People of Maharashtra State

Maharashtrians are racially and ethnically heterogeneous. On the perches of the Western Ghats and the Satpura Range live the Bhil, Warli, Gond, Korku, and Gowari, who exhibit affinities with the Australian geographic race. Almost ubiquitous are Kunbi Marathas, supposedly descendants of waves of settlers who came from the north about the beginning of the 1st century AD. Through an agelong mixture of aboriginals and immigrants, many castes have developed, most of them in the east. The Parsis form another group, having fled from Iran, some time after the 7th century, to safeguard their religion.

Marathi, the official state language, is spoken by more than 90 percent of the people. Despite various regional spoken forms, its written style is uniform. Other important languages are Gujarati, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Sindhi, Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam, and English. Sindhi has spread in urban centres as a result of an influx of refugees after the 1947 partition. English is still used in universities, in administration (along with Marathi), and in metropolitan areas. The Muslim population in general speaks Urdu, though often not exclusively. There are also many local languages, such as Konkani on the west coast and Gondi, Varhadi, and Mundari in the eastern and northern forests.

Maharashtra's religious diversity reflects that of India as a whole. Hindus predominate, followed by Muslims and Buddhists. There are many Christians in the metropolitan cities. Parsis (a religious minority adhering to Zoroastrianism) live mainly in Bombay and its environs; a few are found in other cities. Other religious minorities include Jainas and Sikhs, whose small communities are widespread.

About three-fifths of the population are rural, living in numerous villages. Greater Bombay's immense population reflects its industrial growth and commercial success. As India's best-equipped port, the city handles an enormous foreign trade. It is a centre of manufacturing, business, finance, and administration.

Nagpur, Pune, and Sholapur are other major cities. Its historical and cultural importance apart, Pune has developed many industries because of its proximity to Bombay. Nagpur was once the capital of the Bhonsle kingdom and then of Madhya Pradesh (until that state's boundaries were redrawn in 1956). The city still enjoys status as Maharashtra's second capital. Nagpur and Sholapur have textile and other agriculturally based, market-oriented industries. Pune and Nagpur are additionally important as educational centres. Of particular historical interest is the Mughal city of Aurangabad, which contains several monuments and other historic buildings and which is in close proximity to the famous caves of Ajanta and Ellora.

DISTRICTWISE POPULATION BY SEX RATIO IN 2001

Code No.	State	Population 2001
		Persons	Males		Females
27	Maharashtra	96752247	50334270	52%	46417977	48%
1	Nandurbar	1309135	662764	51%	646371	49%
2	Dhule	1708993	878538	51%	830455	49%
3	Jalgaon	3679936	1904437	52%	1775499	48%
4	Buldana	2226328	1144314	51%	1082014	49%
5	Akola	1629305	840883	51%	788422	48%
6	Washim	1019725	525806	52%	493919	48%
7	Amravati	2606063	1343572	52%	1262491	48%
8	Wardha	1230640	635751	52%	594889	48%
9	Nagpur	4051444	2095489	52%	1955955	48%
10	Bhandara	1135835	573184	50.4%	562651	49.60%
11	Gondiya	1200151	598447	49.9%	601704	50.1%
12	Gadchiroli	969960	490809	51%	479151	49%
13	Chandrapur	2077909	1059875	51%	1018034	49%
14	Yavatmal	2460482	1267117	51.5%	1193365	48.5%
15	Nanded	2868158	1476301	51%	1391857	49%
16	Hingoli	986717	505188	51%	481529	49%
17	Parbhani	1491109	761937	51%	729172	49%
18	Jalna	1612357	825977	51%	786380	49%
19	Aurangabad	2920548	1521632	52%	1398916	48%
20	Nashik	4987923	2591980	52%	2395943	48%
21	Thane	8128833	4377806	54%	3751027	46%
22	Mumbai (Suburban)	8587561	4702761	55%	3884800	45%
23	Mumbai	3326837	1875141	56%	1451696	44%
24	Raigarh	2205972	1116821	51%	1089151	49%
25	Pune	7224224	3768001	52%	3456223	48%
26	Ahmadnagar	4088077	2106501	52%	1981576	48%
27	Bid	2159841	1120664	52%	1039177	48%
28	Latur	2078237	1074321	52%	1003916	48%
29	Osmanabad	1472256	762947	52%	709309	48%
30	Solapur	3855383	1990661	52%	1864722	48%
31	Satara	2796906	1402301	50.1%	1394605	49.9%
32	Ratnagiri	1696482	794431	47%	902051	53%
33	Sindhudurg	861672	414900	48%	446772	52%
35	Kolhapur	3515413	1803746	51%	1711667	49%
35	Sangli	2581835	1319267	51%	1262568	49%