Marathwada | |
|---|---|
.jpg) .jpg)    Clockwise from top :Bibi Ka Maqbara,Aundha Nagnath Temple,Kailasa Temple,Shri Hazoor Sahib Gurudwara, Chaitya Griha or prayer hall atAjanta Caves | |
 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| Area | |
• Total | 64,590 km2 (24,940 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 18,731,872 (2,011)[1] |
| • Density | 354/km2 (920/sq mi) |
| Districts | Aurangabad,Beed,Hingoli,Jalna,Latur,Nanded,Osmanabad,Parbhani |
| Largest city | Aurangabad |
| Division | Aurangabad division |
| Literacy | 76.27%[1] |
| Sex ratio | 932[1] |
Marathwada (Marathi pronunciation:[məɾaːʈʰʋaːɖa]) is a geographical region of theIndian state ofMaharashtra. It was formed during theNizam's rule and was part of the thenHyderabad State. The region coincides with theAurangabad division of Maharashtra. It borders the states ofKarnataka andTelangana, and it lies to the west of theVidarbha and east ofUttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra. The largest city of Marathwada isAurangabad. Its people speakMarathi andDeccani Urdu (Hyderabadi Urdu).
Marathwada is known for its struggle for liberation from the tyranny ofNizam of Hyderabad and integration into India , which is commemorated on 17 September asMarathwada Liberation Day.
The termMarathwada meansthe house of Marathi speaking people, that is land occupied by the Marathi-speaking population of the formerHyderabad state during the period ofNizam's rule. The term can be traced to 18th century state records of theNizam of Hyderabad.[2]
Marathwada has total area of 64590 km2 and had a population of 18,731,872 at the2011 census of India.[3][a]
At the time of the2011 Census of India, the territory making up Marathwada had a variety of languages. 77.98% of the population spokeMarathi, 9.56%Urdu, 6.49%Hindi and 3.20%Lambadi as their first language.[4]
Hinduism is the majority religion in Marathwada, with Islam and Buddhism being significant minorities. Sikhism has a significant presence in Nanded, meanwhile Jains are present in urban areas of Marathwada such as Aurangabad, Jalna and Osmanabad.
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 76.67% of the population of Marathwada followedHinduism, 15.12%Islam, 7.17%Buddhism, 0.22%Christianity and the remaining 0.82% of the population followed other religions or stated no religion.[5][b]
The region of Hingoli and Aurangabad were a major hub for the military stations and depot during the time ofNizam as well as during the British rule. AlsoHyderabad State took special work to build Dams, modify and renovate the existing underwater system, particularly in Aurangabad. Major works were undertaken to build railways (Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway) connecting the city of Hyderabad to Bombay (now Mumbai) via Aurangabad. Handlooms and paper factories were established in Kaghzipura near Aurangabad. Religious sites were developed inKhuldabad.
Temporary guest houses were built for Sikh devotees in Nanded which lies in ruins due to neglect by the government authorities. Also roads connecting to Ahmedabad were initiated.[6]
All the cities below have population of more than 100,000 with Aurangabad having 1.1 million inhabitants per the 2011 census.
In 2023, the Maharashtra government officially renamed Aurangabad district to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad district to Dharashiv.[7]
There areMunicipal Corporations at[8]Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation,[9]Latur Municipal Corporation,Parbhani Municipal Corporation andJalna Municipal Corporation.[10]
The state government recognises Aurangabad as the "Tourism Capital of Maharashtra".[11] There are varioustourist attractions in Aurangabad. Other places visited by tourists are:
Marathwada has four government medical colleges, situated at Aurangabad, Latur, Nanded and Ambajogai.The region also has good government engineering colleges such asGovernment College of Engineering, Aurangabad andShri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology, Nanded. It also has three major universities, beingDr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University at Aurangabad,Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University atParbhani, andSwami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University at Nanded.[citation needed]
The foundation of agricultural research in Marathwada region ofHyderabad state was laid by the 7thNizam of HyderabadMir Osman Ali Khan with the commencement of the Main Experimental Farm in 1918 inParbhani. During theNizam's rule agricultural education was available only at Hyderabad; crop research centers for sorghum, cotton and fruits existed in Parbhani. Afterindependence, this facility was developed further by the Indian government which was renamed asMarathwada Agriculture University on 18 May 1972.[6] TheInstitute of Chemical Technology,Mumbai (formerly known as UDCT) has a satellite campus located inJalna which was established in 2018.
Marathwada is affected by frequent anomalies in rainfall during Monsoon season, which accounts for almost 80 per cent of the annual rainfall. The average annual rainfall over the division is 882 mm. Almost three-fourths of the Marathwada division is covered by farmlands. Hence, drought continues to have a considerable impact on the life of farmers.[12]
In some Marathwada districts recurring droughts have forced people to drink fluoride-contaminated groundwater from borewells which has inflicted debilitating fluorosis on many.[13]
The region also sees high instances offarmer suicides. According to government records, 422 farmers in Marathwada committed suicide in 2014. This was because of their inability to bear crop losses and a financial quandary made acute bywater scarcity and an agrarian crisis.[14] 2014 was the third consecutive year of low rainfall, and when rainfall did occur it was sometimes untimely and damaged crops. Of the 422 suicides, 252 cases were due to an inability to repay agricultural loans. There have been more than 117 farmer suicides in the first two months of 2017.[14] According to a study by IIT Bombay, the severe or extreme droughts have frequently occurred in major portions of Marathwada, in the last few decades.[12]
Notes
Citations
| Districts of Marathwada | |
|---|---|
| Cities with municipal corporations | |
| Topics | |
| Topics | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions | |||||||||||||
| Divisions and Districts |
| ||||||||||||
| Million-plus cities in Maharashtra | |||||||||||||
| Other cities with municipal corporations | |||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
19°53′00″N75°20′00″E / 19.8833°N 75.3333°E /19.8833; 75.3333
