Etymology
The etymology of the word "Maharashtra" is uncertain. The various theories include:
- Maha (Sanskrit for "great") + rashtra, derived from the name of a clan known as rashtrika (rāṣṭrika) mentioned in some of Ashoka's inscriptions. Rashtrika alludes to a people of the Deccan who were progenitors of the Marathi-speaking people; that the later "Maharashtri Prakrit" is associated with these people
- Maha ("great") + rashtra, derived from ratta, supposedly a corruption of Rashtrakuta (the name of a dynasty that held sway over the Deccan from the 8th to 10th centuries).
- Maha ("great") and rāṣhṭra ("nation", "dominion")
- Maha ("great") + Rathi or Ratha (charioteer)
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