MAHARASHTRA

01 02 03 Mumbai is the largest city in India, a city full of Decked with vast expanses of magnetizing In many ways, I see a lot of similarity between dreamers and hard-laborers. A place where you canvas, Mumbai is one of the most exotic New York and Mumbai, with their roles in the will encounter stray dogs and exotic birds, traveler’s hotspots in India. Showcasing United States and India respectively. Mumbai artists and workers, the poor and millionaires country’s iconic attractions, its balmy beaches, is India’s financial capital, fashion powerhouse, living together in this maddening city. The city lush green mountains, romantic vineyards and and a center for many religious and political is the home of the most prolific of film sacred pilgrim places are worth dying for. This matters. It has some of the world’s most industries (Bollywood), one of Asia’s biggest alluring place features three seasons; namely expensive real estate with property rates soaring slums (Dharavi), and the largest tropical forest summer, winter and monsoon sky high, some of them up to 100,000 INR/SF. in an urban zone. monsoon A rapid growth and development has made the city a concoction of skyscrapers and malls in between the slums and shabby areas. It is also one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of 21,290,000 as of January 2012.

BEST MONTHS TO VISIT SUMMER IN MAHARASHTRA MONSOON IN MAHARASHTRA October to March is the best time to Summers in Maharashtra set in the Monsoons here begin in the month of visit Maharashtra. Offering a great month of March and extend till May. June and retreat by the month of climate to its visitors, this time is These months are the hottest with September. The month of July is the ideal for vacationers to witness the temperatures hovering between wettest, and August too witnesses scenic beauty of this destination. 22°C-39°C. During this period, substantial rains. Monsoon season is not thunderstorms are a lot common and considered an apt time for a travel to are witnessed by almost the entire this destination, as heavy rainfall state. disrupts outdoor activities.

➢The Warlis are Adivasis from Maharashtra. They believe that conserving nature and taking care of animals is not an act of selflessness on the part of humans, but the only way to protect their own future and well- being. This folk tale is narrated by Prof. Pradip Prabhu, former Dean, School of Rural Development, TISS, and founder member of Kashtakari Sanghatana, the voice of the millions of tribals in Maharashtra. Walking through a forest in search of fruits and berries, a poor man chanced upon a pig being attacked by a tiger.The man helped it escape by driving the tiger away. Filled with gratitude, the pig said, “I am very grateful—you have saved my life today. I must repay my debt to you. Please follow me.” The man followed the pig who led him to a cave, from which the animal brought out a ring and said, “Take this ring and tie it to the top of your house and good fortune will follow you.” The man accepted the gift, thanked the pig, and made his way home. As night fell, the man and his wife went to sleep. The next morning, their once empty house had grown in prosperity with sacks of pulses and spices in the attic, and vegetables in the kitchen. They could finally eat their fill and feed their pets. With the family’s good fortune, the couple and their pets lived comfortably. As weeks passed, onlookers became curious and neighbours wondered at the unexpected good fortune of the household. A crafty villager spied on them and found out about the magic ring. That night, he snuck into the house and stole the ring. •The fate of the house quickly reversed back to its impoverished state. The woman was upset as she couldn’t feed her cat and dog anymore. She said to them, “Please go away, there’s nothing for you here. Find another home!” •The dog asked the cat, “How did our fate change? What do we do?” The cat recalled, “There used to be a ring tied to the roof, but it isn’t there anymore. I think we should find it.” •The duo set out in search of the ring. They searched their village and the surrounding villages, even crossing a trickle of a stream. They were determined to find the ring and take it back to the kind couple. •Soon they came upon a prosperous house. The dog guessed that the house was newly prosperous, because there was a wedding of rats on right next to it, and it was an odd season for weddings. This was surely the thief’s house, they concluded. •As they stood wondering what to do, the cat had an idea. She caught the rat bridegroom from next door. The other rats panicked and pleaded with the cat, “Please, please let the groom go! Please do not harm him.” The dog replied, “We mean him no harm. The cat will let him go in return for a favour. We need the ring that is tied to the roof of the rich man’s house.” The rats scampered onto the thief’s roof, detached the ring from there and brought it to the dog. The cat kept her word and let go of the groom. The wedding celebrations continued with merriment. •As the cat and the dog made their way back with the ring, it began to rain heavily and frogs croaked joyfully all around them. Water levels at the trickle of a stream they had crossed earlier had risen, and it had become a torrent. They had no choice but to brave the current. The cat jumped in first and the dog followed. As they were crossing the gushing waters, the ring slipped out of his mouth. Once they reached the shore, they had to think quickly about how they would retrieve the ring from the depths of the stream. •Soon the rain stopped and they spotted a wedding ceremony of river frogs nearby—a common occurrence during the rains. They repeated their trick, catching hold of the bridegroom. The other frogs begged, “please let our groom go, please do not hurt him!” Now it was the frogs’ turn to fetch the ring from the depths of the stream in return for an unhurt groom. They dived into the stream and brought the ring out. Once the dog had the ring in his mouth again, the groom frog was released, and the wedding party resumed. •Without any more untoward incidents, the cat and dog reached their home. The cat climbed to the roof and tied the ring where it used to be. The woman was happy to see her pets again. This is how the cat and the dog returned the ring to their house, and brought prosperity back to the family. •The Adivasis believe that cats, dogs, pigs, rats and frogs are the cause of prosperity. Every creature, big and small, has a role to play in making the world a better place for all to live in. We may not see it all the time, but if we care to look and learn, we will find that without them, our chances of survival are at risk. Through this tale, community elders teach the next generation that animals should be considered part of the family, and are also part of the family’s prosperity. Taking care of them does not eat into one’s wealth; it is not a loss to have them.

• Kaas Pathar ( Satara) - Plateau of flowers, gets covered with rarest flowers. As if you are in heaven like feeling, you'll just can't get over this place. Aug - Sept best time to visit. • Kaas talav (Satara)- This spot is just few miles ahead from kaas pathar. Very peaceful and beautiful place. • Sinhagad (Pune) : Initially known as ‘Kondana fort’. Tanaji Malusare-Chh. Shivaji Maharaj's trsusted and brave general,fought a battle here all alone with the Mughal army. DAY 1 • Shanivar wada (Pune): Royal Palace of Bajirao Peshwa, Must vist. • Lonavla : Setting you at ease this Beautiful Hill station. One of the best place to chill. • Menavali (Wai/Satara): Famous Location for Movies, picturesque place. • Solshi (Satara) : where you can have a stunning view of lush greenery, beautiful waterfalls and enjoy the tranquility. • Mahalaxmi Temple (Kolhapur) : One of the important Temple of Shaktipeethas. • Ajanta caves : Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries, Famous heritage to visit. DAY 2 • Pandavleni (Nashik) : It is a cave complex with 24 caves,that represent Hinayana Buddhism. • Thoseghar (Satara) : A short trek to reach this waterfall, on the way of Kaas Talav. • Bamnoli (Satara) : Experience the lakes of switzerland, right in Maharashtra. Famous for Vasota camping , Nageshwar Shiv Temple and also Tapola. • Dholya Ganpati (Wai/Satara) : Located on the Bank of Krishna Nadi, you have to bend a little to look up to see this Enormous Ganesh Murti. • Jotiba Temple (Kolhapur) : Jotiba temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. This is also called Kedarnath and Wadi Ratnagiri. • Kelavli (Satara) : Unexplored spot, below Kaas Pathar, Journey to reach this spot is so breathtaking, also know as Satara's ‘Nainital'. Worth visiting for. DAY 3 • Bhandardara : Famous site for Camping. • Tarkarli (Malvan) : Know for Water sports, like Kayaking Canoeing, Parasailing & Paragliding ,Waterskiing & Jetskiing. • Dapoli (Malvan) : If you love konkan then this is the place you should never miss to visit. Also famous for its watersports activity

Maharashtra is home to the highest Maharashtra led the startup race in India number of billionaires in the country with with 2,587 startups located in the state as 72 billionaires living in the city, according of December 2018. to Hurun Global Rich List 2022.

A vacation to Maharashtra for one week usually costs around ₨29,413 for one person.. A trip to Maharashtra for two people costs around ₨58,826 for one week. A trip for two weeks for two people costs ₨117,653 in Maharashtra

Of all Mumbai's street snacks, the vada pav has grown to be the darling of the masses. A pillowy pav, stuffed with a golden-fried spiced batata (potato) vada, covered with a lick of tamarind and coriander chutneys and a sprinkling of garlicky masala - the vada pav is starch heaven, an instant energy booster. Delhi has its own inimitable chaat tradition and Kolkata and Delhi have both appropriated the pani puri into golgappas and puchkas. But the vada pav remains till date, a proud Mumbai tradition.(The Parsi Trail: Top 7 Parsi Restaurants In Mumbai)How it All BeganLegend has it, that it all started way back in 1971 with Ashok Vaidya's vada pav thela, stationed just outside Dadar station. He was the first one to envelope a crisp, hot vada with a chutney-slathered pav and serve it to a customer who was in a tearing hury. If we go even further back though, the vada pav becomes inflected with global roots - the pav's origins can be traced back to the Portuguese, the potato vada's to the Dutch enterprise in India. But of course, the fortuitous marriage between pav, vada and chutney is pure Mumbai tradition and has since been adopted as the snack of the Maharashtrian masses. In fact, the snack is now so popular that there is even a Vada Pav Day every 23rd of August. Mumbai and its rich foodscape has caught the fancy of many foodies since time immemorial. Mumbai happens to be the hub of major restaurants chains and hotels in the country, but that has not marred Mumbaikar's love for their street food one bit. One such street food they have loved and devoured with much passion is vada pav. If you have been to Mumbai and have had a chance to explore its food scene, you may have noticed their peculiar fixation with pav. Pav is a squarish, raised bread that could be teamed with anything; sabzi, keema, vada and chutney. It is believed that it was the Portuguese who introduced the concept of baking breads during their colonial stint in Goa. They tried their best to mingle their European tastes with Indian tadka. From Goa, the bread-makers travelled to Mumbai. Here their yeasty and fluffy preparations became a rage. Since Mumbai had become the commercial centre under the British, these bread-makers raked enough moolah to support their family and small businesses. Later it was the turn of Iranis, who used pav and bun in their kitschy cafes as part of their snack menu, and with time pav became cheap, accessible and a mass favourite.

I was a new girl in the city, Mumbai. But well, I’ve never felt alone or alienated in this city. I’ve got lost so many times and I’ve always been helped by some ‘maushi’ (Translation : Maternal Aunt ) and found my way back. They’ve gone out of their way to drop me to the correct local station. They’ve called me and offered me a seat when I looked all tired after work. Be it the local vendors, the auto drivers or the common men all have helped. I’ve never felt so welcomed before. The safety and security that comes with living in Maharashtra is commendable too. Yes! I’ve been to Maharashtra. I’ve been staying I’m glad that I got a chance to stay here and here for almost three weeks now and the one experience the beauty of the Maharashtrian thing that I absolutely love is the hospitality. culture. The hospitality of this state definitely touched the heart of this new girl in the city. :) POSITIVE EXPERIENCE