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Regions with significant populations | |
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Primary populations in:
Significant populations in: Other: | |
Languages | |
Marathi | |
Religion | |
Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Indo-Iranians, Indo-Aryans |
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians (Marathi: मराठी माणसं or महाराष्ट्रीयन)are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages. They have an extraordinary military history going back to the time of the Maratha warriors and have founded several Maratha empires in the subcontinent before the arrival of the British. They are mostly descended from the ancient Aryans though there may be some of Caucasian, Dravidian, Hunnic and Indo-Scythian descent.
Etymology
The Marathi people are also known as Maharashtrians. In the Marathi language, they refer to themselves as marathi manoos. They are called Marathi people because of the language they speak, Marathi. Several theories have been proposed by various scholars for the etymology of the words "Marāthi" and "Maharashtra". One theory holds that a reference to a clan known as "Rāshtrika" in some of Ashoka's inscriptions alludes to a people of the Deccan, who were progenitors of the Marathi-speaking people; that the later "Mahārāshtri Prakrit" is associated with these people; and that Marāthi is a derivation of the word Mahārāshtri. It must be noted that Mahārāshtri Prakrit was the official language of the Satavahana Empire as well. This theory, however, does not address the deeper root of the word Rāshtrika and its use in reference exclusively to a specific people in south-central India. The Sanskrit word "Rāshtra" is presently translated to "nation" (Rāshtrika meaning "national") but in millennia past, the word could apparently be applied to any sizable administrative division.
Other theories link the words Marāthi and Rāshtri with Ratta, supposedly a corruption of Rāshtrakuta, the name of a dynasty that held sway over the Deccan from the 8th-10th centuries CE. However, the Ashokan inscriptions predate the Rashtrakutas by more than a millennium, and these theories cannot be reconciled.
Religion
Most Marathi people are Hindus, although there are sizeable minorities of Muslims and Neo-Buddhists. There is a small minority of Christians as well. There is a small but vibrant community of Marathi Jews, popularly known as Bene Israelis. Though most of them have migrated to Israel, there are 3,000 Bene Israelis still in Maharashtra. Most of them stay around the Mumbai and Pune region. These Bene Israelis make up more than half of the total poulation of Jews in India.
Marathi people Outside India
Many Marathi people have migrated to other countries and settled there. Significant number of Marathis have settled in United Kingdom, United States Of America, Mauritius, Israel and Switzerland.
Trivia
- Maharashtrians have been very lucky with Oscar awards. The first Indian film to be sent to Oscars was Shyamchi Aai. The movie also won the first National Award. The first Indian Academy award winner was Bhanu Athaiya for the film Gandhi . Maharashtrian directors Ashutosh Gowarikar(Lagaan), Sandeep Swanat (Shwaas)and Amol Palekar (Paheli) have had their movies as the India's official entries for Oscars.
- The first medallist for India in an individual sport in Olympics was a Maharashtrian - Kashaba Jadhav in wrestling in 1952. Incidentally, he remained the sole medallist for India in Olympics in individual sport for 44 years until tennis ace Leander Paes won a bronze medal in 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
- Great cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajit Agarkar, Dilip Vengsarkar are Maharashtrians. Current Indian captain Rahul Dravid is half-Maharashtrian.
- Dadasaheb Phalke was the pioneer of Indian film industry. He laid the foundation of film business in Mumbai, which later emerged as Bollywood.
- Maharashtrian leaders played an important part in Indian Independence struggle. Lokmanya Tilak, Swatantryaveer Savarkar, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gopal Krishna Gokhale were prominent in the struggle.
- Marathi theatre is one of the most prominent in India. Playwrights like Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Elkuchwar are famous while plays like Ghashikarm Kotwal, Natsamrat, Vastraharan, Sahi re sahi, All the best are considered milestones in Indian theatre.
Notable Maharashtrians
Historical
- Rulers
- Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj - A great revolutionary leader and the founder of the Maratha Empire
- Chattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj - Son of Shivaji; Dharmaveer.
- Peshwa Bajirao - Prime minister of the Maratha Empire
- Serfoji II - Maratha King of Thanjavur
- Gautamiputra Satkarni - The greatest of the Satavahana emperors
- Generals
- Tanaji Malusare
- Baji Prabhu Deshpande
- Murarbaji
- Netaji Palkar
- Haider Ali Kohari
- Kanhoji Jedhe
- Firangoji Narsala
- Prataprao Gujar
Politics
- C D Deshmukh - First Finance Minister of India, regarded by many as the finest.
- Balasaheb Thackeray - "Hindu Hriday Samrat" ; Founder of Shiv Sena
- Sharad Pawar - Founder of NCP
- Vasantdada Patil - Former CM, Maharashtra
- Vilasrao Deshmukh - Current CM, Maharashtra
- Abdul Rehman Antulay - Former CM, Maharashtra
- Shivraj Patil - Home Minister of the Republic of India
- Sushil Kumar Shinde - Former CM, Maharashtra
- Raj Thackeray - Youth Leader ; Founder of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
- Pramod Mahajan - Senior leader,Bharatiya Janata Party
- Dr. K. B. Hedgewar - Founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
- Babasaheb Ambedkar - Drafter of Indian Consitution
- Lokmanya Tilak - National leader of pre-Grandhi era
- Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar - RSS leader
Activists
- Anna Hazare - Gandhian activist; Anti-corruption crusader
- Medha Patkar - NBA activist
- Vijay More - Belgaon's Marathi mayor who braved Kannada vandals
Religion
- Swami Samarth of Akkalkot
- Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi
- Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon
- Saraswati Gangadhar - Author of Shri GuruCharitra
- Sant Tukaram - Great 17th Century saint
- Sant Dnyaneshwar - Great saint from Alandi
- Sant Namdev - Great saint
- Sant Eknath - Great saint
- Samarth Ramdas Swami - Guru of Shivaji
Academics
Sciences
- Jayant Narlikar - Celebrated Astro-physicist
- Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar - Director, CSIR
Cinema
- Dadasaheb Phalke - Directed the first Indian feature film
- V Shantaram - Director Extra-ordinaire
- Madhuri Dixit - Actress who ruled Indian cinema in the 90s
- Urmila Matondkar - Popular Bollywood actress
- Dr. Jabbar Patel - Acclaimed director of films like Saamna, Sinhasan and Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar.
- Ashutosh Gowarikar - Director of one of only two Indian films nominated for Oscars
- Amol Palekar - 70s Bollywood superstar and then critically acclaimed director
- Nana Patekar - Bollywood superstar
- Tanuja - Former Bollywood actress
- Nutan - Former Bollywood actress
- Kajol - Hugely popular Bollywood actess; daughter of Tanuja
- Sulochana - Popular Character actress
- Sachin Khedekar - Bollywood lead actor of movies like Subhas Chandra Bose and Astitva
- Bhalji Pendharkar
- Ashok Saraf
- Laxmikant Berde
- Dada Kondke
- Sonali Bendre
- Sonali Kulkarni
- Sadaf Mohammed Syed a.k.a. Sadha - Popular Tollywood actress
Literature
- P.L. Deshpande - Famous Marathi writer
- V.S. Khandekar - Jnanapeeth awardee
- V.V. Shirwadkar - Jnanapeeth awardee
- V.D. Karandikar - Jnanapeeth awardee
- Shivaji Sawant
- Vijay Tendulkar
- Mahesh Elkunchwar
- Shahir Shaikh
- Shahir Sable
- Na Dho Mahanor
- Gangadhar Gadgil
- Hamid Dalwai
Music
- Lata Mangeshkar - Nightingale of India
- Asha Bhosle - Sister of the Nightingale ; Great in her own right
- Laxmikant Kudalkar - of the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal
- Jatin Lalit - Superhit music composers of films like Khiladi
- Sudhir Phadke
- Ashok Patki
- Suresh Wadkar
- Devaki Pandit
- Sadhana Sargam
- Anuradha Paudwal
- Ajit Kadkade
- Abhijeet Sawant - The first Indian Idol
- Rahul Vaidya - Indian Idol runner-up
- Kishori Amonkar - Classical singer
- Arun Date
- Ramlaxman
Sports
- Kashaba Jadhav - First Indian Olympic medalist
- Vijay Manjrekar - Indian cricket batsman
- Sanjay Manjrekar - Indian cricket batsman
- Vijay Hazare - Cricketing batsman
- Sunil Gavaskar - Cricketing batsmen, former Indian captain who was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket
- Sachin Tendulkar - cricketing batsman, former Indian captain, scorer of most Test and ODI centuries, most ODI runs in history
- Ajit Wadekar - cricketing batsman, former Indian captain
- Zaheer Khan - Cricketer, fast bowler
- Anjali Bhagwat - Former World No.1 Sharp-shooter
- Tushar Khandekar - Hockey Forward, often referred to as "The Goal Poacher"
Business
- Gururaj Deshpande
- Shantanurao Kirloskar
- Vijay Shirke
- Abasaheb Garware
- Vikram Chowgule
Beauruacracy
- Madhavrao Godbole - Beaureaucrat who resigned during Babri demolition citing incompetence of Government
See Also
References
- List of people known as The Great
- Madhuri Dixit at AllExperts.com
- "The Sportsweek" issue dated 14.03.2006 Issue no.13B Vol.12
Sources
- "Aapalaa Maharashtra Parampara va Pragati"(1985)-A Government of Maharashtra Publication.
- Vedh Marathi Manacha - Popular Marathi book
- Maayboli.com
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