Maharashtra (Mah)

Mar: महाराष्ट्र mahārāṣṭra

‘(Land of the) Marathas’. 

The Marathas/Mahrattas were a combination of Marathi-speaking farming castes in Maharashtra. Under  Shivaji they established the Maratha Empire, a rebel force under the Mughal Empire and then under the British, which controlled the heartlands of India from its base in Pune.

In this derivation the language (Marathi), the state (Maharashtra) and the people (Marathas) are the same or may be related to the following derivations:

(1) ‘Great Kingdom’ from Skt: mahā, ‘great’; and  rāṣṭra, ‘land’, ‘territory’, ‘kingdom’. (2) ‘Great Warriors’. Some suggest that the name originates from  Skt: mahā, ‘great’; and raṭhī /raṭhā,  ‘chariot (fighters)’. (3) ‘Great Ratta’. From Skt: mahā, ‘great’; and the Ratta or Rashtrakuta dynasty ruling in areas corresponding to modern-day Karnataka and Maharashtra in the 6-10thC.

Maharashtra is India’s most industrialised state: it contributes 25% of India’s manufacturing output and has a per capita income 40% higher than the national average.

For more on Indian place names and history, see Toponymy on the Ashoka Express

For a journey through tribal India and Sri Lanka, see Headhunting with Marguerite

Divisions and Districts of Maharashtra

MAHARASHTRA PLACE NAMES