Top Places to Visit in Maharashtra

These top Maharashtra tourist places offer a diverse mix of ancient cave temples, forts, mountains, wineries, and beaches.

India Excursion: Vacations can be pretty and relaxing, especially if you plan a trip to one of the best places in India, Maharashtra…a place where the coast is always sultry, the hills are always scenic and the cities always tourist friendly. However, in order to let you have the best vacation, we have shortlisted the top places to see in Maharashtra especially one week long trip.

1 .Alibag

• Alibag is known for its pristine beaches like the Varsoli Beach and Nagaon Beach. It is located 100 km away from Mumbai. This coastal hotspot is home to Kanakeshwar forest, and it allures many tourists and travellers for its sight of rare and exotic animals and trekking options. Kolaba fort, built in the 17th century, is another tourist attraction in Alibag.

2. Mahabaleshwar

• Known for its scenic charm and many vantage points, Mahabaleshwar is one of the best places to visit in Maharashtra in November. Located at an altitude of 1400 m, Mahabaleshwar has many viewpoints. However, Arthur’s Seat offers an alluring view of the Elphinstone Point, the Jor valley, and the Wilson point. Apart from the majestic landscapes, Mahabaleshwar also hosts many temples like Panchganga Temple and Old Mahabaleshwar Temple, to name a few.

3. Panchgani

• Located about 100 km from Pune, this stunning hill-station sits amidst five mountains of the Sahyadri Range. Extending from the Deccan plateau, Panchgani is the second highest volcanic plateau in Asia and is also locally known as “Table Land.” Panchgani offers a stunning view of the Parsi Point and Dhom Dam lake, from one of its famous spots, Sydney Point.

4. Tadoba National Park

• Tadoba is an area spanning 625 km, hosting a national park and a Wildlife sanctuary. The Tadoba was made a National Park in the year, 1995, as an initiative to preserve Tigers. Apart from tigers, Tadoba National Park is also home to many rare and exotic animals. You can also opt for a wild safari to spot the ever-glorious Bengal Tigers and migratory birds like the Serpent eagle and endangered reptiles like the Indian Star Tortoise.

5. Aurangabad

• With Ajanta and Ellora Caves on top of the must visit places in India, this fabulous Maharashtra destination of Aurangabad must be on your go-to list. While these above-mentioned caves give recognition to this place, Bibi Ka Maqbara, a replica of the Taj Mahal, gives a chance to the visitors to hum romantic songs as you explore. The picturesque landscape of Aurangabad possesses some amazing places to spend solitary time with nature, and of course, its religious sites and historical monuments that date back to 3rd century BC are worth paying a visit.

6. Matheran

• Entrenched in the Western Ghats range, Matheran is an environment-friendly place that does not allow any vehicle, and thus, walking or taking a pony ride are the options you can choose from. This popular getaway in Maharashtra is ideal to offer you respite from the hectic urban life. Enjoy basking in the warm sun, panoramic views of the rolling hills and pleasant weather that can compel you to extend your holiday. The major tourist attractions in Matheran that you can go for a sightseeing tour are Echo Point, Louisa Point, and Alexander Point as well as Charlotte Lake and Vikatgad Peb Fort.

7. Nashik

• A visit to some of the historical attractions and holy places like Trimbakeshwar and Muktidham Temples is the must thing to do here. Also, not to miss out is a visit to Pandavleni Caves which is adorned in vihara style of architecture. Nasik is also associated with the Hindu Mythology of Ramayana as it is believed the three saintly figures – Ram, Lakshman, and Sita dwelled in this land. Nonetheless, to offer a rather relaxing and new experience, 30 minutes away from the heart of the city is Sula Vineyards. Sample some wine brewed in the Sula winery and oh my! you will feel like being in heaven with Gods.

Bhima Koregaon Case: Police searches houses of activists for Maoist links

The raids were carried out as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune last year.

Latest News: Pune Police conducted searches at the residences of prominent activists across the country for their suspected Maoist links, a senior police officer said.

The raids were carried out as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune last year, he said.

Searches are being carried out at the homes of Left wing activist and poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonzalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, trade union activist Sudha Bhardwaj in Chhattisgarh and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha, who lives in Delhi, he said.

Bhima Koregaon Raids

Rao's name had cropped up in a letter seized by the police during searches at the premises of one of the five people arrested in June in connection with the Elgar Parishad event on December 31 last year to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle in 1818.

In June, five people were arrested for having close Maoist links after they allegedly made "provocative" speeches at the event, triggering violence at Koregaon Bhima village in the district, according to an FIR registered at the....continue reading

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News Source: BS

Maharashtra Bandh: Security beefed up, schools and colleges remain open

All departments and affiliated colleges of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad will remain closed today.

Maratha Quota Stir: Security has been beefed up in Maharashtra as Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella body of Maratha groups has called for a state-wide bandh on Thursday over reservation issue.

Addressing the media, a leader of the Sakal Maratha Samaj, Amol Jadhavrao said that the state-wide bandh would be observed in a peaceful manner from 8 am to 6 pm. However, the bandh will not be observed in the Navi Mumbai.

"We have called for a state-wide bandh on August 9. The bandh will not be observed in Navi Mumbai, due to some sensitive issue. Essential services, schools and colleges have been excluded from the bandh called by us," Jadhavrao said.

Maharashtra Bandh

He also urged the community members to not commit suicide over the issue and maintain their calm.

Meanwhile, police officials have also been deployed across the state to contain any unpleasant situation. "Adequate police deployment has been done to ensure peaceful bandh," Manjunath Shinghe, Mumbai Police PRO said.

All departments and affiliated colleges of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad will remain closed today in....continue reading

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News Source : BS

Maratha Quota Stir: Community leaders vow to hold strong protests on August 9

Maratha quota leaders said today that the community members will hold strident protests across Maharashtra on August 9 for the cause.

Maratha Quota Stir: Maratha quota leaders said today that the community members will hold strident protests across Maharashtra on August 9 for the cause. The leaders said they have decided to suspend all communications as part of the protest.

"The state government has not only failed to implement its promises made to the Maratha community before the 2014 assembly elections and in the last four years, but also delayed the procedure of withdrawing police complaints filed against the Maratha youth across the state," said Vinod Pokharkar, a leader of the Maratha Kranti Morcha.

He accused chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders of not keeping the quota promise. Pokharkar claimed that at least 2,000 youths from the community were arrested by the local police under serious charges in the state, following the agitations held last month.

Maratha Kranti Morcha

"With the August 9 protest imminent, the state government ensured that hearing on the cases against the Maratha youth would take place after August 9. This means that these youths will remain behind bars till Thursday," he alleged.

He claimed that not a single police station in districts has received the state government's letter asking them to withdraw charges of non-serious nature against the arrested youths.

Fadnavis had announced last month that the government would withdraw non-serious charges against the Maratha youths. Pokharkar alleged that Fadnavis seemed not keen to withdraw the...continue reading

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News Source : BS

Maratha Quota Stir: Internet blocked in Navi Mumbai after clashes, arson

Police on Wednesday evening lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in the Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles and clashed with local people.

Mumbai Bandh → Internet services in the neighboring Navi Mumbai township have been suspended since early Thursday.

The decision was taken in the wake of the situation in areas like Kopar Khairne, which witnessed violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Wednesday, he said.

The situation in Kopar Khairne was still tense, the official said.
Last evening, the police had lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles, clashed with local people and indulged in arson. Miscreants had also set fire to a police outpost.

Maratha Quota Stir

The incidents took place after the Maratha organisations, seeking reservations in government jobs and education, had called off the bandh.

A group of protesters who were returning home last night had hurled stones at vehicles of local people in Kopar Khairane, a police official earlier said.

Later, some members of local communities had gathered at the spot and clashed with protesters, he said.

The mob then hurled stones in which some offices and shops were damaged.

They also set fire to a police chowky (outpost) near D-Mart supermarket in sector 6.

Five to six cars and over a dozen two-wheelers parked in front of the chowky were also vandalised and torched.....continue reading

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News Source : BS

Maratha Quota Stir: Mumbai tense; buses attacked, slogans against CM Devendra Fadnavis

Agitators gathered at various locations in the Mumbai region and the neighbouring Raigad and Palghar districts

 

Mumbai Bandh : Protesters attacked public buses in Mumbai, and the neighboring Thane and Navi Mumbai as the bandh called by Maratha outfits over their demand for reservation began this morning. Two BEST buses were attacked by agitators in Kanjurmarg and Bhandup suburbs of Mumbai.

In view of the stone-pelting on buses, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) partially suspended its services in those areas and expects to resume it when the situation improves, an official of the transport body said.

Protesters also hurled stones at a public transport bus in Wagle Estate area of the neighboring Thane city. They blocked some areas there, including the key Teen Hath Naka junction, resulting in long queues of vehicles on the road leading to Mumbai. A bus was also attacked in Ghansoli area of Navi Mumbai following which the city transport authority suspended its services in the area, an official said.

Agitators gathered at various locations in the Mumbai region and the neighbouring Raigad and Palghar districts.

At some places, protesters raised slogans against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Public Works Department Minister Chandrakant Patil for allegedly insulting sentiments of the Maratha community.

The suburban railway services on the western, central, harbor and trans-harbor lines were not affected, officials said. Around 7 million people travel in local trains daily in the Mumbai region.
The Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation for reservation in jobs and education, has called for the shutdown in Mumbai and some neighboring districts today. Another outfit, the Sakal Maratha Samaj, called for the bandh in Navi Mumbai and Panvel areas.

A constable died and nine other policemen were injured amid suicide attempt by three agitators during the violence.

Agitators had clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places, while Internet services were suspended in rural areas of Aurangabad district to prevent any untoward incident. In Jalna, the police had fired in the air to quell protests.

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Farmers Strike : 10-day farmer’s strike from today to disrupt fruit, vegetables, milk supply

Another farmers body, ABKS a parent body of 10 associations in Maharashtra, says it will gherao offices of district collectors across the state in protest at non-implementation of the earlier announce.

 

Latest News : Supply of fruit, vegetables and milk is likely to get disrupted in some pockets of India, with a 10-day strike call from Friday, given by a Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (RKM), describing itself as an umbrella body of nearly 110 farmer associations.

However, among those saying they are not part of this stir are Confederation of Indian Farmers’ Association (CIFA) and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (led by Raju Shetty, MP). Hence, the impact is likely to be partial.

Another farmers body, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha, a parent body of 10 associations in Maharashtra, says it will gherao offices of district collectors across the state in protest at non-implementation of the earlier announcement of loan waivers, said its state secretary, Ajit Nawale.

“We are not supporting any organisation like RKM. We are ourselves representing to the government for the farmers’ cause,” said R V Giri, president of CIFA.

An RKM-like strike was convened in Maharashtra last year, when farmers dumped produce on the road to protest at prices below their cost of production. Thousands of litres of milk was also poured away in the stir.

Read More → Farmers Strike

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Also Read:  Farmers’ strike in MP to increase veggie prices; BJP dubs it Cong agitation

On the first anniversary of the death of seven farmers due to beating and firing by police in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh on June 6 last year, the farmers are going to launch “Gaon Bandh” (village blockade) agitation from Friday, said a farmer representative on Thursday.

During the period, no eatables would be supplied from villages to cities in the state. Although the state government has made arrangements to minimise the impact of agitation, cities are set to see shortage of items like vegetables and milk.

Chief of Aam Kisan Union, Kedar Sirohi told IANS that the agitation enjoys the support of more than 150 farmers organisation. Besides, all 50 Panchayats of the state have also announced to fight for the rights of farmers.

Read More → Farmers Strike in Madhya Pradesh

Stone pelting, traffic blocked: Dalit protesters bring Mumbai to a halt

Striking Indian low-caste workers bring chaos to Mumbai.

Many businesses in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai closed on Wednesday as protesters from a low-caste community blocked traffic and shopping malls and staged sit-ins on railway lines after clashes with right-wing Hindus.

The call for a general strike across the western state of Maharashtra led to largely peaceful protests, but life in many parts of Mumbai was disrupted with Dalits pelting buses with stones and deflating tyres in some areas. Railway lines and some major roads leading into the city were blocked.

The Dalits, who rank at the bottom in India’s ancient caste hierarchy, called the strike in protest against attacks from right-wing groups in the city of Pune on Monday. The strike shut businesses and schools in Mumbai and other cities across the state.
“The government didn’t arrest the perpetrators of violence in Pune. Hindu group members were beating Dalits and the police were just watching from afar,” said protester Sandeep Kamble.

“We are demanding the arrest of the culprits.” The protest came a day after thousands of Dalits hurled stones and caused traffic disruption across Mumbai. Dalits have been ostracized by upper-caste Hindus for centuries for jobs they deemed as impure, such as garbage pickers and tannery workers.

Those protests followed celebrations by Dalits in Pune, 150 km (95 miles) from Mumbai, on the 200th anniversary of a battle they won, fighting alongside British colonial forces, against an upper-caste ruler. Those celebrations were disrupted by right-wing Hindu groups and a 28-year-old man was killed in the clashes, according to the state government.

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Maharashtra caste clashes: Mumbai school buses to stay off roads today

The state government has said schools will remain open today.

School buses will stay off roads in Mumbai tomorrow in view of a Maharashtra bandh called by Dalit outfits to protest the violent clashes in Pune yesterday.

The School Bus Owners’ Association (SBOA) on Tuesday said it would not operate its fleet of 40,000 buses on Wednesday

Anil Garg, president of SBOA, told PTI, “For security reasons, we have decided not to ply our buses in the first shift today. If the situation remains peaceful, we will run the buses in the second shift.”

However, if a particular bus owner wanted to operate his services tomorrow, it would be his call, he added.

“Law-and-order is beyond our control. Therefore, we cannot take the risk,” Garg said.

The state government has said schools will remain open today.

Dalit organisations have called a Maharashtra bandh tomorrow to protest against the BJP-led state government’s “failure” to stop the violence in Pune.

Clashes between Dalit groups and supporters of right-wing Hindu organisations during the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune district had left a man dead on Monday.

The clashes broke out at Bhima-Koregaon when people were headed towards the war memorial in the village, about 30 km from Pune city, the police had said.

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Shops, hotels in Maharashtra can remain open 24X7; bars, discos can’t

The government notified the amended Act on Tuesday which covers hotels, malls and restaurants

 

Shops, hotels and malls can now remain open round-the-clock through the week in Maharashtra, according to a new law, which will not apply to bars, pubs, liquor shops and discotheques, the state’s Labour Minister Sambhaji Nilangekar-Patil said.

The government notified the amended Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Service Condition) Act, 2017, on Tuesday which covers hotels, malls and restaurants.

The bill was passed by the Maharashtra legislature during its last session.

The new law excludes bars, pubs, wine shops and discos which have to open and close at a particular time.

“The amendment now allows all shops to remain open in three shifts. It can remain open for 24 hours on all seven days. It is, however, mandatory to give one-day leave to their employees every week,” Nilangekar-Patil said.

The amended law says smaller establishments would not require licences to run their operations but will have to register online with the authority concerned.

It exempts small and medium-sized establishments, which have less than 10 workers, or employees working from home, or which are run as online businesses, from registering for a licence.

This relaxation is expected to benefit about 22 lakh establishments, the minister said.

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