Maharashtra is one of the biggest states in India and also second most populous state after Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra is quite popular for many things, especially for its tourists destinations, which could be found widespread in all its states, namely, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, etc…
You could call it as the commercial center, business hub and also as an industrial destination, the fact is that it is a dynamic business activity center of the country, as it accounts to around 15% of country’s industrial output and it also accounts to 13% of country’s GDP (as per the survey report in the year 2005-2006).
Who doesn’t know about Mumbai, everybody in India does! Especially, Bollywood is quite popular all around the world. It is also said that more number of films are produced each year in Bollywood, which are greater (in numbers) than the films produced in Hollywood. It’s true that Mumbai is the commercial/business hub of the entire country and offers a lifestyle, which is in fact diverse, very cosmopolitan and party life, filled with entertainment. It is known for many features, such as, ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’, Stock Exchange, Bollywood, shopping malls, industries, etc… It serves as the destination, comprising the largest proportion of taxpayers in the country and it also transacts 70% of the country’s stock through its stock exchange.
It is the second largest city in Maharashtra and it is 170 km away from Mumbai. It serves as the destination of learning/art center and also acts as the headquarters for various institutions that are in turn significant with national importance, such as the National Defence Academy, and Armed Forces Medical College. It also serves as the hub for information technology companies and many such organizations have their headquarters in Pune. It is also quite popular for its pilgrimage center of ‘Sai Baba’ at Shirdi, which is a small village located in Pune.
Maharashtra flourishes in all the modes of transportation, such as roadways, railways and airways. It has the largest road network in the country, which accounts for 2, 67, 452 kilometers and the national highways in the state are quite popular, as they are constructed with high standards and quality and that accounts for more than 3500 kilometers. The railways are also quite popular and the entire state of Maharashtra is covered by the ‘Central Railways’, which is in fact headquartered in Mumbai. The Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport has world class features and facilities and even the Pune airport, has standard facilities and features and it also handles international flights to Dubai, Frankfurt, Singapore and many other international destinations. Aurangabad, which is the other major city in Maharashtra is been recently updated with an upgraded international airport and other cities such as, Kolhapur and Nashik are provided with domestic airlines. The transportation is also enhanced through the waterways, by enabling the ferry services near Mumbai, thereby linking the other coastal towns in the city.
The first thing to be watched, when visiting Maharashtra would be the Bay of Bengal, the ocean’s beauty in the mid of dynamic, hustle-bustle life is breathtaking. The Ajanta and Ellora caves could be considered as the pride of Maharashtra, as it portrays the depth of architecture that Indian craftsmen had achieved during the ancient days. It is also popular destination for hill stations, such as, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, and Panchgani hill station, etc… The Gateway of India in Mumbai is another important monument that becomes mandatory, when visiting Maharashtra.