Maharashtra has been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late. However, there is a lot more to the state than its Thackerays, Khans and their headline-grabbing lives.
The city is honoured by the presence of Babasaheb’s house, Rajgruha, and his final resting place, Chaityabhoomi—sites of reverence for Dalits and others.
These UNESCO world heritage sites are located in Aurangabad district. They are cave monuments and temples, with some of them dating back to 2nd century BCE.
If you’re looking to beat the heat, it has many hill stations like Lonavla, Khandala, Matheran, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar etc.
If you’re not a mountain person and prefer beaches instead, the Konkan coast has many scenic beaches such as Ganpatipule, Tarkarli, Alibaug, Kashid, Murud, and more.
Given the state’s legacy of Maratha and Peshwa rule, it has many forts like Lohagad, Daultabad, Raigad, Shaniwarwada, Sindhu Garh, Pratapgad, Sinhagad and Rajmachi fort.
It is mainly fish-based and uses coconut (in many forms) liberally. The famed Malvani masala is said to be a combination of over 15 dry spices. Don’t forget to end your meal with a solkadhi, made from kokum and coconut milk.
Lavani is one of them. It is a combination of song and dance performed to the rhythmic beats of a Dholki. It is performed by female artistes decked in Nauvari sarees.
The town of Shirdi is famous for being the former home of spiritual leader, Sai Baba. It’s unclear whether the fakir was Hindu or Muslim, and he is known to be revered by people from both faiths.
Shingnapur is famous for its Shani temple. It is also a town where the houses don’t have doors, because of a local belief that anyone who steals something will have to deal with the wrath of Shani maharaj,.
it was a crater created by the impact of a meteor hitting the Earth. Sounds cool, right? It’s one of the four known craters anywhere in the world (the other three are in Brazil).