Tourism in Maharashtra

{{further|List of State Protected Monuments in Maharashtra}}

The city is the eastern equivalent of New York City and Los Angeles, the financial capital and entertainment (Bollywood) capital of the country.{{cite news| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbai-a-land-of-opportunities/articleshow/9292526.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105222126/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-20/mumbai/29793908_1_south-mumbai-mumbai-houses-bfsi | url-status=live | archive-date=5 November 2012 | work=The Times of India | title=Mumbai, a land of opportunities | date=20 July 2011}} Places of interest include: Gateway of India, The Bandra–Worli Sea Link, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a humongous architectural stone structure built by the British more than 200 years ago, Downtown Mumbai - reminiscent of the 19th century British architecture. Girgaon Chowpatty beach, Madh Island beach and other beaches towards the south of Mumbai. Elephanta Caves, carved out of a giant stone on an island are a short ferry away into the Arabian Sea. Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai is one of the most popular temple of Ganesha in Mumbai. Along with being a religious place, it is a great attraction for tourists.

Due to its cosmopolitan nature, Mumbai has proven a popular tourism destination most often visited by Indians.

The city is famous for its Nashik grape and vineyards. It is known as "The Wine Capital of India" owing to 26 wineries being located here out of a total of 46 throughout India. Several wine festivals and wine tasting tours are held in this region.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} Nashik is also surrounded by various forts and hills and has an abundance of hiking trails.

Statue of Lord Rama, Nashik is tallest statue of Lord Rama in Maharshtra state.{{Cite news |last=PTI |date=2024-10-11 |title=70-foot tall statue of Lord Ram unveiled in Nashik's Tapovan |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/70-foot-tall-statue-of-lord-ram-unveiled-in-nashiks-tapovan/article68744937.ece |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} The statue is located in Ramshristi Udyan, Tapovan Panchavati. The statue was built under the leadership of Rahul Uttamrao Dhikale, member of the Legislative Assembly from Nashik East Constituency.{{Cite web |url=https://www.lokmattimes.com/nashik/nashik-70-foot-statue-of-lord-shriram-to-be-unveiled-at-ramshrishti-udyan-in-tapovan-a519/ |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.lokmattimes.com}}

A 108 feet tall statue of the first Jain Tirthankar Rishabhanatha was consecrated at Mangi Tungi in 2016, which is the tallest Jain statue in the world. The place has now become a major pilgrimage and tourist destination in the state.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The city also has a lot of religious and mythological significance. Lord Rama lived in Panchavati during his exile as mentioned in the epic Ramayana. It is famous for its numerous temples like Kalaram Temple, Trimbakeshwar Temple - one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. The river Godavari River, also known as the Ganga of the South, originates from the Brahmagiri Hills in Trimbakeshwar. The Nasik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha is one of the four Kumbh Melas held every 12 years in Nashik.{{cite book |author=J. S. Mishra |title=Mahakumbh, the Greatest Show on Earth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pCXqynwwQcC&pg=PA17 |year=2004 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |isbn=978-81-241-0993-9 |pages=17 }}

Pune district has been at the center of History of Maharashtra for more than 400 years, beginning with the Deccan sultanates and followed by the Maratha Empire. The district has a number of mountain forts and buildings from these eras, in addition to shrines revered by Marathi Hindus (including five of the eight Ashtavinayaka Ganesha temples). Samadhis of the two most revered Marathi Bhakti saints (Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram) are in AlandiGlushkova, Irina. "6 Object of worship as a free choice." Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions: Forms, Practices, and Meanings 13 (2014). and Dehu, respectively. The main temple of Khandoba, the family deity for most Marathi Hindus, is in Jejuri.{{cite book|last1=Feldhaus|first1=Anne|title=Connected places : region, pilgrimage, and geographical imagination in India|date=2003|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4039-6323-9|page=214|edition=1.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GsaADAAAQBAJ&q=jejuri&pg=PP1}}

The British designated Pune as the monsoon capital of the Bombay Presidency, and many buildings and parks from the era remain. Hill stations such as Lonavala and Khandala also date back to the Raj, and remain popular with residents of Pune and Mumbai for holidays.{{cite book|title=Incredible India, Maharashtra|url=https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/docs/default-source/maharashtra-unlimited/volume-3-issue-2---2014-maharashtra-unlimited.pdf?sfvrsn=2}} The Western part of Pune district is dotted with the ruins of many mountain forts from Deccan Sultanate and the Maratha empire eras respectively. These forts and the surrounding hills with forests are popular with people interested in trekking, hiking and heritage tourism.{{cite book|last1=Kohli|first1=M. S.|title=Mountains of India : tourism, adventure and pilgrimage|date=2002|publisher=Indus Publ. Co.|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788173871351|pages=263–266|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=Mountains+of+India%3A+Tourism%2C+Adventure+and+Pilgrimage+By+M.S.+Kohli+isbn}}

Bhigwan, a catchment area of the Ujjani Dam, is about {{anchor|95|km}} from Pune on NH 9, the Pune-Solapur highway. An area of about {{convert|18000|ha|sqmi}} has become a sanctuary for migratory birds.

In January 2021, the prison department of Maharashtra announced jail tourism at the Yerawada jail where Indian independence activists like M. K Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu, Jawaharlal Nehru were imprisoned. The visitor numbers to the prison will initially be capped at 50 per day.{{cite news |last1=Kulkarni |first1=Sushant |title=Explained: What is Maharashtra's jail tourism initiative launched from Pune's Yerawada Jail? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-maharashtras-jail-tourism-initiative-punes-yerawada-jail-7164139/ |access-date=7 September 2021 |work=The Indian Express |issue=January 28, 2021 |date=2021}}

{{Main|Tourism in Marathwada}}

This city is also known as Aurangabad, in the central part of Maharashtra and attracts tourists for its natural beauty. The Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, that lie on the outskirts of Aurangabad are internationally renowned for man-made caves and intricate carvings in them. Ajanta and Ellora Caves are UNESCO World Heritage sites.{{Cite web|title=Ellora Caves|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/243/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Ajanta Caves|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/242/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en}} Ellora is notable for having a unique monolithic vertically excavated building known as Kailasa Temple, Ellora and Ajanta Caves is notably for Lord Buddha in stone. Ancient Buddhist life has been depicted in the delicate stonework. While Ajanta is completely Buddhist caves, Ellora caves belong to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Summers are not advisable for touring as temperatures can reach up to and above 44 degrees C during the day. There are other famous places of interest like Bibi Ka Maqbara (The Taj Mahal of Deccan), Daulatabad Fort, Panchakki, Sunheri Mahal, etc. Aurangabad has good connectivity by air, road, and railways.

Aurangabad is the tourism capital of Maharashtra.{{Cite web|title=Aurangabad|url=https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/destination/aurangabad|access-date=2021-04-19|website=www.maharashtratourism.gov.in}}

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With a tradition of producing the best oranges, Nagpur city is known as the City of Oranges. Nagpur is also known as the second greenest city in India due to a number of trees in the city. The tourism in Nagpur is due to a large number of National Parks/Wildlife Sanctuaries surrounding Nagpur. All of these sanctuaries have Tiger as their major attractions. Two notable National Parks around Nagpur are Pench National Park around 60 km north of Nagpur, and Tadoba National Park around 180 km south of Nagpur. In recent years, Tadoba National Park gained much importance among wildlife enthusiasts nationally and internationally due to the high probability of sighting Tigers. The other wildlife sanctuaries include Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary around 110 km east of Nagpur, Melghat Tiger Reserve around 260 km west of Nagpur, Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary 60 km southeast of Nagpur, Bor Wildlife Sanctuary 60 km southwest of Nagpur, Kanha National Park 260 km northeast of Nagpur, Satpura National Park 270 km northwest of Nagpur.

Beside these Nagpur has much historical significance. Deekshabhoomi - the place where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and lakhs of the so-called lower caste who deemed as untouchables by Hindu caste system, embraced Buddhism. Another important place to visit is Tekadi Ganesh mandir on Sitabuildi fort complex. The city has other places of tourist importance such as Maharajbagh zoo, and Futala lake Chowpati, Nagpur is well connected with all major cities of India by roadways and railways, and also have an international airport. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport (IATA: NAG, ICAO: VANP) is an international airport serving the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. In 2005, it was named after B. R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.

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Satara lies on the western part of Maharashtra. It is known for tourist places like Mahabaleshwar, Wai, Panchgani and rivers such as Koyna and Krishna. Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani are one of the famous tourist places in India. The Krishna River originates at Mahabaleswar near the Jor village in the extreme north of Wai district. The Kaas plateau is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Satara. This plateau falls under the Sahyadri Sub Cluster of Western Ghats which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Maharashtra has tremendous potential for nature tourism. Many private and public organizations have begun unique and innovative forms of nature tourism.

Image:Sydney point panchghani.jpg

During the colonial rule, the British developed many hill stations throughout India and in Maharashtra to escape the heat during the summer months.{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Dane |title=The Magic Mountains: Hill Stations and the British Raj |date=1996 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |url=http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft396nb1sf;brand=ucpress|access-date=19 Aug 2014}} Most of these are located on the hills of the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats and close to the largest metropolitan areas in state, namely Mumbai and Pune. Chikhaldara and Toranmal are two places that are located on the Satpura Range which runs east to west on the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Popular colonial era hill stations in the state include

• Amboli
• Chikhaldara - in Satpura mountains
• Igatpuri - On main Mumbai–Bhusawal railway line
• Jawhar
• Karjat - On main Mumbai–Pune railway line
• Khandala - On main Mumbai–Pune railway line
• Lonavala - On main Mumbai–Pune railway line
• Mahabaleshwar - Summer capital of Bombay Presidency during the British Raj
• Matheran - linked to the main Mumbai–Pune railway line with a narrow-gauge mountain train.
• Panchgani - Close neighbour of Mahabaleshwar with many colonial-era boarding schools.
• Panhala
• Toranmal

Lavasa is a very recently developed township and is under private control.

{{further|Religious tourism in Marathwada}}

Maharashtra boasts of a large number of popular and revered religious venues that are heavily frequented by locals as well as out-of-state visitors.

A number of temples such as Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Bhavani of Tuljapur, Shani Shingnapur, Jyotiba Temple, Ashtavinayaka Ganapati temples, Lord Pandurang temple at Pandharpur attract a huge number of Hindu devotees every year. Khandoba temple of God Khandoba at Jejuri in the Pune district attract pilgrims from all over the Maharashtra where worshipers shower each other with Bhandar (turmeric powder).< Saibaba temple at Shirdi is visited by an average of 25,000 pilgrims a day and during religious festivals, this number can reach up to 300,000.

• Vithoba Temple, Pandharpur, is the main center of worship for the Hindu deity Vithoba, believed to be a local form of god Krishna or Vishnu and his consort Rakhumai. Vithoba devotees called Varkaris start marching from the resting places of Varkari saints from different regions of Maharashtra but mainly from Dehu, and Alandi to Pandharpur in huge processions to reach Pandharpur on Aashadhi ekadashi and Kartiki Ekadashi.Pandharpur and other places associated with the Warkari sect such as Sant Tukaram memorial at Dehu, and Samadhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar at Alandi remain popular throughout the year, and attract huge number of people from all over the state during religious observations.Patange, P., Srinithivihahshini, N. D. and Mahajan, D. M., 2013. "Pilgrimage and the environment: Challenges in a pilgrimage centre in Maharashtra, India". International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 3(6), pp. 2269–2277.

File:Pandharpur 2013 Aashad - panoramio (10) (cropped).jpg

Marathi Hindu families have a family deity called Kuldevta that they visit after many auspicious events. Important ancient Kuldevta temples that attract pilgrims in the state include:

• Renukadevi at Mahur, considered a Shakta pitha, is located in the Nanded district.
• Tuljapur-Temple of Goddess Bhavani
• Kolhapur -Temple of Goddess Mahalaxmi or Ambabai
• Ambajogai -Temple of Yogeshwari, one of the 3 1/2 Shakta pithas in the state.
• Jejuri - Temple of Khandoba{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=K. |last2=Bhanu |first2=B. V. |title=People of India |date=2004 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |location=Mumbai |isbn=9788179911013 |page=LIX |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BsBEgVa804IC&q=Khandoba+god&pg=PR59 |access-date=11 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-date=7 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107124906/https://books.google.com/books?id=BsBEgVa804IC&pg=PR59&dq=Khandoba+god#v=snippet&q=Khandoba%20&f=false}}

Many temples or shrines of 19th and 20th century saints are very popular with pilgrims. The important ones include:

• Shegaon, resting place of Gajanan Maharaj, the late 19th/early 20th-century religious figure
• Akkalkot, Temple /Matha dedicated to 19th century Swami Samarth.
• Shirdi, temple of Sai Baba - a hugely revered saint from late 19th/early 20th century with global following.{{cite journal|journal= International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage|last1=Shinde |first1=Kiran |title=Governance and Management of Religious Tourism in India |date=2018 |volume=6 |issue=1 |doi=10.21427/D7K42M }}
• Gondavale, samadhi of Gondavlekar Maharaj

Other places popular with devotees and pilgrims include:

• Mumbai, Temple of Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai
• Mumbai, Mahalakshmi temple in south Mumbai
• Shani Shingnapur, Temple of God Shani (Shanidev)
• Ashtavinayaka, 8 Abodes of Lord Ganesha
• Trimbakeshwar

File:Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded.jpg is one of the holiest place in Sikhism.]]

File:Statue Of Ahimsa-MangiTungi.jpg]]

• Mumbai, Haji Ali Dargah, a popular mosque built in the sea off the coast of Worli,
• Mumbai, Mount Mary church in the suburb of Bandra
• Nanded, Hazur Sahib Nanded Gurudwara, the resting place of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.The city also has many shrines dedicated to Sufi saints.
• Parbhani: The city of Parbhani, in the Marathwada region of the state, is well known for Sufi shrine of the great saint Shah Turabul Haq. The annual two week fair in the honour of the saint in February attracts around half a million pilgrims to the city. Because of its popularity within Maharashtra, it is often called as Ajmer Sharif of Maharashtra.
• The Statue of Ahimsa, a 108 ft idol of first Jain tirthankara Rishabhanatha carved in monolithic stone was consecrated at Mangi Tungi in February 2016. It is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest Jain idol in the world.{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nashik/Guinness-Book-to-certify-Mangi-Tungi-idol/articleshow/51275366.cms|title=Guinness Book to certify Mangi Tungi idol {{pipe}} Nashik News - Times of India|website=The Times of India |date=6 March 2016 }} It has become a major pilgrimage and tourist destination.
• Pune, Osho International Meditation Resort. It attracts visitors from other parts of India and abroad.

{{Main|Kumbhoj}}

File:BahubaliKumbhoj.JPG at Kumbhoj]]

Kumbhoj is the name of an ancient town located in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. The town is about eight kilometers from Hatkanangale, about twenty seven kilometers from Kolhapur. The famous Jain pilgrimage centre where a {{convert|28|ft|m|adj=on|abbr=out}}-high statue of Bahubali is installed is {{convert|2|km}} from the Kumbhoj city.{{citation|last=Sangave|first=Vilas Adinath|author-link=Vilas Adinath Sangave|title=The Sacred Shravanabelagola (A Socio-Religious Study)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZ3S6CW5KKQC|year=1981|publisher=Bharatiya Jnanpith |page=91}}

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is the state government owned official destination marketing organization (DMO) for promotion of Maharashtra tourism in the world. MTDC employs a range of marketing tools such as Tourism promotion Literature and publications in traditional media as well as digital marketing to promote tourism in the state. The corporation also arranges FAM tours and organizes Cultural Events and Festivals as tools to promote the state. Adesara, D. N., & Shah, J. A Deliberative study on promotional tools used by Top 5 Tourism states of India. Policy, 2016, 17. Since inception in 1975, MTDC has been involved in the development and maintenance of various tourist locations of Maharashtra. MTDC owns and maintains resorts at key tourist centres throughout the state.

File:Kailasha temple at ellora.JPG|Kailasa Temple in Ellora Caves

File:Elephanta Caves Entrance.jpg|Elephanta Caves

File:Ajanta (63).jpg|Ajanta Caves

File:Pataleshwar Caves temple columns.jpg |Temple corridor of the Pataleshwar cave temple, built during the Rashtrakuta Empire.

File:Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad, Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India (2006).jpg|Bibi Ka Maqbara

File:Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Maharashtra, September 2012.jpg|Hazur Sahib Nanded, 2nd holiest site in Sikhism

File:Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at night, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (2003).jpg|Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|Taj Mahal Palace & Tower

File:Mumbai Downtown.jpg|Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade

File:Bombay Municipal Corporation.JPG|BMC

File:Clock Tower Mumbai University.jpg|Rajabai Clock Tower at the University of Mumbai

File:Pune ShaniwarWada DelhiGate.jpg|Shaniwarwada

File:Mumbai 03-2016 31 Gateway of India.jpg|Gateway of India

File:Mumbai 03-2016 72 Flora Fountain.jpg|Flora Fountain

File:Diksha Bhumi.jpg|Deekshabhoomi

File:Devgad beach, Maharashtra.jpg|Devgad Beach, Sindhudurg district

File:Tara in Tadoba Tiger Reserve AJTJ P1090339.jpg|Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is famous for Jungle safari

File:BhimaShankar - panoramio (6).jpg|Bhimashankar Temple in Pune district is one of twelve Jyotirlinga

File:Tuljabhavani Mandir Mahadwar (Main entrance gate).jpg|Famous Tulja Bhavani Temple of Tuljapur town of Osmanabad district.

File:Birds at Jayakwadi.jpg|Migratory birds at Jayakwadi Dam, the main source of water for Marathwada.

File:Grishneshwar temple in Aurangabad district.jpg|Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad district.

File:Parli Vaijnath Temple in AP W IMG 7914.jpg|A view of Parli Vaijnath Temple, Beed district.

File:Mumbai 03-2016 11 Haji Ali Dargah.jpg|The Haji Ali Mosque was built in 1431, when Mumbai was under Islamic rule.{{cite news|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article§id=15&contentid=2008080720080807031759454b559597f|title=Haji ali|access-date=2008-08-17|work=Mumbai Mirror|date=2008-08-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024183614/http://mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?Page=article|archive-date=2007-10-24}}

File:Daulatabad fort(erstwhile Deogiri fort), Aurangabad, India.jpg |Daulatabad Fort (Deogiri)

File:Pune India .jpg|Mula and Mutha rivers

File:Pandavleni Caves near Nasik.jpg|1 st century BCE Pandavleni Caves in Nashik

File:Lonar Sarovar lake Maharastra.jpg|Lonar Lake in Maharashtra by crater lake impact

{{reflist}}

[https://www.kundalikarafting.org/ Kundalika River Rafting]- River Rafting in Kundalika River in Maharashtra

{{Wikivoyage|Maharashtra}}

• [http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ Official Website of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourism In Maharashtra}}

Category:Maharashtra