Marathwada
Encyclopedia
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The region coincides with the Aurangabad Division
Aurangabad Division
Aurangabad Division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. Aurangabad divisions almost completely coincides with the Marathwada region of Maharashtra.-Districts:...
.
Historical highlights
The term “Marathwada” has its origin in the word “Mara-hatti-vada (Mar-hat-vada)”, meaning a region of MarathaMaratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
community.
Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
king Muhammad Shah
Muhammad Shah
Muhammad Shah also known as Roshan Akhtar, was a Mughal emperor of India between 1719 and 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar Jahan Shah, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. Ascending the throne at 17 with the help of the Sayyid Brothers, he later got rid of them with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk Chin...
appointed a Turani noble Asaf Jah I as the wazir
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
of Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Empire in 1722, but in 1724 he left for the Deccan to start his own kingdom and took the title Nizam-ul-Mulk.. Marathwada become a part of Nizam’s domain, which later came to be known as the princely state of Hyderabad outside but under the suzerainty of British India. (“Nizam” became the title of the ruling descendants of Nizam-ul-Mulk.)
On August 15, 1947, British India was partitioned
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
into two independent states, the Union of India and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
ruling Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
at that time chose not to merge Hyderabad state into either country. Subsequently, through Operation Polo
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
, a “police action” on September 17, 1948, the Indian army annexed Hyderabad to India.
On November 1, 1956, Marathwada was transferred from Hyderabad state to Bombay state. On May 1, 1960, Bombay state was divided into Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and Gujarat states, Marathwada becoming a part of the former.
Aurangabad is the headquarter of Marathwada it derived its name from Aurangzeb who ruled it for a brief period
Districts
Eight districts are in this region. They are Aurangabad, Nanded, Latur, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Osmanabad, and Hingoli.Major cities
Aurangabad, NandedNanded
Nanded is the second largest city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India. It is also headquarters of Nanded district in the Marathwada Division of the state. It is an important holy place for the Sikh faith and is famous for the Hazur Sahib Gurudwara. It is the district headquarters once...
, Latur
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
, Parbhani
Parbhani
Parbhani is a city in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parbhani, formerly known as “Prabhavatinagar”, is a city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District.Parbhani is approximately situated at the centre of Maharashtra...
, Jalna
Jalna (city)
Jalna is a city and a municipal council in Jalna district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Jalna was formerly a part of Nizam State as a tahsil of Aurangabad district....
.
Other cities
BeedBeed
Beed is a town and administrative headquarters of the district of the same name located in central Maharashtra state of India. According to 2001 census, it is the largest urban area in the district with a population of 138,091. Calculated population of 2010 is 161,604. It ranks 295th in population...
, Osmanabad
Osmanabad
Osmanabad is a city and a municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:The city of Osmanabad is located at . It has an average elevation of 647 metres ....
, Hingoli
Hingoli
Hingoli is a city and a municipal council in Hingoli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-History:Marathwada was initially under Nizam's regime. Hingoli was the taluka of parbhani district and part of Nizam's regime. It was actually Nizam's military base as it was border place with...
, Udgir
Udgir
Udgir is a city and a municipal council in Latur District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is famous for education and the Udgir Fort.The Name Udgir was derived from the saint Udagir Baba.-Demographics:...
, Parli
Parli, Maharashtra
Parli is a city and a municipal council in Beed district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Demographics: India census, Parli had a population of 88,510. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Parli has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:...
, Ambejogai
Ambejogai
Ambajogai is a city and a municipal council in Beed district in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Demographics: India census, Ambajogai had a population of 69,277. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ambajogai has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average...
, Vasmat, Degloor , Dharmabad
Dharmabad
Dharmabad is a town and a municipal council in Nanded district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is located near the state border with Andhra Pradesh. Dharmabad has an average elevation of 359 metres . It is connected by railway...
Cultural heritage
Marathwada is home to important HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
, Buddhist, and Jain monuments. They include Ajanta
Ajanta
The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are 29 rock-cut cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art as well as frescos which are reminiscent of the Sigiriya...
; Ellora; Shaktipeeth like Mahur
Mahur
Mahur or Mahurgad is a religious place in Maharashtra, India. Mahur is said to be the birth place of Hindu Goddess Renuka, mother of Lord Parshuram. The three and half Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra are Tuljapur enshrining Bhavani, Kolhapur enshrining Mahalakshmi, Mahur enshrining Mahamaya, and...
, Tuljapur
Tuljapur
Tuljapur is a city and a municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative seat of Tuljapur taluka.The town is home to a famous temple, Tulja Bhavani Temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Bhavani...
and Ambejogai
Ambejogai
Ambajogai is a city and a municipal council in Beed district in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Demographics: India census, Ambajogai had a population of 69,277. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ambajogai has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average...
; and Jyotirlinga
Jyotirlinga
A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India....
like Grishneshwar
Grishneshwar
Grishneshwar, also known as Ghushmeshwar, is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the sacred abodes of Shiva. The temple is located eleven km from Daulatabad, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra India...
(Verul), Nagnath
Aundha Nagnath
Aundha Naganath is a town and a tehsil in Basmat Subdivision of Hingoli district in Marathwada region of the Indian state of Maharashtra.There is famous Temple of Lord Shiva.The Shiva Temple claims to be one of the Twelve Jyotirlingas in India...
(Aundha), and Vaijanath (Parali).
Dnyaneshwar
Dnyaneshwar
Dnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...
and his siblings Niwruttinath, Sopandev, and Muktabai
Muktabai
Muktabai or Muktai was a saint in the Varkari tradition. She was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family and was the younger sister of Dnyaneshwar, the first Varkari saint. Muktabai wrote forty-one Abhang throughout her life span. "Tati ughada dnaneshwara" is one her most insightful works, being a...
hailed from Apegaon in Aurangabad District
Aurangabad District, Maharashtra
Aurangabad District is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. It is bordered by the districts of Nashik to the west, Jalgaon to the north, Jalna to the east, and Ahmednagar to the south. Aurangabad is the headquarters and principal city...
. Eknath
Eknath
Eknath was a prominent Marathi scholar and religious poet. He is called a "sant" in the Marathi tradition as are most other religious poets...
hailed from Paithan
Paithan
Paithan , formerly Pratishthana, is a city and a municipal council in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city was the capital of the Sātavāhana empire of ancient India that ruled from 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD...
in the same district. Samarth Ramdas
Samarth Ramdas
Ramdas was a prominent Marathi saint and religious poet in the Hindu tradition in Maharashtra, India. Samarth Ramdas was a devotee of Lord Hanuman and Lord Rama...
hailed from Jamb in Jalna District
Jalna district
Jalna district is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Jalna town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Aurangabad division. The district occupies an area of 7718 km²...
, while Namdev
Namdev
Sant Namdeo or Bhagat Namdeo was born on October 29, 1270 in the state of Maharashtra village of Narasi-Bamani, in Hingoli district . His father, a calico printer/tailor, was named Damshet and his mother's name was Gonabai...
hailed from Narsi in Hingoli District
Hingoli district
Hingoli district is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district headquarters are located at Hingoli. The district occupies an area of 4,526 km² and has a population of 987,160 of which 15.60% were urban . This district is part of Aurangabad division...
.
Siraj Aurangabadi
Siraj Aurangabadi
Siraj Aurangabadi was a famous mystic poet. He was born at Aurangabad Maharashtra. His full name was Siraj-ud-Din Aurangabadi.-Life:...
, a great poet of early Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
literature, and Wali Dakhni
Wali Mohammed Wali
Wali Muhammad Wali , was a classical Urdu poet of the subcontinent....
, who is often called as the Father of modern Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
, lived in the city of Aurangabad. Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami is one of the most significant scholar of Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages in 18th century India. He is the first Indian poet of Arabic whose poetic compilation is available. The King of Yemen had had acknowledged his poetic genius and accorded him the title of Hassan Al-Hind.-Early...
, one of the most significant scholar of Arabic, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
languages in eighteenth century India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
was a resident of Aurangabad city. The town of Khuldabad
Khuldabad
Khuldabad Urdu: خلد آباد is a city and a Taluka of Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Initially it was known as Rauza meaning garden of paradise...
contains the shrines of the most famous and earliest sufi saints
Sufi Saints of Aurangabad
Aurangabad furnished a genial soil for the spread of the religion of the Prophet, and was the centre of great missionary movements in the 8th century of the Hijri. The district is home to the earliest of Sufi saints of the Deccan. The town of Khuldabad contains the shrines of the most famous saints...
of the Dakhan.
The “samadhi
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
” of the tenth guru of Sikhs, Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
, is located at Sachkhand in Nanded.
Economic situation
Historically, Marathwada lagged the rest of Maharashtra in economic prosperity. Human Development Index (HDI) using the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) methodology highlighted that situation in 2000.There has, however, been accelerated industrial growth in Marathwada in the past few years. Skoda and Audi have manufacturing plants at Aurangabad. Hindalco, Parle, Siemens, and Radico have started their major projects in Marathwada. Videocon manufactures TVs, air conditioning units, refrigerators, and washing machines, while Sterlite manufactures fibre optic cables in this region.