The mouth watering Konkan and Varadi cuisines would kill any visitor’s appetite. Although, Maharashtrian cuisines are a bit strong in pepper and spice, but it is the speciality of the dishes of this state that world knows about. And everybody knows about the unbeatable taste of the Mumbai chaats.
The dance forms like Povada, Lavani and Koli with mesmerizing music and rhythmic movements entertain the Maharashtrians. Dhangri Gaja, Dindi, Kala and Tamasha are the folk dances that attach to the heart of the people of this state.
Costumes of Maharashtra
As Maharashtra is a vast state, the people of this colourful state wears different types of costumes, take different cuisines, has different forms of dances and music according to the physical features of their locality. Generally, men wear dhoti and pheta in olden days, while women wear choli and saree.
Cuisines in Maharashtra
Maharashtrians consider anna, or food equals to Brahma, the creator of the universe. Maharashtrians believe in offering their food first to the God as a thanksgiving. Especially on festive occasions, specific mithais (sweets) are offered such as ukadiche modak (Ganesh Chaturthi) and satyanarayan puja sheera.
Dances of Maharashtra
Gifted with its rich culture and traditions, Maharashtra has different types of dance forms. Povada is the dance form that showcases the lifetime achievements of the Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj.
Music of Maharashtra
Every festive occasion is accompanied by song, music and dance in Maharashtra. Talking about the music of Maharashtra won’t complete without the mention of Natya Sangeet, numerous folk songs and its great saint poets.
Attire
The traditional attire of Maharashtra required the men to wear a dhoti (a long garment wrapped around the waist and legs), kurta or a cotton shirt, pheta (head wear or topi) and waistcoat or bandi which was optional.
Women wear choli or blouse on the top and a 9-yard long saree called ‘lugade’ or ‘nauwari saadi’. They usually wore open sandals or chappals as their footwear. In the 21st century, most of the people have started wearing western clothes or a fusion of Indian and western wear. The traditional attire is worn by very few but is worn by many during any religious event or Marathi festival.
2. Food
The staple diet of Maharashtra includes wheat, rice, jowar, bajri, vegetables, lentils and fruit. Meat was not eaten much in Maharashtra until recent times. Their diet is rich in carbohydrates as initially they were occupied in labour intensive jobs like farming. The Food of Maharashtra is from sweet to mildly spicy to spicy. Some of the dishes like vada pav, pav bhaji, missal pav and pooran pori have become famous throughout the world. Shrikhand, yet another popular dish has have said to be originated in Maharashtra.
3. Architecture
4. Languages
The official language of Maharashtra is Marathi. While the majority do speak Marathi, others speak Hindi, Gujarati, English and other languages. Cities in Maharashtra are Metropolitan and are a blend of many cultures and use English as their official language. Most of the people in Maharashtra are multi lingual and usually speak both Marathi and Hindi.
5. Folk Dance and Music
The folk music and dances of Maharashtra are Koli, Powada, Banjara Holi dance and Lavani dance. Powada dance form shows achievements of Shivaji Maharaja, the Maratha ruler. Koli music and dance originated from the fishermen community for entertainment. Lavani dance form showcases many topics like romance, politics, tragedy, society, etc. ?Lavani? comes from the ?Lavanya? meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘beauty’.
6. Religion
There are around 80 percent of Hindus and a significant amount of Muslims in Maharastra. Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other religions are a minority. Churches, temples, mosques and other religious centres are found throughout Maharashtra. The people of Maharashtra take pride in their cultural diversity and respect every religion.
7. Occupation
Traditionally, the occupation of the majority of Maharashtra was agriculture. Folks near the coastal region were involved in fishing activities. But over the years, many places have been developed and industrialised, giving rise to various business and job opportunities to the people.
8. Tourism
With Gateway of India, Sea link, Siddhivinayak, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Marine drive in Mumbai, Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi, Mahalaxmi Temple in Kolhapur, Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Nashik, Mahabaleshwar (hill station), historical monuments in Aurangabad and many more places to visit, Maharashtra has indeed become a tourist destination. The hotel industry in Maharashtra is vast and booming.
9. Festivals
Some festivals like Nag Panchami, Ganesh Chathurthi, Gokul Ashtami, Makar Sankranti, Gudi Padwa, Bhau Beej, Ellora Festival Narali Pournima and Shivaji Jayanti have originated in Maharashtra. Nag Panchami is devoted to the Snake God. The Snake God is prayed to get rid of the ?Nag Dosh?; Ganesh Chathurthi is an eleven-day long festival of Lord Ganesh. The people of Maharashtra celebrate other festivals also like Diwali, Christmas, Eid, and New years. In most places, people celebrate all major festivals irrespective of their religion and honestly, that just shows the unity and brotherhood among them.
