Western India West India | |
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 States and union territories in Western India | |
| Country | India |
| States and territories | |
| Other states sometimes included | |
| Largest city | Mumbai |
| Most populous cities(2011) | |
| Area | |
• Total | 508,032 km2 (196,152 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 173,343,821 |
| • Density | 341.207/km2 (883.721/sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Official languages | |
Western India is a loosely definedregion of India consisting of western states ofRepublic of India. TheMinistry of Home Affairs in itsWestern Zonal CouncilAdministrative division includes thestates ofGoa,Gujarat, andMaharashtra along with theUnion territory ofDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu,[1] while theMinistry of Culture and some historians also include the state ofRajasthan.[2][3] TheGeological Survey of India includesMaharashtra but excludesRajasthan[4] whereasMinistry of Minority Affairs includesKarnataka but excludesRajasthan.[5]
Madhya Pradesh is also often included[6][7][8] andHaryana,western Uttar Pradesh and southernPunjab are sometimes included.[9] Western India may also refer to the western half of India, i.e. all the states west ofDelhi andChennai, thus also includingPunjab,Kerala and surrounding states.[10] The region is highly industrialised, with a largeurban population.[11] Roughly, Western India is bounded by theThar Desert in the north, theVindhya Range in the east and north and theArabian Sea in the west. A major portion of Western India shares theThar Desert withNorth India andPakistan and theDeccan Plateau withSouth andCentral India.
In ancient history, Western India was divided into three great states according toHwen Thsang, namelySindh (which comprised the whole valley of theIndus from thePunjab to the sea, including theDelta and the island ofKutch),Gurjara (which comprised WesternRajputana and theIndian Desert), and Balabhi (which comprised thepeninsula of Gujarat, with a small portion of the adjacent coast).[12] Before thepartition of India, the now-Pakistani territories ofSindh andBalochistan were also included in this region. In art history, the term normally covers just Gujarat and Rajasthan, which tend to move together in terms of style.[13] Western India has thesecond-largest gross domestic product of any region in India.
Parts of Gujarat were the site of theIndus Valley civilisation. Places have been uncovered in Gujarat atLothal,Surkotada, and aroundGhaggar river inRajasthan. The Western Indian region was ruled by theRashtrakuta Empire, theMaurya Empire, theGupta Empire,Rajputs,Satavahanas,Western Satraps,Indo Greeks,Kadambas etc. in the ancients times. During the medieval age, the area was under the rule of theVaghela dynasty, theGujarat Sultanate, and theDelhi Sultanate. Thereafter, the area was underMughal rule. Later, theMaratha Empire, which arose in western Maharashtra, came to dominate a major portion of the Indian sub-continent. However, its defeat by the British in theAnglo-Maratha wars left most of India under colonial rule. The region then experienced great upheavals during the struggle forIndian Independence.Gandhi'sDandi March took place in Gujarat. The region became part of independent India in 1947, and the present state boundaries were drawn based on linguistic considerations in 1956.[14]
The region consists of the predominantly arid to semi-arid region ofSaurashtra andKutch in the North. The region South of that ofCambay and Southern Gujarat makes the northern semi arid region and the southern humid region submerge. TheWestern Ghats lie along the coast of South Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. TheDeccan Plateaus of theVidarbha,Marathwada in central and eastern Maharashtra define the rest of the region. The vegetation varies from tropical rainforests along the Konkan coast to thorny bushes and shrubs in northern Gujarat. The rivers in this region are theMahi,Narmada,Tapi,Godavari,Zuari,Mandovi,Krishna,Ghaggar,Chambal and many other smaller tributaries of other rivers.
Places adjacent to Western India | |
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The climate varies betweentropical monsoon,tropical savanna,semi arid anddesert. The coastal regions experience little seasonal variations although the temperatures range between 20 °C to 38 °C.Mumbai and northernKonkan regions experience cooler winters with minimum temperatures hovering around 12 °C. Interior Maharashtra experiences hotsummers with maximum temperatures averaging 40 °C and mildwinters with minimumtemperatures averaging about 10 °C. Pune, a city in the western region experiences temperatures around 35-40 °C in summers and 7-12 °C on winters. Gujarat also has a warm climate with hot summers and cool winters.
Marathi,Gujarati andKonkani are widely spoken languages in Western India.[16]
The majority followHinduism and there are significant minority who followIslam and smaller number who followChristianity. There are also a few indigenous Jews called theBene Israel who speakMarathi. TheParsees who settled in Gujarat made Mumbai andSurat their home. Significant percentages ofJains andBuddhists can be found too. Most Christians live in the state of Goa.
Overall, 83.66% of the population isHindu, 10.12%Muslim, 4%Buddhist with Christians in Goa and Maharashtra making up the majority of the remainder.[citation needed]
Marathi, is the most widely spoken language in Western India with about 73 million speakers, followed by Gujarati with about 46 million speakers and Konkani 2.5 million speakers, all of which areIndo-Aryan languages.[16] As in other parts of India, a high level ofmultilingualism is seen with English and Hindi being spoken as additional languages in urban areas.[17]
The average literacy rate of West India is around 76%, higher than the national average of 70.5%.[18] Thepopulation density is around 290 per square km. The averagefertility rate is about 2.2, while the average household size is about 4.7.[18]
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The states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa are culturally varied and distinct.
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Maharashtrian culture derives from the ancientHinduVedic culture influenced deeply by the Maratha Empire.Maharashtrians take great pride in theMaratha Empire, and many places in Maharashtra are named after the founder of the Empire,Shivaji.Marathi literature andcinema are popular in the state as well as across India.Bollywood has had a huge impact on the lifestyle and culture of this part of India as the industry is primarily located in Mumbai.
Gujarati culture is a blend of Indian culture and foreign influence. It has been influenced by theParsis, who migrated to Gujarat fromPersia about a 1000 years ago. Gujarat also sawTurkic andMughal conquests, as well as a constant stream of back and forth migrations to and from Sindh and Rajasthan, which helped shape the unique cultural landscape of the state. Cultural Events likeRann Utsav,International Kite Festival and GlobalGarba festivals have been started in Gujarat to showcase its culture internationally.
Goa's culture is a unique blend of Indian andPortuguese cultures, as a result of it formerly being part ofPortuguese India for 450 years. The state is popular among tourists for its beaches,Goan cuisine,temples,churches andarchitecture. TheChurches and Convents of Goa have been declared as aWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO.
The cuisine of Western India is diverse.Maharashtrian cuisine is diverse and ranges from bland to fiery hot.Pohay,Shrikhand,Pav bhaji andVada pav are good examples ofMaharashtrian cuisine.Goan cuisine is dominated by the use of rice, coconut, seafood,kokum and cashew-nuts. With its distinct spices and medium of cooking as coconut oil, both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian cuisine is equally popular.[citation needed]
Gujarati cuisine is almost exclusively vegetarian. Gujarat is one of three states in India, with prohibition on alcohol, along withMizoram andManipur.[19] In contrast, Maharashtra has some of the bestvineyards inIndia, withNashik andSangli districts being the country's biggest grape-producing districts.[20]
The region generates 24.00% of the national GDP of the country, with an annual growth rate of 14.5% as of 2006.[21] The states generate about 23% of thetax revenues of the country. More than 85% of the households have access to electricity with about 55% owning a television.Agriculture employs most people in the region, whileservices have largest share in the total GDP.
| Economic and demographic indicators[22] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Parameter | West India | National |
| Per capitanet state domestic product (SDP) | ₹122,569 (US$1,400) | ₹73,500 (US$870) |
| Percentage share in total | 24 | NA |
| Average annual growth of GDP | 13.66 | 8.5 |
| Percentage of population below poverty line | 8.66 | 26.10 |
| Percentage of urban population | 46.75 | 31.16 |
| Percentage of households with electricity | 93.6 | 67.3 |
| Literacy rate | 83.2 | 74.04[23] |
The four States in western India, viz. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
Media related toWest India at Wikimedia Commons
Western India travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Western India | |
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19°00′00″N74°09′00″E / 19.0000°N 74.1500°E /19.0000; 74.1500
