ABSTRACT
MAHARASHTRA, literally the great country, lies in central and western India. It is inhabited by a people who speak the Marathi language, and who possess a distinct historical and cultural tradition, which sets them apart from the rest of the subcontinent of India. Maharashtra covers an area which is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, the rivers Narbada and Tapti on the north, and the Malaprabha on the south, while its eastern boundary is defined by geographical characteristics which demarcate the western limits of the Telugu region. Apart from the narrow Concan coast, which lies between the Arabian Sea and the Ghats, Maharashtra comprises a plateau which slopes gradually to the east, but descends precipitously to the west towards the coastal plain and the Arabian Sea. From the Ghats, which stretch roughly north to south, long tongues of higher ground run east and divide the plateau into compartments like the plains of Berar and Nagpur, the basin of the upper Godavri, and of the Bhima between Poona and Sholapur.
