Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state in western peninsular India, covering a large part of the Deccan Plateau. Its western border meets the Arabian Sea, and it shares land borders with five states—Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Karnataka—and two union territories: Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the northwest, and Goa to the south (Goa is a state, not a union territory). In terms of population, it ranks second among Indian states, third among all country subdivisions in South Asia, and fourth in the world.

The area now known as Maharashtra has been inhabited for millennia. Many dynasties ruled here over the centuries, including the Asmakas, Mauryas, Satavahanas, Western Satraps, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Western Chalukyas, Seuna Yadavas, Khaljis, Tughlaqs, Bahamanis, and Mughals. By the early 1800s, the region was split between the Peshwa domains of the Maratha Confederacy and the Nizamate of Hyderabad. Soon after, the British East India Company defeated the Marathas and took control of most of present-day Maharashtra, either directly or through princely states. Following 1858, the British crown governed the area. During Company and British rule, the region was divided among the Bombay Presidency, the Central Provinces, Berar, and several princely states, including Hyderabad.

After India gained independence in 1947, the Bombay Presidency became Bombay State within the Indian Union. Between 1950 and 1956, Berar, the Deccan states, and the Gujarat states were merged into Bombay State. The United Maharashtra Movement campaigned for a separate state for Marathi-speaking people, and on 1 May 1960, Bombay State was split into the modern states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The state is organized into 6 divisions and 36 districts. Mumbai is the capital and India’s most populous urban area, while Nagpur serves as the winter capital. The Godavari and Krishna are the two major rivers, and forests cover 16.47% of the state’s land area.

Maharashtra has the largest economy of any Indian state, with a gross state domestic product of ₹42.5 trillion (about US$440 billion) and a per capita GSDP of ₹335,247 (around US$3,500). It contributes 14% of India’s nominal GDP. The service sector dominates, accounting for 69.3% of the state’s output. Agriculture makes up 12% of the state GDP but employs nearly half the population.