DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

SYBA SEM III PAPER II

UNIT III

SOCIO-CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF MAHARASHTRA

A. Regional Diversity
I. Introduction:
1) Maharashtra is the second most populous state in India and the third largest state
in terms of area.
2) Geographically, historically, and according to political sentiments, Maharashtra
has five main regions. These regions are Vidarbha, Marathwada, Khandesh, Desh
and Konkan.
3) Each of the regions has its own unique identity.

II. Regions of Maharashtra:

1) Vidarbha:
a. Vidarbha region lies to the extreme eastern part of the state with Nagpur as its
central place.
b. The region is rich in minerals and Nagpur is now becoming as a major centre for
industries.
c. During the linguistic reorganisation of states in India, the Fazal Ali Commission
had recommended creating a separate state for Vidarbha region. However the
idea of statehood did not convert into a major movement.

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d. Recently the BJP has become strong in this region and the regional parties have
lost their grip. Hence the call for Vidarbha statehood is gaining strength.

2) Marathwada:
a. Marathwada is a dry barren region next to Vidarbha and lies at the centre of
Maharashtra. It is the most neglected and socio-economically backward region in
the state.
b. Marathwada has lagged behind economically from the rest of Maharashtra due to
lack of natural resources and water scarcity. Since it is a rain-shadow region,
Marathwada faces drought more number of times. Hence the farmers’ are unable
to get an adequate agricultural produce. They are unable to repay the loans. As a
result, there are many cases of farmers’ suicide from Marathwada.
c. Marathwada region has historical significance. Aurangabad which is the central
part of Marathwada has many world heritage monuments such as Ajanta, Ellora,
Daulatabad Fort and religious centres such as Grishneshwar Mandir, Shaktipeeth
temple, etc.

3) Khandesh:
a. Khandesh is also known as Nashik division or Northern Maharashtra. It is one of
the lesser known regions of the state.
b. Nurtured by the river Tapi, the Khandesh region is fertile to grow cotton, banana,
pulses, etc.
c. Jalgaon is the central part of Khandesh which has built a reputation as a major
agricultural trading centre.

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 4) Desh:
a. Desh is the abbreviation for “Maharashtra-desh”. It refers to the historical region
of the west-central Deccan Plateau.
b. Desh is considered the cultural heart of Maharashtra with Pune as its cultural
capital. Desh region was the birthplace of the Maratha Empire in the 17th
century.
c. It consists of a number of large cities like Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara which are
associated with Maratha history.
d. Today, Desh region is the most prosperous region due to its agricultural
production, large manufacturing base and a growing service industry.

5) Konkan:
a. Konkan is the coastal belt of Maharashtra. It is a narrow strip of land between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Mumbai is the central part of Konkan.
b. The Konkan Coast is known for its rich vegetation, exquisite beaches, delicious
food, palm and coconut trees.
c. Today, Mumbai dominates the Konkan region, but other districts such as Thane,
Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg of the Konkan region are slowly making their
presence felt due to industries and tourism.

III. Geography, Staple Food and Language:

1) Vidarbha:
Geography – Deccan Plateau with adequate rain
Staple food – Wheat
Language – Hindi, Marathi

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 2) Marathwada:
Geography – Arid Deccan Plateau
Staple food – Jowar
Language – Marathi
3) Khandesh:
Geography – Deccan Plateau with adequate rain
Staple food – Wheat
Language – Marathi
4) Desh:
Geography – Deccan Plateau with adequate rain
Staple food – Wheat
Language – Marathi
5) Konkan:
Geography – Coastal
Staple food – Rice
Language – Konkani, Marathi

B. Food Culture
I. Introduction:
1) Maharashtrian cuisine or Marathi cuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people
from the state of Maharashtra. It has special features but also shares many
aspects with other Indian cuisines.
2) Maharashtrian cuisine includes mild and spicy dishes. Wheat, rice, jowar, bajri,
vegetables, lentils and fruits are basic.

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 3) However there is a lot of diversity related to taste which extends to the family
level. This is because each family uses its own unique combination of spices.
4) The staple vegetarian diet in Maharashtra consists of a curry (either a Dal or any
gravy based vegetable curry) or Kadhi made from buttermilk, a dry sabji, wheat
chapati or bhakri made from Jowar or Bajri, plain steamed rice or Masale bhaat,
koshimbir (salad), pickles and papad.
5) The non-vegetarian diet consists of curries made of mutton, chicken or fish,
mutton or chicken dry preparations or fried fish, chapatti or bhakri made from
rice flour or vade made from spicy gram flour and steamed rice or biryani.
6) Some of the important features of the food culture of Maharashtra are related to
festivals and special dishes, Hindu fasting cuisine and street food culture.

II. Festivals and Special Dishes:

1) Makar Sankrant:
This festival falls on 14th January every year. Maharashtrians exchange til laadus
or sweets made of jaggery and sesame seeds. Tilpoli or gulpoli is also an
important sweet preparation. It is a wheat-based chapati filled with sesame seeds
and jaggery.
2) Mahashivratri:
Many Marathi people fast on this day. Fasting food includes sabudana khichdi,
sabudana vada, sabudana kheer, grated potato and sweet potato dish and special
chutney prepared with pulp of kavath fruit.
3) Holi:
On this day, a bonfire is lit to symbolize the end of winter. People make puran poli
as a ritual offering to the holy fire. The day after the bonfire night is called

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 Dhulivandan or the festival of colours. Marathi people celebrate with colors on
the fifth day after the bonfire on Rangapanchami.
4) Gudhi Padwa:
Gudhi Padwa is the first day of Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar and is
therefore celebrated by the Maharashtrians as the new year. An important
delicacy is shrikhand puri and jalebi.
5) Vat Pournima:
It is an important festival which signifies the devotion of a married woman
towards her husband. Women keep fast for the whole and eat fasting food. They
offer five types of fruits to the banyan tree which include mango, jackfruit,
banana, karvand and jambhul.
6) Narali Pournima:
It marks the start of the fishing season. Coconuts are offered to the sea as a ritual
to keep the fishermen safe. Narali bhaat or coconut rice made of grated fresh
coconut, jaggery mixed with rice is the important special dish.
7) Gokul Ashtami:
It signifies the birth of Lord Krishna and people fast on this day. The fast ends on
the next day. Special dishes like green peas khichdi, wheat sevai kheer, fresh
coconut sweet karanji, stuffed sweet bananas, bhajiya and green chickpea usal
are prepared.
8) Pola:
It is a bull-respecting festival celebrated by farmers. The main delicacies include
puran-poli, mixed vegetable dish made out of five vegetables and bajri khichdi.

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9) Ganesh Chaturthi:
It is one of the biggest festivals of Maharashtra. Ukdiche Modak is said to be the
favourite food of Lord Ganesh. It is made of rice flour and the stuffing is made up
of fresh coconut and jaggery. An offering of twenty-one pieces of this sweet
preparation is made on Ganesh Chaturthi along with other food preparations. This
festival ends with Anant Chaturdashi.
10) Navratri and Dassera:
Navratri is a nine-day festival which signifies fast kept for Goddess Durga. People
eat fasting food or only fruits throughout the day. The tenth day is celebrated as
Dassera. Sweets are included in the meal to mark the celebration.
11) Diwali:
Diwali is one of the most popular Hindu festivals. In Maharashtrian tradition,
family members have a ritual bath before dawn and then sit down for a breakfast
which is called as faral. It consists of ladu, anarse, shankarpali, karanji, chakli, shev
and chiwda.
12) Champa Shashthi:
Many Maharashtrian communities observe the Khandoba Festival or Champa
Shashthi in the month of Mārgashirsh. Families perform Ghatasthapana of
Khandoba during this festival. The sixth day of the festival is called Champa
Sashthi. For many people, the Chaturmas period ends on Champa Sashthi. It is
customary for many families not to consume onions, garlic and eggplant during
the Chaturmas. After the festival, the consumption of these foods resumes with
ritual preparation of vangyache bharit (baingan bharta) with rodga (thick wheat
roti).

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III. Hindu Fasting Cuisine:
1) Marathi Hindu people observe weekly, monthly or yearly fast on days such as
Ekadashi in honour of Lord Vishnu or his Avatars, Chaturthi in honour of Lord
Ganesh, Mondays in honour of Lord Shiva, Tuesdays in honour of Lord Ganesh,
Thursdays in honour of Saibaba or Lord Datta or Goddess Mahalaxmi and
Saturdays in honour of Lord Maruti or Lord Shani.
2) Only certain kinds of foods are allowed to be eaten which are termed as fasting
food. They include milk, curd, buttermilk, fruits, dryfruits, sabudana, potatoes,
sweet potatoes, peanuts and varyache tandul.
3) Several varieties of food items are prepared and consumed as fasting food.

IV. Breakfast Food:

1) Breakfast, which is the first meal of the day, consists of specific items in
Maharashtrian families.
2) The most common breakfast items include pohe, sheera, misal-pav, thalipeeth,
sabudana khichdi, fodni cha bhaat, fodni chi chapati, etc.

V. Street Food Culture:

1) Street food is the food sold by hawkers from portable stalls on the streets. It has
become an important part of the present life-style especially in cities.
2) An example can be taken of Mumbai where street food is an important feature of
the daily life.
3) Mumbai is known for its special street food. Some of the most popular food items
of the street food in Mumbai include vada-pav, pav-bhaji, bhelpuri, panipuri,
sevpuri, dabeli, bhaji-pav, misal-pav, ragda-pattice, sandwiches, idlis, dosas,

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 Chinese bhel, frankie, bhurji-pav, kebabs, kulfi, ice-golas, fruit juices, milkshakes,
etc.
4) There are some lanes which have a cluster of street food stalls offering a variety
of food items. These lanes are called as ‘Khau Galli’ in the local Marathi language.
5) There are some significant characteristics of the Mumbai street food. They are as
follows:
a. Street food is very reasonable in terms of cost. It is easily affordable. Hence street
food is a very popular option in comparison to the expensive food items available
in the restaurants.
b. People from all economic classes eat street food almost round the clock.
c. There is a general opinion that the taste of the street food is better than the
restaurant food.
d. Street food is generally sold near crowded places such as railway stations,
colleges, commercial office areas, etc.
e. Street food vendors are given the credit for developing a unique food culture in
Mumbai.
f. The variety that is found in the street food is due to the diversity and
cosmopolitan culture in Mumbai.
g. Mumbai’s street food has been included as a part of the menu of restaurants in
the city including five-star hotels. In fact, restaurants in various parts of the world
have included Mumbai’s street food into their menu cards.
6) To conclude, although street food is common all over India, the street food of
Mumbai has its own special place and flavour.

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 C. Tribes: Warli, Katkari
I. Introduction:
1) Next to Africa, India has the largest number of tribal population in the world.
Barring a few states, almost all states of India have tribal population.
2) Tribes or tribal population have been a significant part of Maharashtra’s socio-
cultural landscape. As per the 2011 census, the proportion of the tribal population
is 9.4% of the total population. Maharashtra ranks third in tribal population in the
country.
3) There are several tribes which are an integral part of Maharashtra. Two of the
significant tribes are Warli and Katkari.

II. Warli:
1) Territory:
The Warlis are mainly found in Thane, Nashik and Dhule districts in Maharashtra,
Valsad district in Gujarat and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and
Daman and Diu.
2) Occupation:
The main occupation is agriculture and allied activities. Warlis are cultivators and
gatherers, growing a single crop for subsistence or gathering forest produce.
3) Food Habits:
The Warlis are non-vegetarians. They are meat eaters but their favourite food is
fish. The staple food of Warlis is ragi and rice along with pulses or vegetables
mixed with dry fish.

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4) Religion:
The Warlis have a deep respect for their spirits and deities. Warli religion is based
on awe and fear. They worship gods chiefly to avoid their anger. They are well
known to have a faith in Tiger God (Vaghai). Warlis consider the tiger as a symbol
of life and regeneration. They do not have well built temples, but have carved
wooden statues of tigers for worship.
5) Art:
The most central form of art is the Warli paintings. Their basic paintings use a
circle, a triangle and a square. The Warli paintings generally have scenes showing
hunting, fishing and farming, festivals and dances, trees and animals. The Warlis
use only white colour for their paintings. Their white pigment is a mixture of rice
paste and water with gum as a binding. They use a bamboo stick chewed at the
end as a paintbrush. Dance is also a significant form of art among the Warlis.
Dance forms like Tarpa, Dhol dance, Gauri dance are important.
6) Festivals:
Warlis celebrate the festival of lights Diwali with a lot of enthusiasm and call it
Barash. Other important festivals include Bhawada festival and Kali Puja.
7) Customs:
Marriage is the most important ceremony. Age of marriage for girls is 15-17 years
and for boys is 17-19 years. The marriage ceremony takes place for 4-5 days.
Warli paintings are made during the marriage and are called ‘Lagnacha Chauk’
meaning marriage paintings. The paintings are sacred and without them marriage
cannot take place. The Warlis have also adopted many Hindu customs.

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 8) Costumes:
Women wear one yard knee length saree which is similar to the Maharashtrian
style of draping a saree. Men wear loin cloth, a waist coat and a turban.
9) Language:
The Warlis speak an unwritten Warli language. Marathi, Gujarati, Sanskrit and an
Indo-Aryan dialect (mix of Khandeshi Bhilli and Marathi) are the languages widely
used for communication.

III. Katkari:
1) Territory:
The Katkaris were earlier located in small communities in the hilly areas and
forests of Raigad, Thane, Nashik, Pune and Dhule districts. Since 1950s, Katkari
families began to migrate permanently from the hilly areas and forests to the
outskirts of agricultural villages. Many very small Katkari settlements are now
spread in Khalapur, Sudhagad, Karjat, Pen and Panvel talukas in Raigad district
and various talukas in Thane district, right up to the outskirts of Mumbai.
2) Occupation:
The Katkaris were mainly engaged in a wide range of livelihoods such as
production and sale of catechu, charcoal, firewood and other forest products,
freshwater fishing and hunting of small mammals and birds. Presently most
Katkaris are landless workers with only irregular connections to their original
nomadic, forest-based livelihoods. Many Katkaris have become bonded labourers
working on the brick kilns and charcoal units close to Greater Mumbai.

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3) Food Habits:
The food habits of the Katkaris are a reason for their social exclusion. The Katkaris
are one of the few tribal groups in India that eat rodents, including the Little
Indian Field Mouse, the Black Rat and the Greater or Indian Bandicoot. They
believe that their strength and long life comes from eating the meat of rodents.
4) Religion:
Katkaris are devotees of forest God and tribal Gods. They worship Gaondev or
minor Gods like Mhasa, Vetal, etc. They also follow the Hindu religion.
5) Art:
Music and dance are important forms of art among the katkaris. Kara, Peran and
Dhol dance are the traditional dances. Dancing is also considered as a main
recreational activity. Katkaris have an excellent knowledge about the medicinal
use of plants. Traditional association with deep forests helps in conservation of
the medicinal plants.
6) Festivals:
One of the main festivals of Katkaris is ‘Undir Navmi’ which is dedicated to the
rodents. Other important festivals include Holi, Pola, and Diwali.
7) Customs:
Katkaris follow monogamy, have adult marriages and allow widow marriages.
They have a traditional Panchayat which looks into cases of adultery, divorce and
breach of marriage rules. It is said that the Katkaris make use of sorcery.
8) Costumes:
Women wear knee length saree which is similar to the Maharashtrian style of
draping a saree. Men wear loin cloth.

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9) Language:
Katkaris are bilingual. They speak the Katkari language, a dialect of the Marathi-
Konkani languages with each other and they speak Marathi with the majority
Marathi population.

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