Marathwada

Marathwada (Marathi pronunciation: ) is a region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Marathwada was formed during the Nizams and was part of the then Hyderabad State. The region coincides with the Aurangabad Division of Maharashtra. It borders the states of Karnataka and Telangana, and it lies to the west of the Vidarbha and east of Khandesh regions of Maharashtra. The largest city of Marathwada is Aurangabad. Its people speak Marathi.

Etymology

The term Marathwada means the house of Marathi speaking people, that is land occupied by the Marathi-speaking population of the former Hyderabad state during the period of Nizam’s rule. The term can be traced to 18th century state records of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Demography

Marathwada has total area of 64590 km² and had a population of 18,731,872 at the 2011 census of India.

Under Nizams rule

The region of Hingoli and Aurangabad were a major hub for the military stations and depot during the time of Nizam as well as during the British rule. Also Hyderabad State took special work to build Dams, modify and renovate the existing underwater system, particularly in Aurangabad. Major works were undertaken to built railways(Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway) connecting the city of Hyderabad to Bombay via Aurangabad. Handlooms and paper factories were established in Kaghzipura near Aurangabad. Religious sites were developed in Khuldabad.

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.

Cities and districts

Major cities of Marathwada region

All the cities below have population of more than 100,000 with Aurangabad having 1.1 million inhabitants per the 2011 census.

• Aurangabad
• Nanded
• Latur
• Parbhani
• Jalna
• Beed
• Osmanabad

Districts

• Aurangabad
• Beed
• Hingoli
• Jalna
• Latur
• Nanded
• Osmanabad
• Parbhani

There are Municipal Corporations at Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation, Latur Municipal Corporation, and Parbhani Municipal Corporation.

Tourism

The state government recognises Aurangabad as the “Tourism Capital of Maharashtra”. There are various Tourist attractions in Aurangabad. Other places visited by tourists are: