Temples in Maharashtra are truly ancient and carry rich cultural and traditional values from the bygone era. The oldest rock-cut famous temples Maharashtra, the Elephanta Cave Temple and the Kailashanatha Temple at Ellora, are for instance, extremely popular and great many tourists visiting the state, never miss a visit to these temples in Maharashtra. Of all the Gods and Goddess, people of Maharashtra revere the Lord Ganesha exceptionally and therefore many Maharashtra temples are dedicated to Lord Ganesh. A collection of eight famous temples Maharashtra dedicated to the Lord Ganesh called as ‘Ashta Vinayak’ temples are located in Pune and are extremely famous among the devotees. The Siddhivinayaka Temple in Mumbai is the most famous temple temples Maharashtra. The Mahalakshmi temples in Maharashtra, located in Kolhapur and Mumbai are also much popular and draw heavy public. The famous pilgrimage site of Maharashtra is located in Nashik city which is a home to many famous Maharashtra temples like the Kalaram Temple, Kapaleshwar temple, Muktidham Temple etc. Every twelve years Kumbh Mela is held in the famous town of Nashik, where the Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the river. The Grisheshwar temple near Ellora is one of the three temples in Maharashtra which has Jyotirlinga dedicated to the Lord Shiva; two other Jyothirlinga temples being the Bhimshankar temple near Pune and Trimbakeshwar near Nashik. The most favorite temple of the greatest ruler of Maharashtra Chatrapathi Shivaji, Bhavani Temple, witnesses more than a million visitors from different parts of the country every year. Apart from the Hindu temples in Maharashtra, the Aagashi Jain Mandir, located near Virar, is a very old Jain Temple; and during the Kartik Poornima a colorful festival attracts great number of devotees.
Maharashtra is the throbbing economic zone in the country with Mumbai as its capital. Mumbai is considered to be the commercial capital of India—it is the center for industry, transportation, and communication having one of the busiest ports in the world. With an area of around 307,731 square kilometers and a population of around 98,000,000 Maharashtra is the richest state in the country contributing around 15% of the country’s industrial output.
For tourists, Maharashtra is a famous hub. Mumbai the capital city is regarded as the ‘New York of the East’, with its famous night life. It is also the home to Bollywood—the Hindi film Industry and many film stars. Among the prominent places to visit in Mumbai are the Gateway of India, Prince of Wales Museum, Juhu Beach, Chowpati Beach, Haji Ali Mosque, Marine Drive and Victoria Terminus etc. Maharashtra’s picturesque hill stations are very popular among the tourists and include Matheran, Lonavala, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar among others.