Maharashtra

Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्र) is India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. It is bordered by the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. Mumbai (Bombay), India's largest city, is the capital of Maharashtra.

Origin of name

Maharashtra known as Rashtra in the Rigveda, Rashtrik in Asoka's inscriptions and Maha rashtra afterwards as attested by Huein-Tsang and other travellers. The name appears to be derived from Maharashtri, an old form of Prakrit, an ancient Indian language. It confirms above mentioned origin.

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However there are certain other theories put forward by different schools of thoughts, as below:

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1) One version points to the derivation of the name from "land of the Mahars and the Rattas". Another possible derivation is believed to be the corruption of the term "Maha Kantara", which means "Great Forest"{{ref|namegov}}. Both these theories did not carry much weightage as can be seen from the name of Maha_rashtra.

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The name may also have been reduced from rathi, which means "chariot driver", from the fact that Maharashtra at that time inhabited by builders and drivers of chariots who formed a maharathis or "fighting force"{{ref|namemh}}. But again the word marathi will not lead to Maha_rashtra. At the most one can say maratha_wada is derived from marathi

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