Western India#History

File:India in 1700 Joppen.jpg in the Early 18th century]]

Parts of Gujarat were the site of Indus Valley civilisation. Places have been uncovered in Gujarat at Lothal, Surkotada, and around Ghaggar river in Rajasthan. The Western Indian region was ruled by the Rashtrakuta Empire, the Maurya Empire, the Gupta Empire, Rajputs, Satavahanas, Western Satraps, Indo Greeks, Kadambas etc. in the ancients times. During the medieval age, the area was under the rule of the Vaghela dynasty, the Gujarat Sultanate, and the Delhi Sultanate. Thereafter, the area was under Mughal rule. Later, the Maratha Empire which arose in western Maharashtra came to dominate a major portion of the Indian sub-continent. However, its defeat by the British in the Anglo-Maratha wars left most of India under colonial rule. The region then experienced great upheavals during the struggle for Indian Independence. Gandhi's Dandi March took place in Gujarat. The region became part of independent India in 1947, and the present state boundaries were drawn based on linguistic considerations in 1956.{{cite web| url = http://www.commonlii.org/in/legis/num_act/sra1956250/| title = States Reorganization Act| access-date = 12 March 2008}}

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The region consists of the predominantly arid to semi-arid region of Saurashtra and Kutch in the North. The region South of that of Cambay and Southern Gujarat makes the northern semi arid region and the southern humid region submerge. The Western Ghats lie along the coast of South Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. The Deccan plains of the Vidarbha, Marathwada in central and eastern Maharashtra define the rest of the region. The vegetation varies from tropical rainforests along the Konkan coast to thorny bushes and shrubs in northern Gujarat. The rivers in this region are the Mahi, Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Zuari, Mandovi, Krishna, Ghaggar, Chambal and many other smaller tributaries of other rivers.

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|Centre = Western India

|North = North India

|Northeast = Central India

|East = Central India

|Southeast = South India

|South = South India

|Southwest = Arabian Sea

|West = Arabian Sea

|Northwest = Pakistan
(Sindh)

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The climate varies between tropical monsoon, tropical savanna, semi arid and desert. The coastal regions experience little seasonal variations although the temperatures range between 20 °C to 38 °C. Mumbai and northern Konkan regions experience cooler winters with minimum temperatures hovering around 12 °C. Interior Maharashtra experiences hot summers with maximum temperatures averaging 40 °C and mild winters with minimum temperatures averaging about 10 °C. Pune, a city in the western region experiences temperatures around 35-40 °C in summers and 7-12 °C on winters. Gujarat also has a warm climate with hot summers and cool winters.

File:Megwhal woman.jpg woman in the Hodka Village, north of Bhuj]]

Marathi, Gujarati and Kokani are widely spoken languages in Western India.

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{{bar percent|Hinduism|Orange|83.66}}

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The majority follow Hinduism and there are significant minority who follow Islam and smaller number who follow Christianity. There are also a few indigenous Jews called the Bene Israel who speak Marathi. The Parsees who settled in Gujarat made Mumbai and Surat their home. Significant percentages of Jains and Buddhists can be found too. Most Christians live in the state of Goa.

Overall, 83.66% of the population is Hindu, 10.12% Muslim, 4% Buddhist with Christians in Goa and Maharashtra making up the majority of the remainder.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Marathi, is the most widely spoken language in Western India with about 73 million speakers, followed by Gujarati with about 46 million speakers and Konkani 2.5 million speakers, all of which are Indo-Aryan languages.{{cite web |url = http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement4.htm| title=2001 Census language data|access-date=11 March 2008}} As in other parts of India, a high level of multilingualism is seen with English and Hindi being spoken as additional languages in urban areas.{{cite web| url = http://www.lilaproject.org/docs/India%20and%20its%20Languages%20v1.0.pdf| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050517143842/http://www.lilaproject.org/docs/India%20and%20its%20Languages%20v1.0.pdf| url-status = usurped| archive-date = 17 May 2005|title = Indian and its languages|access-date = 11 March 2008}}

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The average literacy rate of West India is around 76%, higher than the national average of 70.5%.{{cite web|url=http://www.nfhsindia.org/pdf/IN.pdf |title=NFHS fact sheet |access-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911040900/http://www.nfhsindia.org/pdf/IN.pdf |archive-date=11 September 2008 }} The population density is around 290 per square km. The average fertility rate is about 2.2, while the average household size is about 4.7.

File:Gsb.jpg, a popular festival in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Konkan region]]{{No footnotes|date=April 2023|section}}

The states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa are culturally varied and distinct.

File:Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhavnagar 01.jpg]]

Maharashtrian culture derives from the ancient Hindu Vedic culture influenced deeply by the Maratha Empire. Maharashtrians take great pride in the Maratha Empire, and many places in Maharashtra are named after the founder of the Empire, Shivaji. Marathi literature and cinema are popular in the state as well as across India. Bollywood has had a huge impact on the lifestyle and culture of this part of India as the industry is primarily located in Mumbai.

Gujarati culture is a blend of Indian culture and foreign influence. It has been influenced by the Parsis, who migrated to Gujarat from Persia about a 1000 years ago. Gujarat also saw Turkic and Mughal conquests, as well as a constant stream of back and forth migrations to and from Sindh and Rajasthan, which helped shape the unique cultural landscape of the state. Cultural Events like Rann Utsav, International Kite Festival and Global Garba festivals have been started in Gujarat to showcase its culture internationally.

Goa's culture is a unique blend of Indian and Portuguese cultures, as a result of it formerly being part of Portuguese India for 450 years. The state is popular amongst tourists for its beaches, Goan cuisine, temples, churches and architecture. The Churches and Convents of Goa have been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

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File:Pav bhaji from Mumbai.JPG from Mumbai, Maharashtra]]

The cuisine of Western India is diverse. Maharashtrian cuisine is diverse and ranges from bland to fiery hot. Pohay, Shrikhand, Pav bhaji and Vada pav are good examples of Maharashtrian cuisine. Goan cuisine is dominated by the use of rice, coconut, seafood, kokum and cashew-nuts. With its distinct spices and medium of cooking as coconut oil, both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian cuisine is equally popular.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Gujarati cuisine is almost exclusively vegetarian. Gujarat is one of three states in India, with prohibition on alcohol, along with Mizoram and Manipur.{{cite web| url = http://www.eudnet.net/workshops/workshop10-2002/rahman.pdf| title = Alcohol Prohibition and Addictive Consumption in India| access-date=11 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070917040706/http://www.eudnet.net/workshops/workshop10-2002/rahman.pdf |archive-date = 17 September 2007}} In contrast, Maharashtra has some of the best vineyards in India, with Nashik and Sangli districts being the country's biggest grape-producing districts.{{cite web| url = http://www.ccsindia.org/ccsindia/interns2003/chap21.pdf| title = Wine Industry in Maharashtra: An Analysis| access-date=11 March 2008}}

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The region generates 24.00% of the national GDP of the country, with an annual growth rate of 14.5% as of 2006.{{cite web| url = http://mospi.nic.in/6_gsdp_cur_9394ser.htm| title = Statement : gross state domestic product at current prices| access-date=11 March 2008}} The states generate about 23% of the tax revenues of the country. More than 85% of the households have access to electricity with about 55% owning a television. Agriculture employs most people in the region, while services have largest share in the total GDP.

File:Bharthana Althan area.jpg, the Business capital of Gujarat]]

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• East India
• North India
• Northeast India
• South India
• Central India
• Administrative divisions of India
• West Coast of India
• Western South Asia

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• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JhXV4A0mjogC&pg=PA248|last=Cunningham|first=Alexandar|author-link=Alexander Cunningham|title=The Ancient Geography of India.|volume=1|year=1871|publisher=Trübner & Company}}{{ISBN missing|date=January 2022}}
• {{cite book|title=Dispossession and Resistance in India: The River and the Rage|first=Alf Gunvald|last=Nilsen|isbn=9781136994326|publisher=Routledge|year=2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJ-XdTz4qPsC|oclc=1290098226}}
• {{cite book|title= Ecology of Cenchrus grass complex: Environmental conditions and population differences in western India |first1=S.C.|last1=Pandeya|first2=Helmut|last2=Lieth|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BqnsCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA219|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|date=6 December 2012|isbn=9789401129268}}
• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HhAvy9B4q7IC&pg=PA85|title=New Development Paradigms and Challenges for Western and Central India|last1=Parthasarathy|first1=R.|last2=Iyengar|first2=Sudarshan|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|year=2006|isbn=9788180692802|quote=The four States in western India, viz. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan|volume=1}}
• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZF0CrtE2pQC&pg=PA192|title=An Economic History of India: From Pre-colonial Times to 1991|last=Rothermund|first=Dietmar|author-link=Dietmar Rothermund|isbn=9780415088718|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1993}}
• {{cite book|last1=Vidyarthi|first1=Lalita Prasad|author1-link=L. P. Vidyarthi|last2=Rai|first2=Binay Kumar|title=The Tribal Culture of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scgz0Uzn64YC&q=rajasthan+goa+maharashtra+gujarat+western+india&pg=PA66|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|year=1977}}{{ISBN missing|date=January 2022}}

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{{Geographic location|Centre=Western India|North=North India|Northeast=North India|East=East India|Southeast=Southeast India|South=Southwest India|Southwest=Indian Ocean|West=Arabian Sea|Northwest=Northwestern South Asia}}{{Geography of India}}

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Category:Regions of India