Maharashtra occupies one-tenth of the land area of India. It marks the southernmost boundary of the spread of Sanskrit based languages, Marathi being the last of these to be encountered. It is a culturally significant region because it is the link between north and south, between the Indo-European culture and the Dravidian culture that was indigenous but was pushed down to South India. In its language and culture it accommodates both.

The Marathas comprise Kuli Marathas as well as Kunbis and represent the largest single community of Maharashtra. A Kuli is a group, all the members of which generally bear the same name. Their skin complexion may vary from light brown to very dark. They are of medium height and generally have high cheekbones and dark eyes. They seem to belong to Marathwada i.e. Daulatabad, Aurangabad, Beed and Parbhani. In earlier times they have been landowners and soldiers in Maharashtra for many centuries.

Religion Of The Maratha Community
They worship various forms of Shiva and his consort, Parvati. The worship of the "Devak" is found only among them. It has totemistic origins. It consists of a certain tree or leaves of five trees or an animal or an inanimate object, which is worshipped by the members of one Kuli.

The Kuladevata or family deity is worshipped on all special occasions, such as, weddings or naming ceremonies. It is also visited during the special `teertha` (pilgrimage) during their festivals.

The Kunbis were originally land workers, the proportion of Kuli Marathas to Kunbi being roughly 45:55.

Shivaji Bhonsle, the most eminent Maratha, was born in 1630 and it was he who first made the bid for establishing a Maratha kingdom.

The community is, perhaps, the most powerful community in Maharashtra, not only because it is the largest but because it has entered modern post-independence politics with an aplomb that can come only of many generations` experience in the art of ruling and maneuvering.