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Maharashtra Travel Guide
Mumbai
Mumbai Introduction
The city of Bombay was officially renamed Mumbai in January
1996. The mumbaites believe that this name came from the goddess
'Mumba', worshipped by the original Koli inhabitants. When the
Portuguese arrived they called the harbour Bombaim, which may
have stemmed from 'buan bahia', meaning 'good bay' in Portuguese,
or was a corruption of the original Koli name. Despite poverty
and eye-watering pollution, it is so dynamic that paupers still
flock there in hopes of becoming successful entrepreneurs. Mumbai
is the stronghold of the Indian film industry. Throughout the
year Western and Indian music concerts and festivals and Indian
dance shows are performed in Bombay. , Mumbai is the industrial
hub of everything from textiles to petrochemicals, and responsible
for half of India's foreign trade.
Mumbai History
The city of Bombay originally consisted of seven islands called
Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island, Wadala, Mahim, Parel,
and Matunga-Sion. This group of islands has been joined together
by a series of reclamations, formed part of the kingdom of Ashoka,
the famous Emperor of India. Bombay's colonial legacy is the
Gateway of India built to commemorate the Royal visit of George
V and Queen Mary in 1911. The Taj Mahal hotel opposite the Gateway
was built in 1903 by Jamashedji N. Tata, founder of a prestigious
industrial house, to counter a ban on Indian entering the then
famous Watson's hostelry. Sir Robert Grant (1779-1838) governed
Bombay from 1835 to 1838 and was responsible for the construction
of a number of roads between Bombay and the hinterland. In January
1899, the Brokers' Hall was inaugurated by James M. MaClean,
M.P. After the First World War the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
was housed in an old building near the Town Hall. In 1928, the
present plot of land was acquired surrounded by Dalal Street,
Bombay Samachar Marg, and Hammam Street. A building was constructed
in 1930 and occupied in December of that year. On Saturday 16th
of April, 1853 a 21-mile long railway line, the first in India,
between Bombay's Victoria Terminus and Thana was opened. The
later half of the 19th century was also to see a feverish construction
of buildings in Bombay, many of which such as, the Victoria
Terminus, the General Post Office, Municipal Corporation, the
Prince of Wales Museum, Rajabai Tower and Bombay University,
Elphinstone College and the Cawasji Jehangir Hall, the Crawford
Market, the Old Secretariat (Old Customs House) and the Public
Works Department (PWD) Building, still stand today as major
landmarks. The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the
visit of king George V and Queen Mary for the Darbar at Delhi
in 1911. The historic session of the All India Congress Committee
began on the 7th of August 1942. Its venue was the Gowalia Tank
Maidan, where the congress was born in 1885. It was at this
session that the "Quit India" call was given by Mahatma
Gandhi and other Indian National Congress leaders. After independence
the Congress party led by Jawaharlal Nehru at the Center was
swept to power in most of the Indian States, which were constituted
on the basis of language spoken by the majority of its people.
The Bombay State included the city as its seat of government.
In 1960 the state of Bombay was split into Maharashtra and Gujarat
states again on linguistic basis, the former retaining Bombay
city as its capital.
Mumbai Fair & Festivals
The Ganesh Chaturthi :- Ganesha is the god of wisdom
and prosperity and is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious
work by the Hindus. According to mythology he is the son of
Shiva and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya. Ganesha is the munificent
god of wisdom and Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in his honour
and in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of India. In Bombay alone,
more than 6000 Ganesha statues are commissioned collectively
by factories. Upto 10 metres in height these statues are carried
on decorated floats. Little Ganeshas are placed in nukkads or
street corners and in homes, and poojas are performed daily.
The festival is so popular that in Mumbai the preparations begin
months in advance. Images of Ganesha are installed and elaborate
arrangements are made for lighting and decoration, and celebrations
are on for 7-10 days. The Chaturthi is the last day dedicated
to the elephant-headed god, and thousands of processions converge
on the beaches of Mumbai to immerse the holy idols in the sea.
This immersion is accompanied by drum- beats, devotional songs
and dancing.
Gudi Padava :- It is a day of great festivity and rejoicing.
People get up early and clean their houses, decorating them
with intricate rangoli designs. A silk cloth is tied to a pole
with a brass goblet or kalash atop it, which is supposed to
drive away evil from the house. This is raised aloft and worshipped.
The Maharashtran New Year's Day is celebrated in March/April,
on the first day of Chaitra.
Mumbai Best Season
The climate of Bombay, according to the traders, was so unhealthy.
The weather is extremely hot from March to May. The rainy season,
brought mostly from monsoon winds from the southwest, last from
June to September and is followed by the post-monsoon season,
which last from october to November, hen the weather is hot
again. Best time to visit November until March; April until
mid June hot followed by monsoon until end of September.
Aurangabad
Aurangabad Introduction
aurangabad city is located in the northern part of the state
of Maharashtra in the western region of India. It is 403 km
from Mumbai (Bombay). Surrounded by hills, the city is on the
banks of the Kham River. The city boasts of Bibi-Ka-Maqbara,
a tomb that has some resemblance to the Taj Mahal. The importance
of aurangabad is great, owing to its proximity with world heritage
sites of Ajanta and Ellora. These sites have Buddhist, Jain,
and Hindu temples.
Aurangabad History
aurangabad is tinged with a distinctive Arabian aura. The city
was named after Aurangazeb but earlier it was known as Khadke.
Square shaped, stone homes with smooth edges lone the street
in small sections of town. Very few peple use this new name
and the city's Muslim Havor is evident/ tangible amidst the
tourist boom and the economic development typist of Mumbai's
hinterland. Their efforts like most of their kind however seem
an ineffectual charade of semantics; few use the new name, Sambhajinagar
and the city's Muslim flavor endures amid the tourist boom and
the economic development typical of Mumbai's hinterland.
Buddhism was introduced to this region during the reign of the
powerful Mauryan Emperors and its rapid acceptance is evident
in the profusion of Buddhist cave temples found in and around
modern aurangabad. The Hindu temples of Ellora built by the
kings of the Satvahana and Rashtrakuta dynasties predate the
influx of Buddhism. Strategically located in the centre of India,
the region was considered the safest from the marauding armies
of the Afghan and Central Asian raiders. The Tughlaq King Mohammed
bin Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate moved his capital from Delhi,
along with the citizens to this area in the 14th century but
failed due to poor logistical planning.
Aurangabad Fair & Festivals
Buddha Jayanti :- Buddha Jayanti is celebrated with great zeal
here. Mass prayers are offered in community halls and public
places and procession with floates are taken around the city.
Khultabad Urs :- Rabi-Ul-Awal. For five days each year,
during the month of Rabi-Ul-Awal, Muslims gather at the tomb
of Khawaja. Muntajabuddin at Khultabad to pay homage to the
hallowed saint.
Aurangabad Best Season
The climate of aurangabad is temperate with moderate winters
in the months of November-February and hot summers from April
through to June
Khandala
Khandala is one of the important hill stations in the state
of Maharashtra and is the pride of the Sahyadri Mountains. Khandala
is endowed with abundant natural beauty and like Lonavala, it
is also provides a popular gateway from the hustle and bustle
of cities of Mumbai and Pune. The picturesque green surroundings
of this pretty hill station attract the travelers towards it
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