Maharashtra

Tradition and Culture of Maharshtra:

Maharashtra is a state in the world blended with different caste, religions and creeds. The culture is a boisterous blend of cuisines, languages, food, fine arts, and festivals. People of Maharashtra very passionate about music, dance and theater.They are also very approachable. Maharashtra is a city of many faiths. Marathi is the official language of the people of Maharashtra. Beside this, Hindi is also spoken widely. Music is an important part of the Maharashtra culture tradition where people love to sing the Marathi Koli songs. To know more about the culture of Maharashtra it is incomplete without the traditional delicacies of Maharashtra.One of the most popular street food of Maharashtra is Bada Pau. Some traditional food includes Potato bhaji, Batatyarassa, Batatyarassa Chinch- gulacha, Okra bhaji and many more.

Fairs and Festivals of Maharshtra:

• Changdeo Fair: Changdeo in Maharashtra is regarded to be a holy place because of Purna and Tapi rivers. People flock here once a year to take a holy dip.
• Ganesh Chaturthi: Ganesha festival, also known as 'Ganesh Utsav' is the biggest festival in Sangli and the nearby areas of Maharashtra.
• Kala Ghoda Festival: Kala Ghoda Festival is held on Sundays between November and January months near Jehangir Art Gallery at Mumbai.
• Khuldabad Urs: Khulabad is a place situated at a distance of 5 km from the Ellora caves and 22 km from Aurangabad on the Aurangabad-Ellora route.
• Kiran Utsav: Kiran Utsav is one of the popular festivals in India. It is organized at Mahalaxmi Temple of Kolhapur district in Maharashtra on 31st January, 1st February, and 9th, 10th, and 11th November every year.
• Nashik Kumbh Mela: Kumbh Mela is the most important Hindu spiritual gathering in India that comes once every three years, rotating between four major Hindu pilgrim centers of India - Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik.
• Mount Mary Festival: Mount Mary's Festival is celebrated for one week during September at Mount Mary Church, Bandra in the suburbs of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  Navaratra Mahalaxmi Fair: Navaratra Mahalaxmi Fair is celebrated for ten days from Ashvina Sud.1 to Ashvina Sud. 10 at Navaratra Mahalaxmi Temple of Jalgaon district in Maharashtra.
• Pune Festival: Pune festival is held between August and September during Ganesh Mahotsav. It is the biggest festival of Pune.
• Rath Yatra: A festival called Janmotsava is celebrated at Sansthan Shri Kalaram Mandir, Panchavati, Nashik every year. The festival, which spans 15 days begin from the first day of Chaitra till Chaitra Purnima.
• Shrirama Rathotsava Fair: Shrirama Rathotsava Mandir, which belongs to the Peshwa period, is located near Jalgaon, Maharashtra. Shrirama Rathotsava Fair is celebrated annually in this temple between October and November months to give a special veneration to the deities.
• Snake Festival: Snakes festival is celebrated for 8-10 days at the small town of Battis Shirala, Maharashtra, which is 50 km from Kolhapur. The festival is celebrated on the onset of the monsoons

Must Visiting Places in Maharshtra:

• The Gateway of India, Mumbai: The Gateway of India is one of the most popular and magnificent monument that was built during the 20th century in Mumbai City. It is a major tourist attraction for visitors who arrive in India for the first time. It is marks India's chief ports. Nowadays, this has become one of the favourite spot for every tourist. 
• Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai: Siddhivinayak Temple is a Hindu temple that is dedicated to Lord Ganesha (son of Lord Shiva). The architecture of the temple portrays elegance and beauty built in the year 1801. It is a temple frequently visited by celebrities and over 25,000 devotees visit this sacred temple each day.
• Hanging Gardens of Mumbai: Hanging Garden of Mumbai gives you an unforgettable walk. It would be a nice break and most seeking place to relax that is away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s a great place for jogging. The water fountains put on during the evening add to the charm of the place. It is also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens.
• Juhu Beach, Mumbai: This beach is one of the most attractive destinations in Mumbai. It is also known as The Celebrity Beach of Mumbai. It is most-visited beaches of India and is situated in 'Ville Parle'. The atmosphere is peaceful and serene. Juhu Beach is also famous for its local delicacies and street food.
• Kanheri Caves, Mumbai: Kanheri Caves are located 29 km away from Mumbai city. constitute a group of rock-cut monuments. Tourist can see the influence of Buddhist art and culture of India. These caves date from the first century BCE to the 10th century CE.A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine.By the 3rd century CE., Kanheri become an important Buddhist settlement on the Konkan coast. 
• Elephant Caves, Mumbai: It is a boat trip from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves. On the way to Elephanta caves tourist can witness the beautiful views of the Arabian Sea, Taj Palace Hotel, Mumbai docks and harbor.Elephanta Caves are a group of caves with religious carvings on the “Elephanta” Island (also known as “Gharapuri”).There are 5 Hindu caves and 2 Buddhist caves.Mahesh Murthy image in the main cave of Elephanta. It is among the most enigmaticUNESCO World Heritage Site in India. This trip is closed on Monday. 
• Alibag Beach: Prime and among one of the most popular beaches, Alibag is always flocked by the visitors because of its clean coastline. The flat stretches of the beach are very apt or long evening and morning strolls. The water comes from all sides in form of tides and one has to paddle through the water to walk. The beach offers a very clear view of the Kolaba Fort.
• Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, Aurangabad: It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Aurangabad. It is a beautiful mausoleum of Rabia-ul-Daurani alias Dilras Banu Begum who is the wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. This mausoleum is a replica of Taj Mahal in Agra. An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by Ata-ullah, an architect. 
• Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad: Ajanta is a UNESCO world heritage sitefamous for its Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries with their extraordinary wall paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha. It is located around 93km away from Aurangabad. The fresco-type paintings that are the chief interest of Ajanta.  About 30 caves were excavated between the 1stcentury BCE. 
• Ellora Caves, Aurangabad: Ellora Caves is another World Heritage Sites built in 1983 as one of the most popular tourist visiting places in Aurangabad.  Locally is known as ‘Verul Leni’,located on the Aurangabad-Chalisgaon road. It is around 36 km away from Aurangabad. The site features over 100 caves, of which 34 caves are open to public. Monuments were built by Hindu dynasties, such as the Rashtrakuta dynasty, Yadav dynasty and others. 
• Muktagiri, Maharashtra: Muktagiri is located 45km from Chikhaldara. This place is located on border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in India. It is famous for Shri Digambar Jain Siddha Kshetra. Muktagiri is a Jain Pilgrimage centre. It is a very picturesque place where a pretty waterfall comes tumbling down to the valley from the highlands above. This place consists of 52 Jain temples on a hilltop near a waterfall that date to the 15th century.
• Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve: Spread in an area of 623 kilometers this 28th tiger reserve of India comprises of Tadoba National Park and Andheri Wildlife Sanctuary. The rugged Taboda forests are full of teak vegetation and a natural lake and the scenic tracks here have rightly earned it the epithet “Jewel of Vidharbha”. Kingdom animalia residing in the forest include tigers, hyaenas, bears, leopards, deers, sambhars, jackals, blue bulls, wild dogs etc. 
• Omkareshwar Mandir: Among one of the oldest temple shrines in Jai Nagar, Jalgaon, this temple is dedicated to the glory of Lord Shiva and is also the site on annual Shivratri, Shravni Somvar, Ramnavmi, Gokulashtami fairs. These fairs are one of the major sources of entertainment for the local populace and visiting them is a sort of recreational activity in Jalgaon.
• Kune Waterfalls, Khandala:Kune Waterfalls is one of the 14th highest waterfall in India, situated between Lonavala and Khandala. It provides a majestic view and an enjoyable opportunity to bathe in the water that flows through the valley. The best time to visit Kune Falls is during the monsoon season.
• The MahalaxmiTemple,Kolhapur: Kolhapur is also known by this famous temple named ‘The Mahalaxmi Temple’. This is the main reason why Kolhapur is known as Dakshin Kashi. This temple is also known as Ambabai. There is a strong believe that after worshiping Lord Balaji at Tirupati, devotee offers prayer to Devi Mahalakshmi is essential to complete the pilgrimage tour. It has a great architectural importance and became one of greatest tourist attractions in Kolhapur.
• Lohagad Fort, Lonavala: Lohagad literally means Iron Fort. It is placed at an altitude of more than 1050 meters. This fort has a long history used extensively by Chatrapati Shivaji. The fort has four doors namely - ‘Ganesh Darwaja’, ‘Narayan Darwaja’, ‘Hanuman Darwaja’ and ‘Maha Darwaja’. From here tourist can view the beautiful “Pawana Dam”.
• Old Mahabaleshwar/PanchagangaTemple,Mahabaleshwar: It is one of the most tourist attraction places in Old Mahabaleshwar. This place consists of five temples which are the best examples of old Indian architecture.Panchaganga temple is the famous temple that is 4500-year old. It is built at the origin of 7 rivers - Krishna, Koyana, Gayatri, Savitri, Venna, Saraswati and Bhagirathi.
• Alexander Point: This hillock is just 1 kilometer from the Matheran Post Office on Madhavji Road, the distance that can be covered in 15-20 minutes at the most. The route passes amidst the woods and is a literal treat for the senses. The stop commands a comprehensive view of Palasdari Lake, Rmbaug Point, towers of Bhivpuri Power House, Palasdari Lake, Garbut Point, Chowk Point and Borgaon village.
• Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra: The Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary is a miraculously preserved "Green Oasis" in the eastern most part of the Maharashtra State. It is around 118km away from Nagpur. It has a great importance from bio-diversity conservation point of view. Tourist can enjoy the picturesque beauty of nature. The avifauna of this sanctuary is its most attractive wildlife feature. This sanctuary consists of for Tiger, Leopard, Wild dogs, Honey Badger, Sloth Bears, other Endangered Species and more than 200 different species of birds.
• Shirdi, Maharashtra: Shirdi is located at a distance of around 85km from Nashik. Shirdi is well-known for the Shirdi Sai Baba temple, known by people around the world. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees. He preached the importance of realization of the self, and criticized love for perishable things. One of his most well-known epigrams is – Sabka Mallik Ek ("One God governs all").
• Trimbakeshwar Temple, Maharashtra:Trimbakeshwar Temple is located at a distance of around 35km from Nashik.  It is one of the holy places for every devotee. Trimbakeshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India.It is believed that any devotees visiting this temple attains salvation. It is a place where Nivrittinath was made to imbibe the holy knowledge by his Guru Gahininath.
• Shaniwar Wada,Pune: Shaniwar Wada is a great heritage palace in Pune. It is one of the most visited historical places in Maharashtra. In 1736, BajiraoPeshwa built the Shaniwar Wada. Tourist can still get a view of the leftover plinths, the fortification walls with five gateways. This was designed to be protected from the enemy.

Cuisines of Maharshtra:

Maharashtra is incomplete without the traditional delicacies of Maharashtra. One of the most popular street food of Maharashtra is Bada Pau. Some traditional food includes Potato bhaji, Batatyarassa, Batatyarassa Chinch- gulacha, Okra bhaji and many more.