Marathi (
मराठी Marāṭhī) is an
Indo-Aryan language spoken by the
Marathi people of western and central
India. It is the
official language of the state of
Maharashtra. There are ninety million fluent speakers worldwide.
[2] Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India
[5] and is the fifteenth most spoken language in the world.
[6] Marathi has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indo-Aryan languages, dating from about 1000 AD.
[7] The major dialects of Marathi are called the Standard Marathi and the Warhadi Marathi.
[8] There are a few other sub-dialects like Ahirani, Dangi, Samavedi, Khandeshi । Standard Marathi is the official language of the State of Maharashtra.
As Maharashtra is a vast state, the people of this colourful state wears different types of costumes, take different cuisines, has different forms of dances and music according to the physical features of their locality. Generally, men wear dhoti and pheta in olden days, while women wear choli and saree. But with the change of time, young Maharashtrians too are fast attracting to the latest fashions imported from the western countries.
The mouth watering Konkan and Varadi cuisines would kill any visitor's appetite. Although, Maharashtrian cuisines are a bit strong in pepper and spice, but it is the speciality of the dishes of this state that world knows about. And everybody knows about the unbeatable taste of the Mumbai chaats.
The dance forms like Povada, Lavani and Koli with mesmerizing music and rhythmic movements entertain the Maharashtrians. Dhangri Gaja, Dindi, Kala and Tamasha are the folk dances that attach to the heart of the people of this state.
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