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Solapur (pronunciation is largest city in southern Maharashtra, India and 4th largest in Maharashtra sharing its place with Nashik which is equal in population and area. It lies on the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is 2 TIER city classified as B-1 by HRA classification.It is 30 most Populated city in India and 43rd Largest Urban agglomeration. Solapur has speakers of Marathi, Kannada, Telugu and Urdu, with Marathi as major language and Kannada as sub-major. It is the fourth largest district in Maharashtra in terms of land area and seventh largest in terms of population. The district shares its the borders with southern Indian state Karnataka.

Solapur is well known for its textile industries often referred as Manchester of India. Solapur chadars and towels are world famous. It has been a leading center for cotton mills and power looms in India . Solapur had the world's second largest and Asia largest spinning mill. The chief deity of the city is Shri Siddheshwar. The "Nandidhwaj" procession on Makar Sankranti is celebrated on 14 January. An annual fair locally known as 'Gadda yatra' attracts large crowd. Solapur municipal corporation extended its area up to 300 km with emerging its suburbs.

History

'Solapur' is believed to be derived from two words 'Sola' meaning sixteen and 'pur' meaning village. The present city of Solapur was considered to be spread over sixteen villages viz. Aadilpur, Ahmedpur, Chapaldev, Fatehpur, Jamdarwadi, Kalajapur, Khadarpur, Khandervkiwadi, Muhammadpur, Ranapur, Sandalpur, Shaikpur, Solapur, Sonalagi, Sonapur and Vaidakwadi. But this is not justified by any historical researches. However, some historians believe that Solapur existed as single village Sonnalgi and expanded in its recent form.

After the arrest of M. K. Gandhi in May 1930, protests and demonstrations against British rule were held throughout India. Large scale rallies and protests were also held at Solapur. Many citizens lost their lives in police firings. Due to this an irate mob attacked the police stations. Out of fear the police and other officers ran out of Solapur. During this period the responsibility of law, order and security of citizens rested on the shoulders of Congress Party leaders. Then city congress leader Tulsidas Jadhav along with other congressmen maintained the law and order for a period of three days from 9 to 11 May 1930. In February 2009 a statue of Shri Tulsidas Jadhav was erected at Mechanic chowk to acknowledge his bravery act, at the hands of Shri Sharad Pawar.

The Solapur Municipal Council was the first Municipal Council of India to hoist the national flag on the Municipal Council building in 1930. The Municipal co-operation building was built by Mallappa Warad. He was also one of the first one to bring the farming tractor in India.It was his wish that the building should be used for some public purpose and thus the building was made the municipal council.The building is also called 'Indrabhavan' which means Adobe of Indra. Mallappa Warad was also one of the ten members of 'Chamber of Merchants' under Queen Victoria.Taking in consideration the contribution made by him, a life size statue was unveild by the then union Minister of Power Mr SushilKumar Shinde.The various books, articles, ivory statues, guns etc. are still preserved in Mallappa Warad's home located in Mangalwar Peth in Solapur. He was also a very close associate of Lokmanya Tilak.

Taking the spirit of Dandi March from Mahatma Gandhi, the freedom fighters of Solapur decided to hoist the national flag on the Solapur Municipal Council building. Accordingly, senior freedom fighter from Pune Shri. Annasaheb Bhopatkar hoisted the National Flag on 6 April 1930 on Municipal Council building. This was the first and the unique incidence of such kind throughout the country. The British rulers, were irritated and declared martial law at Solapur and arrested many leaders and innocent citizens on false and trumped up charges. The freedom fighters Shri. Mallappa Dhanshetti, Shri. Kurban Hussain, Shri. Jagnnath Shinde and Shri. Kisan Sarda were arrested on charges of killing two policemen of Mangalwar police station. The lower court sentenced the accused freedom fighters to be hanged until dead. The High Court also confirmed the same decision and these four freedom fighters were hanged till death on 12 January 1931. As a mark of respect to these freedom fighters, the statues of these freedom fighters have been installed in the heart of the city and the location has been named 'Hutatma Chowk'.

During the Indian independence movement, the people of Solapur enjoyed full freedom on 9, 10 and 11 May 1930. However, this resulted in the executions of Mallappa Dhanshetti, Abdul Rasool Qurban Hussein, Jagannath Bhagwan Shinde and Shrikisan Laxminarayan Sarada who were hanged on 12 January 1931, in the prison at Pune. This resulted in the city becoming recognized as "The City of Hutatmas".

Toponomy

Inscriptions of Shivayogi Shri. Siddheshwar of the time of the Kalachuris of Kalyani (Basavakalyan) suggest that the town was called Sonnalage which came to be pronounced as Sonnalagi. The town was known as Sonnalagi even up to the times of Yadavas of Devagiri. A Sanskrit inscription dated Shake 1238, after the downfall of the Yadavas found at Kamati in Mohol shows that the town was known as Sonalipur. One of the inscriptions found in Solapur fort shows that the town was called Sonalpur while another inscription on the well in the fort shows that it was known as Sandalpur. It was the main commercial hub of the DEAVAGIRI YADAVAS and important trading city.

Demographics

Solapur has Marathi speaking majority followed by Kannada, Telugu .Its literacy is 85% with 85%males and 80% females.

Geography and climate

Solapur is located at 17°41′N 75°55′E / 17.68°N 75.92°E / 17.68; 75.92. It has an average elevation of 458 metres (1502 feet). It is bordered by Ahmednagar district on the North, Osmanabad district on the North and Northeast; Gulbarga district (Karnataka state) on the Southeast and South;Bijapur District(KarnatakaState), Sangli district on the South and Southwest; Satara district on the West and Pune district on the Northwest. It is situated at a distance of 410 km from the Maharashtra State Capital of Mumbai by road and train. Solapur is at a distance of 245 km from Pune and 305 km from Hyderabad. Solapur is situated on Deccan plateau.

Solapur falls under the category of dry (arid and semiarid) climate according to the Köppen climate classification. The city experiences three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from 30 to 40 °C (86 to 104 °F). The warmest months in Solapur are April and May. The typical maximum temperatures being 40 °C (104 °F) or more. The highest temperature ever recorded is 48 °C in April 1988. Although summer doesn't end until May or even the midst of June, the city often receives locally developed heavy thundershowers in May (although humidity remains high). The monsoon lasts from June to end of September, with moderate rainfall. The city of Solapur receives an average rainfall of 545 mm per year. Winter begins in November and last until the end of February with the temperatures occasionally dropping below 10 °C (50 °F). Solapur lies very close to the seismically active zone around Killari (Dist. Latur), about 100 km east of the city.

Civic administration

The civic administration of the city is managed by the Solapur Municipal corporation, which was established on 1 May 1964 in the building constructed by Mallappa Warad in 1930. The corporation oversees the engineering works, health, sanitation, water supply, administration and taxation in the city. It is headed by a Mayor who is assisted by Municipal Commissioner and elected representatives. The city is divided into 125 wards and 6 zones. The corporation members also known as corporators are elected by the citizens of Solapur every five years. The corporators in turn elect the Mayor. Its activities include developing new layouts and roads, town planning and land acquisition. The electrical supply to the city is managed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited.

Education

University

• Solapur University

The colleges and the institutes in Solapur were earlier affiliated to Shivaji University, prior to 2004 when Solapur University was established. The post-graduate study center of Shivaji University (Kolhapur) at Solapur was functioning with the three departments Polymer Chemistry, Applied Physics/ Electronics and Geology having the masters courses and M. Phil, PhD research in these areas. The center was located on the old campus of Dr. V. M. Government Medical College that was later on relocated to Police Golibar Maidan. The center was transformed to the university to serve the students of Solapur district and was formally inaugurated on 3 August 2004.

Colleges

Solapur is home to 10 engineering and 2 medical colleges,it is also having other 40 colleges in city extent.

• Walchand Institute of Technology
• Sinhagad Technologies
• Bharti Vidhyapeeth
• Dayanand Dav Venlankar
• Orchid Engineering College
• V M Medical College
• Ashwini Medical College
• Hirachand College
• Sangameshwar College

Economy

Solapur is located on an important junction of the North – South railway line, a good base for its industries for logistical reasons, with approximately 98 medium and 8,986 smaller industries. As stated the Solapur district consists of medium and small scale industries, although Solapur is one of the leading centers for handlooms, power looms and cotton mills. Chaddars (Solapur bed sheets) have earned Solapur a reputation and fame for their durability and novel designs.

Tourism

An important tourist destination is Siddeshwar Temple, the abode of Siddharameshwar built in 16th century. It attracts 35 lakhs pilgrims yearly. Solapur is also famous for its Markandeya Temple built in 1893, the Venkateshwara Temple built in 1970, and the Rupa Bhavani temple built in 19th century, Shri Shankar Temple. Solapur has a Bhui fort in center of it area.

Media

Solapur has 4 radio channels; Big FM,Radio City,Radio Mirchi,and Solapur AM. It is served by Marathi daily newspapaers Saakal,Lokmat,Punya Nagari,Keshari,Divya Marathi and by English daily from Pune (Times of India, Indian Express).

Sports

Cricket is played in Ranji Stadium.

Environment

Solapur is one of most polluted cities in India as many vehicles are used on diesel. It also generates tremendous smog emitted by factories and sugar factories and heavy textiles industries in city's suburb.Various efforts are being made by MNC to reduce pollution andeEnvironmental effects.The city has launched a GO GREEN scheme by planting trees in city and developing greenery in city.

Transport

Public transport

Public transport in Solapur city is primarily provided by buses operated by Solapur Municipal Transport(SMT) and auto rickshaws.

Rail

Solapur railway station is the main hub within the city. The Solapur Railway Division is an important division connecting South India to Western & North west India. Trains from Ahmedabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune etc., ply to Southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala) via Solapur. It is served daily by Solapur Banglore express,Solapur Nagpur, Solapur Pune Hutatma Express, Solapur Mumbai,Solapur Jaipur Superfast express and Solapur Goa Express.

Road

Solapur is well connected by road with major cities of Maharashtra as well as the adjoining State Capital of Hyderabad and important cities in Karnataka by fourNational Highways – NH 9 EXPRESS highway connecting Pune with Vijaywada via Hyderabad, NH-13 connecting Solapur to Mangalore, Karnataka and NH-211 connecting Solapur to Dhule. Ratnagiri-Nagpur National highway NH-204 passes through city connecting Solapur to other important cities in Maharashtra like Nagpur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Nanded. File:Solapur Pune Highway.jpg|thumb|Solapur Pune Highway

Airport

Solapur Airport (IATA code: SSE) is located to the south of Solapur city. At present it is not covered by any airline operator.

Sister cities

Solapur has two twin cities

• Guatemala City, Guatemala
• Shaoxing, China
• Kandy, Sri Lanka

Notable natives and residents

• Walchand Hirachand - Indian industrialist and founder of Walchand group
• Dwarkanath Kotnis was among the physicians dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938.
• Jabbar Patel (movieman and director of movies like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Jait Re Jait, Umbartha and plays like Ghanshiram Kotwal)
• Shashikala (actress in Marathi and Hindi Movies)
• M. F. Hussain – World Famous painter
• Vandana Shanbagh- Arjun award winner athlete, she represented India at 1988 Olympics.
• Atul Kulkarni- film actor
• Salil Ankola – member of Indian Cricket Team in 1996 world Cup, Hindi Film actor
• Polly Umrigar – One of the all time greats of Indian cricket.
• Sushilkumar Shinde – Home Minister
• Anagha Deshpande – Famous Cricketer from Haribai Devkaran school.

Gallery

• Shri.Siddheshwar Temple,Solapur.
• Shri.Siddheshwar at Siddheshwar Temple,Solapur
• Siddheshwar Express
• main entrance of Solapur Railway Station
• 
• Solapur Pune Highway Solapur Pune Highway
• Zashichi Rani Laxmibai Statue, Solapur Zashichi Rani Laxmibai Statue, Solapur
• File:Siddheshwar Temple 1.jpg
• 

References

1. http://solapur.gov.in/htmldocs/demog.pdf
2. "Solapur History. Government of Maharashtra" (PDF). Retrieved 25 June 2009.
3. http://solapur.gov.in/htmldocs/glance.pdf
4. Solapur Corporation. Solapur corporation. Retrieved on 5 June 2011.
5. Sholapur Airport (SSE) Details – India. World-airport-codes.com. Retrieved on 5 June 2011.
6. these are cities having textile trade with indian city solapur

External links

• Solapur Government Site
• Kite Workshop in Limca Book of Records 2013

v t e Solapur district topics
History	Seuna (Yadava) dynasty Mallappa Dhanshetty Shrikisan Laxminarayan Sarada Walchand Hirachand Chandrashekhar Agashe Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate
Rivers	Bhima River
Dams	Ujjani Dam
Tehsils	Akkalkot Barshi Karmala Madha Solapur North Solapur South
Cities and towns	Akkalkot Barshi Karmala Madha Malshiras Mangalwedha Mohol Pandharpur Sangole Solapur Shreepur
Places to see	Pandharpur Mangalwedha
Education	University of Solapur Walchand Institute of Technology
Transport	Solapur Junction
Lok Sabha constituencies	Madha Osmanabad Solapur
Vidhan Sabha constituencies	Akkalkot Barshi Karmala Madha Malsiras Mohol Pandharpur Sangola Solapur City Central Solapur City North Solapur South
Culture	Lavani Abhang
Sports	Indira Gandhi Stadium

v t e State of Maharashtra
Capital: Mumbai Second capital: Nagpur
Topics	History Geography Economy Tourism Highest point Marathi language Culture Marathi people Marathi literature Marathi cinema Maharashtrian cuisine Sports
Regions	Desh Khandesh Konkan Mumbai Metropolitan Region Marathwada Vidarbha North Maharashtra
Divisions and Districts	Amravati division Akola Amravati Buldhana Washim Yavatmal Konkan division Mumbai Mumbai Suburban Palghar Raigad Ratnagiri Sindhudurg Thane Aurangabad division Beed Aurangabad Osmanabad Hingoli Jalna Latur Nanded Parbhani Nagpur division Bhandara Chandrapur Gadchiroli Gondia Nagpur Wardha Nashik division Ahmednagar Dhule Jalgaon Nandurbar Nashik Pune division Kolhapur Pune Sangli Satara Solapur
Million-plus cities in Maharashtra	Mumbai Pune Nagpur Thane Pimpri-Chinchwad Nashik Kalyan-Dombivli Vasai-Virar Aurangabad Navi Mumbai
Other cities with municipal corporations	Ahmednagar Akola Amravati Bhiwandi Chandrapur Dhule Ichalkaranji Jalgaon Kolhapur Latur Malegaon Mira-Bhayandar Nanded Panvel Parbhani Sangli Solapur Ulhasnagar
Government	Chief Ministers Legislature (Legislative Council Legislative Assembly) Police Bombay High Court
Portal:India

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