Exploring Maharashtra - Best Tourist Attractions in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is one of the biggest states in India and one of the most beautiful even. The variety that this huge state has to offer ranges from exotic beaches towards the west, wide and green mountain ranges to dark and dense forests spread across the whole state. Maharashtra may not be a fully developed tourist region, but has all the unique features essential for a tourist region to attract the tourists and grow enormously in this industry. There are a lot of amazing tourist destinations in Maharashtra and each one has something or the other unique in itself. Some of the best tourist spots in Maharashtra are mentioned below. Take a look...

Ajanta and Ellora

Well, this place certainly bags the first place in my list of best tourist spots in Maharashtra. Almost ninety percent of the international tourists coming to Maharashtra, visit this place or else their tour to Maharashtra remains incomplete. The Ajanta and Ellora caves are situated in the district of Aurangabad. Ajanta is about a 100 kilometers from Aurangabad city, while Ellora is situated at a distance of 30 kilometers. Ajanta caves are an excellent masterpiece of rock cut cave monuments and exist since the second century. I know 'excellent' is an underused word, as once you go and visit the place you remain speechless. Similarly Ellora is another great place and one of the very few World Heritage Sites in India.

Forts

Forts hold an important place in the history of Maharashtra as well as its tourism. Forts remind the tourists of the numerous sacrifices that people of 17th century did to free the country and establish self rule. Many of these forts belong to the great Shivaji. The best time to visit these forts is the monsoon, when greenery spread all around the region leaves speechless. Forts worth visiting and open for tourism are Raigad, Sinhagad, Lohgad, Shivneri, Purandar, Pratapgarh, Harishchandragarh, Ratangarh and many more. But see that you gather all the necessary information such as accommodation, food and the modes of transport to reach any of these places.

Beaches

How can I forget beaches, when I am writing on the best tourist attractions in Maharashtra? Beaches in Maharashtra are situated in the west direction. Each and every of the exotic beaches in Maharashtra have something or the other entirely unique. Be it food, weather or other tourism facilities. Some of the best beaches in Maharashtra are Malvan, Vengurla, Ganpatipule, Alibaug, Kashid, Diveagar, Guhagar and Dapoli. Apart from this, there are many other small and not so famous beaches which are equally beautiful and breathtaking.

National Parks

Besides beaches and forts, Maharashtra is rich in national parks even. There are many national parks in this state that are open for tourism. Some of the important national parks in Maharashtra are Tadoba, Gugumal National Park, Pench and the Nawegaon National Park. Visit these national parks and you could find many animals that are otherwise on the verge of extinction. Remember to check the rules and regulations governing these national parks set up by the Forest and Tourism Ministry of India.

Pilgrim Places

Maharashtra has ample of tourist spots in its treasure when it comes to places of religious significance. Situated widely across the state, pilgrim tourist places constitute a major chunk of the revenue generated out of tourism in Maharashtra. Places such as Shirdi, Ashtavinayak which is a group of eight places of Lord Ganesha, Trimbakeshwar, Parali Vajinath, Aundha Nagnath, Bhimashankar and Ghrishneshwar are 5 of the 12 jyotirlingas in India. Moreover, Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur, Renuka temple in Mahur, Vitthal temple in Pandharpur are other places that can be enlisted as important religious places in Maharashtra. Kumbh Mela is another world famous festival held after every 12 years which receives millions of tourists.

Hill Stations

Maharashtra also has a lot to offer in hill stations. Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Khandala, Panhala, Mhaismal are some of the hill stations that fascinate a number of domestic tourists and are visited on a large scale for recreation as well as trekking. The best time to visit these places is between March to June, when there is summer season in Maharashtra. But, you can even consider visiting these places, if you are healthy enough to face the heavy rains at these places.

So folks, these were few of the many few tourist places in Maharashtra. Hopefully your interest to visit Maharashtra will increase after reading this article and you will be very eager for India travel and especially Maharashtra in large numbers to enjoy the beauty of this state.