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Amity International School,Sector-46,Gurgaon

Heritage- G.K.

Class-VI-VIII

Maharashtra-Social Life

Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India.It is the wealthiest state in India contributing 15%

of the countrys industrial output and 13.3% if its GDP. Mumbai is the capital city of the state. It is the

largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Nagpur is the second (winter) capital of the state and

is very famous for its oranges

Dances of Maharashtra

Lavani- The word Lavani derived from Lavanya,meaning

beauty. This form is a combination of dance and music, which is

dealt with different and varied topics such as society, religion,

politics, romance, etc. Lavani dance is a combination of

traditional song and dance, which is particulary performed to the

enchanting beats of 'Dholak', a drum like instrument. This dance

is performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. The

women gyrate on the pulsating beats of traditional music.

Koli Dance: Koli dance is among the most popular dances of Maharashtra.. As the name suggests, it is

related to the fisher folk of Maharashtra, who are called kolis in Marathi. Their dances represent their

occupation related to fishing.

Povadas Dance : Povadas are the Marathi ballads that describe the events in the life of the great

Maharashtrian king, Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji

holds a highly revered position among the Marathas. They

remember their great hero through these Povadas

Tamasha: Tamasha is one of the most popular forms of folk

theater in Maharashtra. The word tamasha is derived from

Persian language which means entertainment or fun. It is

associated with Mahar and Kothari communities. The maininstruments are dholki, lejim, tuntuni, manjeera and harmonium.

This dance form was developed in the 16thcentury.

Handicrafts of Maharashtra

Bidri works

The Bidri ware is an ancient craft of Aurangabad. It is one of the popular handicrafts ofMaharashtra. It features the use of copper and zinc as a raw material. It applies the complex

workmanship of pure silver, which is embossed, inlaid or overlaid on the metal surface. In the old

days, the Bidri ware items were sold as hookahs or paan daans. But now-a-days, they are popular

as mementos, adorning fashionable households as decorative items.Mashru and Himru

Aurangabad is popular for Mashru and Himru fabrics. They are made up of cotton and silk with a

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shine like a satin. Himru shawls are comparatively less expensive and made by using both cotton

and silk threads.Sawantwadi Crafts

Sawantwadi is the famous destination for handicrafts in Maharashtra. It is popular for the handicraft of

lacquer ware; an art form which was introduced here at the end of the 17th century. The lacquer ware is

divided into three categories such as turned lacquer ware, painting of the floral borders and motifs, and the

painting of mythological figures on different surfaces.

The turned lacquer ware is the craft of applying the coloured lacquer on the object that is turning on thelathe. Then, it is polished and buffed by means of kewdaleaf.

Worli paintings

The Warlis or Varlis are anindigenoustribe orAdivasis,living in

Mountainous as well as coastal areas ofMaharashtra-Gujaratborder

.They have their ownanimisticbeliefs,life,customs and traditions.

They have also adopted manyHindu beliefs over a period of time.

Their wall paintings use a very basic graphic vocabulary: a circle, a

triangle and a square.Their paintings were monosyllbic. The circle

and triangle come from their observation of nature, the circle

represents the sun,moon, the triangle the mountain and trees.

Cuisine of Maharashtra:

Pohay (Pohe):

Pohe is a snack made from flattened rice. It is most likely served with tea or

as a breakfast dish and is probably the most likely dish that a Maharashtrian

will offer his guest any time of the day. It has a no. of variations the most

common being Kanda Pohe (meaning pohe prepared with onion). Other

variants on the recipe are batata pohe (where diced potatoes are used insteadof onion shreds), dadpe pohe, a mixture of raw Pohe with shredded fresh

coconut, green chillies, ginger and lemon juice.The dish is garnished with

different things like fresh coriander, grated coconut, crushed peanuts or

Sev(fried potato shavings).

Vada Pav-

Vada-Pav is a fast-food snackThe Indian Burger! It consists of a spicy, deep fried potato based patty

(called the Wada) sandwiched between a thick square of bread that is similar to a burger bun (called the

Pav). This dish is usually served with sweet & soursauces called chutney and fried salted green chilies.

.Bharli Vangi (Stuffed Eggplant):

A very traditional Marathi Vegetable dish is Bharli Vangi or Stuffed Eggplant. Almost every cuisine has

traditional recipes for stuffed vegetables, and eggplant especially lends

itself well to being stuffed in a variety of ways. This recipe is uses of

peanuts and coconuts as the stuffing along with a variety of spices.

Misal Pav:

Quintessentially from Pune. To prepare Misal first Usal which is a water

based curried preparation of cooked sprouted lentils is first prepared and

then topped with batata-bhaji, pohay, Chivda, farsaan, raw chopped

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_people

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onions and tomato. It is some times eaten with yogurt to cut the spice and is always served with dinner roll

type bread called pav and lemon wedges.

Shrikhand:

It is an Indian sweet dish made of strained yogurt and one of the main desserts in Maharashtrian cuisine as

well as Gujarati cuisine. The yogurt is tied and hung until all the

water has drained off. Dried and fresh fruit such as mango are also

added to flavor it and other ingredients like sugar, cardamom

powder, and saffron are added. It is often eaten along with meals

with Puris (deep fried Indian breads).

Festivals of Maharashtra:

Ganesh Chaturthi: Lord Ganesh is the most respected God in

Maharashtra. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated for 10days and falls

on the 4th day of the bright fortnight ofBhadrapada (August -September).

Banganga Festival: It is held every year in the city of Mumbai is a musical tribute toLord Ram. The aim

behind the celebration of this musical carnival is to protect the existing rich heritage.

Ellora festival: It is the festival of classical dance and music organised under the backdrop of the Ellora

caves. This festival, which is organised by Maharashtra Tourism

Development Corporation (MTDC).

Narali Poornima: It marks the end of monsoon season inMaharashtra. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the month

of Shravan. People offer coconuts to the sea. The festival also

marks the beginning of the new fishing season.

Nag Panchmi:Cobra has a specific significance in Hindu

mythology. It is celebrated to worship snakes. It is a festival in the

honour of the Snake God. People go the temples and offer milk to snake

god.

Costumes of Maharashtra:

The men uphold Dhoti as their cultural heritage. It is worn with kurta,

they also wear a bandi over the shirt and turban called pheta and

pagadi

The traditional costume of maharashtrian women is a nine yard long

sari Nauvari.The fabric is usually cotton and for special occasions they

use silks. The sari has a historical background. During the Maratha rulewomen were entrusted with the responsibility of helping their male partners at emergency period of

wars. To facilitate easy movements the women introduced Nauvari sari.

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Indigenous People or Tribes-

Warli Tribe

The Warlis or VarlisareAdivasis,living in Mountainous as well as coastal areas ofMaharashtra-

Gujarat border and surrounding areas. They have their own beliefs, life, customs and traditions.

They have adopted many Hindu beliefs. The Warlis speak an unwritten Varli language which

belongs to the southern zone of theIndo-Aryan languages.They eat spicy food. Warlis also speakMarathi and Gujarati, and use them from written communication. The Warli people are famous for

their beautiful and unique style of painting which reflects the close association between human

communities and nature.

Bhil Tribe

Bhilsare primarily anAdivasipeople of Central India. Bhils are listed as Adivasi residents of the

states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan - Bhils now speak the

language of the region they reside in, such as Marathi and Gujarati. They mostly speak a dialect of

Hindi. TheGhoomardance is one well-known aspect of Bhil culture.

Koli

The Koli people are historically an ethnic group native to Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat,

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana states. As of 2001, the government of India has classified

the Koli community as scheduled caste.

Halba

Halba is a tribal community of India. It is mostly found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,

Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The language of Halba tribe is "Halbi", which is combination of

Hindi, Chattisghari, Oriya and Marathi. They are still untouchables and backward in education, jobs,

politics. Main festivals of Halba Tribe areTij, Hareli (Hariyali), Sirata.

WORKSHEET- Social Life Maharashtra

1. Name the following:

a) The dance which describes the events in the life of Chatrapati Shivaji.

b) The traditional saree which is worn by the women of Maharashtra.

c) Festival that marks the beginning of fishing season.

d) A traditional stuffed vegetable dish of the Maharashtrians.

e) The festival that is a musical tribute to Lord Ram

f) The kind of pohe that is a mixture of raw pohe, coconut, geenchillies, ginger and lemon juice

g) The festival that falls on the 4th day of bhadrapada.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoomarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoomarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoomarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoomarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasi

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2. Fill in the blanks with the correct answers:

a)Main instruments that are used in Tamasha dance form are ______________ and _______________.

b) The word Lavani is derived from _____________ which means beauty.

c)____________ handicraft work of Maharashtra uses copper and zinc as the raw materials.

d) )Aurangabad is famous for ___________ and _____________ fabrics.

e) ________________leaf is used for polishing the lacquer work.

f) The worli tribes have their own ______________ beliefs which is the basis for their paintings.

3. Identify the following pictures and write the names:

a) b)

c)

d)

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ANSWER KEY - SOCIAL LIFE OF MAHARASHTRA

Q1.Name the following :

a) Povadas

b) Nauvari saree

c) Narali poornima

d) Bharli Vaangi

e) Banganga festival

f) Dadpe pohe

g) Ganesh Chaturthi

Q2 Fill in the blanks :

a)Lezim, manjeera, dholki,tuntuni(anytwo)

b)Lavanya

c) Bidri handicraft

d) Mashru and Himru

e)Kewda leaf

f) animistic

Q3.Identify the pictures:

a) Naag panchami b) missal paav c) Tamasha dance d) worli paintings.