Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, close to its border with

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, with a branch line to the cities of Kalaburagi and

Vijayapura Vijayapur is a town in Devanahalli taluk and Bangalore Rural district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Vijayapura's old name is Vadigenahalli. Local villagers still refer Vijayapura as Vadigenahalli. Geography Vijayapura is located at . It has ...

in the neighbouring state of

. Solapur International Airport is under construction. It is classified as A1 Tier and B-1 class city by House Rent Allowance (HRA) classification by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. It is the seventh biggest Metropolis Urban Agglomeration and 11th most populated city in

as well as 43rd largest urban agglomeration and 49th most populous city in India. Solapur leads Maharashtra in production of beedi. Solapuri Chadars and towels are famous not only in India but also at a global level, however there has been a significant decline in their exports due to quality issues. "Solapuri chadars" are the famous and first product in Maharashtra to get a

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

tag It has been a leading centre for cotton mills and

power loom A power loom is a mechanized loom, and was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution. The first power loom was designed in 1786 by Edmund Cartwright and first built that same year. ...

s in Maharashtra. Solapur had the world's second-largest and Asia's largest

spinning mill Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

. The National Research Centre on Pomegranate (NRCP) of India is located in Solapur. and pomegranate farming is done on a large scale in Solapur District. The Science Centre in Kegaon (Solapur) is the third largest and prominent scientific association in Maharashtra. The Raichur-Solapur Power Transmission line of 765 kV power capacity suffices the power grid accessing need of the southern states of Karanataka and

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. The first waste-to-energy electricity plant in Maharashtra is situated in Solapur. The Gramadevata (Chief deity) of the city is Shri Shivyogi Siddheshwar. The "Nandidhwaj" procession on the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

festival of

Makar Sankranti Makar(a) Sankranti (), also referred to as Uttarayana, Maghi, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sag ...

and on account of it an annual fair locally known as ''Gadda Yatra'' attracts large crowds and is associated with the marriage of Lord Siddheshwar. In 1992, the Solapur Municipal Corporation extended its area up to by merging its suburbs. Solapur has the

Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary (established in 1979, also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary of Maharashtra) is a wildlife sanctuary for the great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') at Solapur, Maharashtra, India. The land is d ...

Etymology and history

The Solapur (anciently called sonnalage) District was ruled by various dynasties such as Andhrabhratyas,

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Sat ...

s and Bahamanis. 'Solapur' spelled in (

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

: सोलापूर is believed to be derived from the combination of two words: Sola / सोला in Hindi means "sixteen" and "Pura / पुर" means "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, Sonallagi, Sonapur and Vaidakwadi and all these villages are now merged with Solapur Municipal Corporation. It is evident from the inscriptions of Shivayogi Lord

Siddheshwar Siddheshwar also known as Siddharameshwar and Siddharama was one among the five acharya ("saint") of the Lingayat faith. Siddheshwar was a great contributor to Lingayat sampradaya of Hinduism. He was a great mystic and a Kannada poet who was ...

of the time of the Kalachuristis of Kalyani, that the town was called 'Sonnalage', an old Kannada name, which came to be pronounced as 'Sonnalagi'. The town was known as Sonnalagi even up to the times of

Yadavas The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Satv ...

. A Sanskrit inscription dated (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

:शके १२३८) Śakē 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. Subsequently, the British rulers pronounced Solapur as Sholapur and hence the name of the district. The present Solapur district was previously part of

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 ...

and Satara districts. In 1838 it became the Sub-district of Ahmednagar. It included Barshi, Mohol, Madha,

Karmala Karmala is a city and a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. History The municipality was established at Karmala in 1867 and is now governed under the Maharashtra Municipalities Act, 1965. It covers an area ...

, Indi, Hippargi and Muddebihal Sub-divisions. In 1864 this Sub-district was abolished. In 1871 this district was reformed joining the Sub-divisions viz. Solapur, Barshi, Mohol, Madha and Karmala and two Subdivisions of Satara district viz.

Pandharpur Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the District, ...

, Sangola and in 1875 Malshiras Sub-division was also attached. After the State reorganisation in 1956 Solapur was included in

Bombay State Bombay State was a large Indian state created at the time of India's Independence, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding Sou ...

and it became a full-fledged district of Maharashtra State in 1960. The municipal corporation building was built by Rao Saheb Mallappa Warad. He was also one of the first to bring the farming tractor to 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 ''Indra Bhawan'' which means 'Abode of Indra' (

Lord Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> Ind ...

). Mallappa Warad was also one of the ten members of 'Chamber of Merchants' under

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. The Solapur Municipal Council was the first

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

to hoist the

indian national flag The national flag of India, colloquially called the tricolour, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag of India saffron, white and India green; with the ', a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form ...

on the Municipal Council building in 1930. Taking the spirit of

Dandi March The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

from

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, the freedom fighters of Solapur hoisted the National Flag on 6 April 1930 on the Municipal Council building. This was the first and the unique incidence of such kind throughout the country. During the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

, the people of Solapur enjoyed full freedom on 9–11 May 1930. However, this resulted in the executions of

Mallappa Dhanshetti Mallappa Dhanshetti (1898 – 12 January 1931) was an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjecti ...

, Abdul Rasool Qurban Hussein, Jagannath Bhagwan Shinde and

Shrikisan Laxminarayan Sarada Shrikisan Laxminarayan Sarada (1893 – 12 January 1931) was an Indian freedom fighter, a revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an ...

, who were hanged by the British Government on 12 January 1931, in the prison at

. This resulted in the city becoming recognized as "The City of Hutatmas" literally "The City of Martyrs". Solapur district tehsils

The Padmashalis are the one of the largest community in Solapur. The rise of Moghul rule and there after Britishers who came to India for doing cloth business has lot of impact on weaving technology. The cloth manufactured at Brimingham, England can sell at cheaper rate in India and the qualities of their cloth were much better than our hand woven cloths on Gunta Maggam (Pit-loom). Since there is no buyer for our hand woven cloths, the domestic textile industry suffered losses. The Britisher established East India Company at Calcutta and spread their business across the India. They have also ruled our country till 1947. The impact of cloth business compelled Padmashalis to move to different places in India. Maharashtra is adjacent to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh; most of them started moving in search of their livelihood. Earlier days there were no transportation available; people started walking from Telangana and stayed for days together wherever in the en route to Mumbai. In this course some of them even settled in most parts of Maharashtra like Nanded, Jalna, Aurangabad, and Nasik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Pune and even interior parts of the villages. Their basic occupation was weaving; hence most of them have chosen weaving job in cotton mills. Gradually the strength has increased and it can be witnessed that about 400 to 500 Padmashalis could be seen in each mill in Mumbai. Most of the people in Solapur are started there Textile. There is also one of the oldest Ganesh temples, Ajoba Ganpati temple, which started celebrating the Ganesh festival in 1885.

Toponymy

The inscriptions of chief deity of Solapur Shivyogi Shri.

of the time of the

Kalachuri The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Heheya Kingdom, Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to d ...

(Basavakalyan) suggest that the town was called "Sonnalage" which came to be pronounced as "Sonnalagi". 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. It was the main commercial hub of the Devagiri Yadavas and an important trading city. The town was known as Sonnalagi even up to the times of the Yadavas of Devagiri.

Culture

Solapur is a city with tri-linguistic blend of Kannada, Marathi and Telugu language multi-cultural features. Most of the People follow Marathi Culture and Tradition. It also has cultural impact of neighbouring states Karnataka and Telangana.

Demographics

As per 2011 census of Solapur city and as per provisional reports of the Census of India, the population of Solapur in 2011 was 951,118, of whom av were male and 468,924 were female. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 73.13% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 9.28% Kannada, 6.47% Hindi, 4.49% Telugu and 3.94% Urdu as their first language. Solapur's population, with the inclusion of its suburbs, increased to 1,250,000 reorganized in 2012. (http://solapur.gov.in/htmldocs/1977/people_population.html, http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html) In 2011, the total literates in Solapur city are 710,180 of whom 390,335 are males while 319,845 are females. The average literacy rate of Solapur city is 83.88 percent of which male and female literacy was 91.31 and 76.30 percent respectively. Hinduism is the majority religion in Solapur city with 75.73% followers. Islam is the second most popular religion, with approximately 20.64% following it. Buddhism 1.62% Jainism by 1.00%, Christianity 0.73%, others, no religion and not stated 0.28%.

Geography and climate

Solapur is located at . It has an average elevation of 458 metres (1502 feet). It is bordered by

Ahmednagar district Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ is the largest districts of Maharashtra, district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. ...

on the north; Osmanabad district on the north and northeast. Kalaburagi district on the southeast and Bijapur Districts on the south of Karnataka State, Sangli district on the south and southwest; Satara district on the west, and

Pune district Pune district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, uɳeː is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst I ...

on the northwest. It is situated at a distance of from the Maharashtra State Capital of

by road and train. Solapur is at a distance of from

and from Hyderabad. Solapur is situated on the

Deccan plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

. Solapur falls under the category of dry (arid and semiarid) climate according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

. The city experiences three distinct seasons: summer,

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from . The warmest months in Solapur are April and May. The typical maximum temperatures being or more. The highest temperature ever recorded is in May 1988. Although summer does not end until May or even the midst of June, the city often receives locally developed heavy

thundershower A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

s in May (although humidity remains high). The monsoon lasts from June to the end of September, with moderate rainfall. The city of Solapur receives an average rainfall of per year. Winter begins in November and lasts until the end of February, with the temperatures occasionally dropping below . Solapur lies very close to the seismically active zone around Killari, Latur District, about east of the city.

Civic administration

The civic administration of the city is managed by the Solapur Municipal Corporation, which was established on the Maharashtra Day of 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 135 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. As Solapur is one of the most important city for the transportation towards south and north India, here it's essential for the State and Central Government to develop this District.

Sports

* Tennis - Annually women's professional tennis ITF Championship held at Solapur, it is known as Solapur Open women's ITF $25K Tennis tournament. It is hard Court tournament, happens at outdoor tennis courts. It is grade T2 championship. 2021 US Open championship Emma Raducanu participated in it in 2019. * Cricket - Indira Gandhi Stadium in Solapur, formerly known as Park Stadium, hosts

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...

matches and is the home venue for Maharashtra cricket team. * Wrestling - Indian styled wrestling is played in this town and town's wrestlers emerged as victorious in state level tournaments. *

Economy

Solapur is located at an important junction of the north–south railway line which provides good transportation infrastructure for trade and industry. There are a number of medium and small-scale and medium industries found in the district, and it is one of the prime centers of the handloom and powerloom industry, cotton mills and the beedi industry. Rapier Terry Towels is now also an emerging industry in Solapur. Solapur is well known for the bed sheets produced here and has a reputation for the same. Textiles are an important aspect of the economy. As the epic growing part in the industrial sector, Sanghvi Towels are known as the parents of Rapier industries. They introduced the city how to go with the flow of changing demands of the Terry Towels market, following it many business houses have changed to Rapier Industries and now Rapier Chaddar Looms have been also introduced to the weaving sector by Bomdyal Textiles. The city is home to Precision Camshafts Limited one of the largest manufacturers in camshafts in the world. In the agricultural field, the district has a well-established market in oilseeds. The major crops grown in the district include

jowar ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used for food for humans, animal feed, and ethanol produc ...

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

Environment

Solapur is one of the most-polluted cities in Maharashtra due to the effluent chemicals produced as the waste products from the textile industries in its region. As many vehicles in the city utilise diesel fuel, it also generates tremendous smog emitted by sugar factories and heavy textiles industries in the city's suburb. Various efforts are being made by

Maharashtra Pollution Control Board The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board ( mr, महाराष्ट्र प्रदूषण नियंत्रण मंडळ) (established 7 September 1970) implements a range of environmental legislation in the state of Maharashtra, ...

(MPCB) to reduce air pollution and its environmental effects. The city has launched a GO-GREEN scheme by planting trees in the city and developing greenery with the help of various eco-friendly people in the city. CNG will be available shortly soon in MIDC Chincholi and some major area in Solapur .

Transport

Rail

Solapur railway station Solapur railway station is located in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra and serves Solapur city and the industrial belt around it. It is headquarters of Solapur Railway Division and a part of Central Railway zone. Solapur l ...

is the main railway 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 (Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala) via Solapur.Government has decided to make solapur railway station as the high tech station in Maharashta. Hotgi Junction and Kurduvadi Junction are two junction railway stations present in the Solapur district. 11301 Udyan Express AC coach

Road

Solapur internal city transport is managed by SMT (Solapur Municipal Transport), but the buses operated by SMC are limited to less than 100 buses. 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 four National Highways – NH 9 highway connecting

with

Vijaywada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises NT ...

via Hyderabad but the Solapur-Omerga stretch of NH65 is a bit uncomfortable as the quality of roads still remains below par/Under construction,

Suryapet Suryapet is a city in the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of its eponymous district. The Government of India announced Suryapet to be developed under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformat ...

, NH-52 connecting Solapur to

Kaithal Kaithal () is a city and municipal council in the Kaithal district of the Indian state of Haryana. Kaithal was previously a part of Karnal district and later, Kurukshetra district until 1 November 1989, when it became the headquarters of the K ...

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

, 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 Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...

Sangli Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks o ...

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

and

Nanded Nanded is a city in Maharashtra state, India. It is the tenth largest city in the state and the seventy-ninth most populous city in India. It is the second largest city in Marathwada region. It is the district headquarters of Nanded distric ...

. Recently sanctioned National Highways- (Solapur - Kalaburagi) and Ratnagiri-Solapur-Nanded-Yavatmal-Nagpur. (Solapur-

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...

) Road section in NH-13 is proposed to be improved by its four laning. The Solapur- Aurangabad national highway project is completed recently and the new four laning has reduced the time and cost in travelling from Solapur to Aurangabad.

Air

Solapur Airport Solapur Airport (सोलापूर विमानतळ) is a public airport located in Solapur, in the state of Maharashtra, India. History The airport was built by Indian Defence Authorities in September 1948 during the police acti ...

(

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...

code: SSE) is located to the south of Solapur city. There aren't any scheduled flights operating out of Solapur Airport. Nearest airport is

Gulbarga Airport Kalaburagi Airport is a public airport located east of Kalaburagi in Karnataka, India. The airport was built by the Karnataka State Public Works Department (PWD) with technical assistance from RITES Limited and is operated by the Airports Aut ...

(90 km). The

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisla ...

has planned to upgrade the airport but no on ground works has been done till now .

Utility services

The electrical supply to the city is managed by the

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited Mahavitaran or Mahadiscom or MSEDCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. It is the largest electricity distribution utility in India (2nd largest ...

and water is supplied from the Ujjani Dam on the Bhima River. CNG will be soon available for vehicle in Solapur as well as piped natural Gas will be available for Domestic, Commercial and industrial use.

Radio stations in Solapur

In the Solapur, both the official state channe
Air Solapur
on a frequency of 103.4 FM and commercial stations such as Radio City (91.1 FM), Big FM (92.7 FM) and Solapur's Only Live Radio Station 95 MYFM by Dainik Bhaskar Group. are broadcast
List of radio stations

Notable people

History

(Siddarameshwara), Prominent Kannada vachanakara of 12th century. He was instrumental in saving the vachana literature from destruction.

Politics

Vijaysinh Mohite–Patil Vijaysinh Shankarao Mohite-Patil (born 12 June 1944) is a politician from the Nationalist Congress Party and Member of Parliament (MP) for Madha in Maharashtra since the 2014 general election. He is member of Nationalist Congress Party. Prio ...

, former Deputy Chief-Minister of Maharashtra State *

Praniti Shinde Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde is an politician from Maharashtra, India. She is a member of Indian National Congress and a three-time Maharashtra Member of Legislative Assembly, elected from Solapur City Central constituency. She is also Working ...

, MLA of Solapur City Central Assembly * Sushilkumar Shinde, former

Home Minister of India The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minist ...

Ganpatrao Deshmukh Ganpatrao Deshmukh (10 August 1927 – 30 July 2021) was an Indian politician. He was in office for 54 years. He was called "Abasaheb" by the people with love and affection. He was also called "Bhai" by peasants and workers. Biography He was th ...

India's second longest serving legislator(MLA),Peasant's and worker's Party senior leader.

Business

Ajit Gulabchand Ajit Gulabchand (born 1948) is an Indian industrialist. Gulabchand is the chairman and managing director of Hindustan Construction Company. Gulabchand serves as chairman of the board of governance at National Institute of Construction Managem ...

, Indian industrialist * Walchand Hirachand, Indian industrialist and founder of

Walchand group Walchand group is a business organization that came into existence in the 20th century, founded by industrialist Walchand Hirachand Doshi. Walchand Hirachand founded several companies, some of which were among the firsts in India in their field ...

Sports

* Salil Ankola, member of

Indian cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...

in 1992 world Cup; Hindi film actor *

Anagha Deshpande Anagha Arun Deshpande (born 19 November 1985 in Solapur, Maharashtra) is a cricketer who has played in 20 women's One Day Internationals and seven Twenty20 internationals for India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a ...

, Indian women's cricket player * Kedar Jadhav, Indian cricketer; plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in

IPL The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

Kiran Navgire Kiran Prabhu Navgire (born 18 September 1994) is an Indian cricketer. She currently plays for India women and Nagaland women. She set the record for the highest individual score in Women's Senior T20 Trophy, while scoring an unbeaten 162 for N ...

, Indian woman's cricket player *

Vandana Shanbagh Vandana Pandurang Shanbhag (born 19 September 1965) is a female Indian former track and field athlete who represented India at the 1988 Olympics in the 4 x 400 metres relay race. She is also a Kho-kho Kho kho or kho-kho is a traditional ...

Arjuna award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

winner athlete; represented India at 1988 Olympics *

Prarthana Thombare Prarthana Gulabrao Thombare (born 18 June 1994) is an Indian tennis player. A doubles specialist, she is the former Indian number one in women's doubles, and an Olympian. Thombare has won three singles and 25 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. ...

, tennis player and an Olympian. Former No.1 in national women's doubles. * Polly Umrigar, cricketer who captained India in 8 test matches.

Arts

Samita Bangargi Samita Bangargi is an Indian actress who is most known for her roles in ''Ramji Londonwaley'' (2005), '' Shaadi Ka Laddoo'' (2004) and ''Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?'' (2002). Personal life Samita Bangargi married Ashish Chaudhary ''Ashish Chau ...

, a TV show host and actress in Hindi movies *

Achyut Godbole Achyut Godbole (born 15 August 1950) is an Indian businessman and writer from Mumbai, India. He was CEO of Patni Computer Systems (later acquired by IGate) and few more leading IT firms in 1980 and 1990s. He was at the position of CEO for alm ...

, Maharashtrian Marathi and English writer *

M. F. Husain Maqbool Fida Husain (17 September 1915 – 9 June 2011) was an Indian artist known for executing bold, vibrantly coloured narrative paintings in a modified Cubist style. He was one of the most celebrated and internationally recognised Ind ...

, a modern Indian painter of international acclaim and a founding member of Bombay Progressive Artists' Group * Atul Kulkarni, Indian film actor *

Jayadevi Taayi Ligade Jayadevitai Ligade is an Indian writer in the Kannada language. She became the president of Kannada Sahitya Parishattu. She fought to unify Sholapur with Karnataka on the linguistic grounds of majority Kannada-speaking community in the city. Sh ...

, is an Indian writer in the Kannada language. She has written Siddarama purana in Kannada and Marathi languages. *

Nagraj Manjule Nagraj Popatrao Manjule (Marathi pronunciation: aɡɾaːd͡ʒ maɲd͡ʒuɭeː born 24 August 1978) is an Indian film director, actor, producer, scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, filmmaker and he works in the Marathi Cinema, best known for his ...

, film director of

movies * Dr Jabbar Patel, theatre and film director of Marathi and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

movies * Shashikala, an actress in Marathi and Hindi movies

Science

Dwarkanath Kotnis Dwarakanath Shantaram Kotnis (Marathi: द्वारकानाथ शांताराम कोटणीस ; 10 October 1910 in India – 9 December 1942 in China), also known by his Chinese name Ke Dihua (), was one of the five Indian ph ...

, among the physicians dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

in 1938

References

External links

Solapur Government Site
{{Authority control Smart cities in India Cities and towns in Solapur district Cities in Maharashtra