11 years later as a memorial to those who fell in the First afghan war.

The Old secretariat

The Old secretariat and the Public works Department secretariat were designed and built by Colonel Orel Henry St. Clair Wilkins during 1867 - 74. These buildings are described as High Victorian Gothic in style.

Crawford Market

Crawford Market 2 km, designed by William Emerson, has bas-reliefs designed by J.L. Kipling.

Hutatma Chowk or Flora Fountain

Hutatma Chowk or Flora Fountain, 1 km, stands in another crowded square at the heart of the fort area, now called Hutatma Chauk (Martyrs' square). The fountain is a major landmark and is erected in honour of the governor, Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, who built new Bombay in the 1860s.

Victoria Terminus

The finest High Victorian Gothic structure in Bombay, designed by Frederick William stevens, is Victoria Terminus and the adjoining headquarters buildings of the Central Railway, known originally as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway.

Prince of Wales Museum

The foundation stone of the Prince of Wales Museum was laid by George V in 1905 during his visit to India as prince of Wales. George Wittet designed this building with its dome and other oriental features in blue-grey basalt and yellow sandstone.

Gateway of India

George Wittet will be remembered most, however, for his Gateway of India on the waterfront at Apollo Bunder. It was conceived as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of George V and queen Mary for the Delhi darbar in 1911.

Elephanta

Elephanta, site of a magnificent series of rock cut cave temples with large sculptured interiors. These were excavated in the 7th and 8th centuries.

Kanheri Caves

Some 40 km from the fort area, near Borivali station of the western railway suburban line, is a national park within which lie the 2nd century Buddhist hill caves Kanheri. Sculpture here too is on a large scale and matches that of the better known Ajanta and Ellora cavesin eastern Maharashtra. Beyond the central city are the beaches of Juhu, Versova, Madh Island, Marve, Manori and Gorai, one time secluded seaside resorts.

Chowpatti

Chowpatti, at the north end of Marine drive, is a stretch of sandy beach. In the evenings, it is crowded with people enjoying the cool sea breeze.

Pune (Poona)

Located in Sahyadri hills near the west coast of India, Pune is a fascinating city with a healthy climate all year around. Known until not so long ago as Poona, the city was the capital of the powerful Maratha empire and is closely associated with the great warrior king Shivaji. Today, Pune is distinctly divided into the spacious cantonment and the crowded old city, where locali-ties have been named after days in the week. 

Pune has many tourist attractions. It has a temple dedicated to goddess Parvati atop a hill on the south edge of the town, from where one can have an excellent view of the valley down.

General information

Altitude	598 meters
Rainfall	70 cm (June to September).
Best Season	Throughout the year.
Temperature	Summer- Max 40, Min 26; Winter- Max 29, Min 19
STD Code	0212

How to get there

Air

Pune is well connected by air with Bombay.

Rail

Pune is linked by rail with Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Jammu-Tawi, Kanya Kumari, Madras, Nagpur, Secunderabad (Hyderabad), Trivandrum, Vasco-da-Gama (Goa)

Road

Pune is connected by bus services to Bombay (170 km), Shirdi (195 km) Nasik (202 km), Aurangabad (226 km), Sholapur, Nagpur, Bangalore etc.

In and around

Shaniwar Wada

Shaniwar Wada, Saras Baug, Parvati Hill, Raja Kelkar Museum, a private museum collected with painstaking care by one single individual, dinkar Kelkar. Shinde's Chhatri, Bund Garden, Agha Khan Palace with is't Italianate aches and spacious well mannered lawns, was unlikely place for a prison, but at one time the British interned Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi here along with other leaders.

Simha Gad

Simha Gad, whose literal translation is fortress of the lion, stands on a hilltop 25 km from Pune.

Shanwarwada

Shanwarwada, built in 1736, was once the palace of the Peshwa ruler who succeeded to Shivaji's empire after having served it as ministers. A massive fire in 1827 destroyed most of the palaces, leaving behind only its old fortified walls, 18th century lotus pools and the elaborate foundations of the palaces. The 18th century rock cut temple of Pataleshwar stands in the middle of Pune. It has been carved into a single boulder of awe inspiring size.

Aurangabad 

Aurangabad, 400 km from Bombay, an spectacular rock cut caves and cave paintings exist at two nearby places, Ajanta and Ellora. The most notable feature of these cave temples is that entire hillsides were cut away with the artisan's chisel to produce some of the world's most exquisite sculpture. Ellora's 34 caves are over 10 centuries old and represent elaborate sculptures of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. The caves at Ajanta date back to the 5th century and contain paintings and sculptures of major events in the life of the Buddha.

Aurangabad is a convenient base for organizing visits to the famous rock-cut temples of Ajanta & Ellora. The town is named after Aurangzeb, the last of the six great Mughal Emperors, who built a mausoleum here for his wife.

General information

Altitude	513 meters.
Rainfall	557 mms.
Best Season	Throughout the year.
Temperature	Summer- Max 39, Min 21.5; Winter- Max 31.3, Min 10.
STD Code	0240

 

How to get there

Air

Aurangabad is connected with Bombay, Delhi, Jaipur and Udiapur.

Rail

Aurangabad is directly connected by rail with Bombay, Manmad, Nasik Road, Kalyan, Secunderabad (Hyderabad) and with other cities via Manmad.

Road

Aurangabad is well connected by good motorable road with Ajanta 106 km, Bombay 392 km, Ellora 30 km, Nanded 272 km, Nasik 221 km, Pune 229 km Shirdi 136 km and other important cities.

In and around

Bibi Ka Maqbara

The mausoleum of Aurangzeb's Begum Bibi ka Maqbara may seem familiar. It was intended to be a replica of the Taj Mahal, but suffers from all the defects of second hand art. 

Aurangabad Caves 

The Aurangabad caves carved out in 7th century, reflect predominantly Mahayana Buddhist influence. The caves contain Chaityas (temples) and Viharas (monasteries). They have huge Buddha figures in different poses and mudras. 

Daulatabad Fort 

Half way to Ellora, this hill top fortress was built in 1187, by Mohammad Tuglak, who shifts his capital here, re-naming it Daulatabad ('city of Fortune'). The fort is surrounded by thick walls, spiked gates, steep graveled sideways and a moat. A visit to the fort involves a strenuous climb of 600 ft. but it is rewarding. It also contains the China Mahal Palace where the last king of Golconda was kept captive till his death.

Ajanta

The thirty rock-hewn caves at ajanta which are cut into the scrap of a cliff are Chaityas (Chapels) & Viharas (Monastries). Most of these are carved so that a flood of natural light pours into them at any given time of the day. Both the facade & the inside of the chambers faithfully reproduce the structural patterns known to those ancient builders. On the walls are paintings, many still glowing with their original colours. The outer walls are covered with brilliantly executed sculpture. The caves are not numbered in chronological order. Cave nos. 9,10, 12, 13 are the earliest belonging to Hinayana sect of Buddhism. Cave no 1 to 8, 11 and 14 to 30 are of Mahayana sect among these Mahayana Caves nos. 19, 26 & 30 are the Chaityas and rest of them are Viharas. The most notable of all these caves are 1,2,9,10,16,17,19 and 26, here ancient Indian art attained the zenith of its development and revealed a dynamic rhythm of life.

How to get there

Air

The nearest airport Aurangabad is 106 km from Ajanata.

Rail

The nearest railhead Jalgaon is 60 km from Ajanta, however Aurangabad (106 km) is the most convenient railhead.

Road

Ajanta is connected to all major centers of the region by good roads.

Ellora

There are 24 caves at Ellora, carved between 7th & 11th century AD. These cave temples represent 3 religious faiths. Carved in sickle shaped hill, spread north to south in a area of 30 km, they were dug into the slope of a hill. Of these 12 are Buddhists, 17 are Hindus and 5 are Jains. The most remarkable of the carved shrines at Ellora is the Kailasa Temple. It is 50 meters in length, 33 meters wide & 30 meters high. The fantastic edifice has been chiseled out by hand from single rock with Gateway, Pavilion, Courtyard, Assembly Hall, Vestibule, Sanctum and Tower-hall those out of the same enormous rock.

Cave 5 is the largest in this group. It has 24 pillars and was used as a prayer hall. The cave 6 has a large seated Buddha statue, but there is also a standing figure of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning. A finely carved horseshoe window over a porch admits sunlight into the cave. The cave 12, which is 3 storeyed marks the end of Buddhist caves.  

How to get there

Air

Nearest airport Aurangabad is 30 km from Ellora.

Rail

Nearest railhead Aurangabad is 30 km from Ellora.

Road

Bus services are available from Aurangabad.