Solapur

This article is about the municipality in Maharashtra, India. For its namesake district, see Solapur district.

Solapur
Saat Rasta Circle in Solapur
Coordinates: 17.68°N 75.92°E / 17.68; 75.92
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Solapur
Government
• Mayor	Alka Rathod
Area2 foot
• Total	148.86 km2 (57.48 sq mi)
Elevation	457 m (1,499 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	951,118
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	41300X
Telephone code	+91-217
Vehicle registration	MH-13
Sex ratio	972 ♂/♀
Website	solapur.gov.in

Siddheshwar temple

Solapur  pronunciation  is a city in south Western Maharashtra, India. It lies on the border of Maharastra & Karnataka. Solapur has Marathi, Kannada & Telugu population living in equal numbers making it trilingual land.

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 Manchestar of Maharashtra.Solapur chadars and towels are world famous.It has been a leading centre for cotton mills and power looms, however they have been fast disappearning.

The chief deity of the city is Shri Siddeshwar. The "Nandidhwaj" procession on Makar Sankranti is celebrated on 14th January. An annual fair locally known as 'Gadda yatra' attracts large crowd.

History

Solapur District was ruled by various dynasties such as Andhrabhratyas, Chalukyas, Rashtrkutas, Yadavas, Kalachuri and Bahamanis. '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.

The importance of Solapur is unique in the history of India in the sense that this district enjoyed freedom even before independence. The citizens of Solapur enjoyed independence for three days from 9 to 11 May 1930. The brief history runs like this: After the arrest of Mahatma 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 brave act.

Secondly, the Solapur Municipal Council was the first Municipal Council of India to hoist the national flag on the Municipal Council building (Now Municipal Corporation) Solapur 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

Recent research work however shows that the name SOLAPUR is derived NOT from the congregation of sixteen villages. It is evident from the inscriptions of Shivayogi Shri. Siddheshwar of the time of the Kalachuristis of Kalyani, 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. 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.

Demographics

Solapur has Marathi speaking majority.

Religions in Solapur
Religion			Percent
Hindus			69%
Muslims			19%
Buddhists			8.6%
Christians			1.4%
Jains			1.7%
Others†			0.3%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (0.2%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

Geography and climate

Climate data for Solapur
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	30.9 (87.6)	34.0 (93.2)	37.4 (99.3)	39.7 (103.5)	40.1 (104.2)	35.0 (95)	31.7 (89.1)	31.0 (87.8)	31.8 (89.2)	32.5 (90.5)	31.0 (87.8)	30.0 (86)	33.76 (92.77)
Average low °C (°F)	16.0 (60.8)	18.0 (64.4)	21.6 (70.9)	24.8 (76.6)	25.3 (77.5)	23.4 (74.1)	22.4 (72.3)	21.9 (71.4)	21.6 (70.9)	20.9 (69.6)	17.9 (64.2)	14.9 (58.8)	20.73 (69.29)
Precipitation mm (inches)	2.2 (0.087)	4.6 (0.181)	3.8 (0.15)	11.2 (0.441)	36.9 (1.453)	111.5 (4.39)	138.8 (5.465)	137.3 (5.406)	179.8 (7.079)	97.4 (3.835)	23.2 (0.913)	4.8 (0.189)	751.5 (29.589)
Source: IMD

Solapur is located at 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

Kambar Talav, also known as Sambhaji Talav.

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 98 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 (MAHADISCOM).^{[citation needed]}

Economy

Because of fall of Russia in 1991, many mills stopped production.The dissolution of giant textile mills like Lakshmi Vishnu, Yeshwant, Juni-mill (Old mill) etc. had a great set-back on the economy of the city as well as districts.

Other Pillars of Economy of Solapur

The industrial empire of the Kirloskars expanded to Solapur way back in 1900. They set up their factory near Tikekarwadi, thus announcing the industrialisation of Maharashtra to the world. The Foundry with an annual capacity of 40000 MT is a major supplier to Mahindras, Toyota, Piaggio, Escorts, TAFE etc. The company is spread over 74 acres and is home to many species of birds, animals and insects. There are 2 lakes within the premise and is home to the migratory birds all round the year. The company employs more than 500 employees and is a major revenue earner in the city. It contributes its might to the development of the city. The company is a part of Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Limited, with its head office at Koppal in Karnataka. The regd office of the company is at Pune.

The Solapur district has the largest industry in Maharashtra for Beedi production. Solapur is also known for its oilseed-market. The other leading industries include: Precision Camshafts Limited, Smruthi Organics Limited., CIMCCO, Balaji Amines Ltd., Laxmi Hydraulics Pvt. Ltd.,Thirumala Precicasts Pvt.Ltd.,*KROSS INTERNATIONAL, STANFOSS AUTO COMPONENTS.

The dissolution of giant textile mills like Lakshmi Vishnu, Yeshwant, Juni-mill, Solapur etc. had a great set-back on the economy of the city as well as districts.

Educational institutions

Science Centre/Museum

Main building with science park

Solapur Science Centre is one of the important additions of Solapur City. The Science Centre is made by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Government of India and Rajiv Gandhi Science and Technology Commission (RGSTC), Government of Maharashtra. The Centre hosts various kind of exhibitions such as 'Textile Gallery', 'Fun Science Gallery', 'Story of Poles', 'Science Park', '3D-science film shows', 'Tarmandal' etc., and conducts many educational programmes including sky observation. Thousands of visitors are coming to the Centre annually.

Schools

• St. Joesph's School
• Little Flower High School
• Siddheshwar Highschool
• Gurukul
• H.D. School

Colleges

Solapur has number of education institutes making it local education hub.

• Sangameshwar College
• Dayanand Science College
• DAV College
• Walchand Institute of Technology
• Dr. Vaishampayan Medical College
• Govt. Polytechnic
• Ashiwini Medical College & Hospital
• Sinhagad Institues
• Bharti Vidyapeeth

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, Ph. D. 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.

Notable personalities

• 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^{[citation needed]}
• Salil Ankola – member of Indian Cricket Team in 1996 world Cup, Hindi Film actor
• Polly Umrigar - One of the all time greats of Indian cricketer
• Sushilkumar Shinde – Home Minister
• Anagha Deshpande - Famous Cricketer from HD school

Transport

main entrance of Solapur Railway Station

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

Rail:The Solapur 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.

A daily intercity services Hutatma Express and Indrayani Express connects Solapur to Pune for daily commute. Shatabdi Express from Pune to Hyderabad goes via Solapur facilitating quick transport to both metros.

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 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.

Airport:
Solapur Airport (IATA code: SSE) is located to the south of Solapur city. Currently its has no scheduled services.

External links

• Solapur Portal
• Solapur District Portal
• Solapur Business Directory