Maharashtra
/ˌmɑː.hɑːˈrɑːʃ.trə/noun
A state in western India; historically, a region and cultural-linguistic area associated with Marathi-speaking people.
Did you know?The name is traditionally analyzed as Sanskrit mahā- (“great”) + rāṣṭra (“kingdom, realm”), and its oldest attestations are tied to regional identity long before modern statehood.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit
Sanskrit
mahā-rāṣṭra
“great kingdom, great realm”
Early Medieval India
Prakrit/Regional Sanskrit
Maharatta / Maharastra
“regional name for the Marathi-speaking land”
Medieval Persian/Arabic sources
Persian
Maharashtra
“a transcribed regional name for the western Indian territory”
19th-20th Century
English
Maharashtra
“the historical region and later administrative state name in western India”
Modern English
English
Maharashtra
“a state of India and the name of its major Marathi cultural region”