Solapur district
District of Maharashtra
Clockwise from top-left: Vithoba Temple in Pandharpur, Solapur Fort, Ujjani Dam, Grasslands at Nannaj Bustard Sanctuary, Siddeshwar Temple, Solapur
Location in Maharashtra
Location in Maharashtra
Coordinates (Solapur): 17°50′N 75°30′E / 17.833°N 75.500°E / 17.833; 75.500
Country India
StateMaharashtra
DivisionPune Division[1]‌‌‌
HeadquartersSolapur
Tehsils1. Akkalkot, 2. Barshi, 3. Karmala, 4. Madha, 5. Malshiras, 6. Mangalwedha, 7. Mohol, 8. Pandharpur, 9. Sangola, 10. North Solapur and 11. South Solapur
Government
 • BodySolapur Zilla Parishad
 • Guardian MinisterChandrakant Patil
(Cabinet Minister)
 • President Z. P. SolapurNA
 • District CollectorMr. KUMAR ASHIRWAD IAS
 • CEO Z. P. SolapurNA
 • MPsJaisidhesvar Swami
(Solapur)

Ranjit Naik-Nimbalkar
(Madha)

Omraje Nimbalkar
(Osmanabad)
Area
 • Total14,895 km2 (5,751 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total4,317,756
 • Density290/km2 (750/sq mi)
 • Urban
31.83%
Demographics
 • Literacy71.2%
 • Sex ratio935
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Websitehttp://solapur.gov.in/

Solapur District (Marathi pronunciation: [solaːpuːɾ]) is a district in Maharashtra state of India. The city of Solapur is the district headquarters. It is located on the south east edge of the state and lies entirely in the Bhima and Seena basins.[2] The entire district is drained by the Bhima River.[3]

Solapur district leads Maharashtra in production of Indian cigarettes known as beedi.[4]

History

In ancient times, the northern part of the district was part of Asmaka while the southern part of the district, along with Satara and Sangli districts, was part of the region of Manadesha, part of the larger region of Kuntala. Kuntala became part of the Mauryan Empire during the time of Ashoka. After the fall of the Mauryans, Kuntala came under the Sathavahanas. Solapur lay near the Sathavahana heartland, and so remained under their rule while the rest of their empire became conquered by outside powers. The region must have had a high level of prosperity at the time, as it lay at the centre of multiple trade routes. In c. 250 CE, the Sathavahanas were overthrown by the Abhiras, whose empire later broke apart.

A dynasty calling itself the Rashtrakutas, whose first ancestor ruled in around 350CE, had their base at Manapura in modern Satara district. Their core territory was the Kuntala region, and they often harassed the Vakatakas in Vidarbha. A work ascribed to Kalidasa mentions how the Gupta ruler Vikramaditya sent him as ambassador to the Kuntala king, who eventually warmed up to him. Kalidasa says how he made peace between the Vakatakas and the Rashtrakutas, but was scathing of the lord of Kuntala's neglect of statecraft. Around the 5th century CE, an inscription records an invasion of Kuntala by the Vakatakas and that the lord of Kuntala was made into a feudatory of theirs. [5] Around the turn of the 6th century CE, the Vakatakas were defeated. A tradition recorded around 125 years later claims the last Vakataka king was given wholly over to pleasures and neglected his kingdom, encouraged by a son of his feudatory in Asmaka. When the kingdom was sufficiently weakened, the ruler of Asmaka invited the Kadambas to invade. In the battle between Kadambas and Vakatakas, the rulers of Asmaka and Kuntala betrayed their overlord and helped the Kadambas win the battle. Afterwards the ruler of Asmaka took over Vidarbha as well as Kuntala, but he was soon overthrown by the Vishnukundins. The Vishnukundins may have briefly controlled Kuntala for a time, but after their overthrow the Rashtrakutas declared independence. The Chalukyas under Pulakeshin II soon ousted the Rashtrakutas and took over Kuntala.[6]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901875,368—    
1911946,761+0.79%
1921900,267−0.50%
19311,058,959+1.64%
19411,215,953+1.39%
19511,490,446+2.06%
19611,843,102+2.15%
19712,233,369+1.94%
19812,588,139+1.49%
19913,231,057+2.24%
20013,849,543+1.77%
20114,317,756+1.15%
source:[7]
Religions in Solapur district (2011)[8]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 87.90%
Islam
 
 10.22%
Buddhism
 
 0.82%
Jainism
 
 0.65%
Other or not stated
 
 0.41%

According to the 2011 census Solapur District has a population of 4,317,756, the 43rd largest district in India by population (out of 640). The district has a population density of 290 inhabitants per square kilometre (750/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.1%. Solapur has a sex ratio of 932 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 77.72%. 32.40% of the population lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 15.05% and 1.80% of the population respectively.[9][10]

Languages of Solapur district (2011)[11]

  Marathi (73.13%)
  Kannada (9.28%)
  Hindi (6.47%)
  Telugu (4.49%)
  Urdu (3.94%)
  Lambadi (0.94%)
  Others (1.75%)

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, 3.94% Urdu and 0.94% Lambadi as their first language.[11][12]

Tehsils of Solapur District

Talukas

Solapur district is subdivided for administrative purposes into eleven talukas, which in turn comprise smaller divisions. The talukas are North Solapur, South Solapur, Akkalkot, Barshi, Mangalwedha, Pandharpur, Sangola, Malshiras, Mohol, Madha and Karmala.[13]

Administration

Notable people

Villages

References

  1. ↑ Sushant Kulkarni (3 July 2015). "Anti-Corruption Bureau: Pune Unit records highest number of bribery traps in state". The Indian Express. Pune. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Shri Mahadev Dada Tonpe, Mahavir Shah. "सोलापूर जिल्हा" [Solapur Jilha]. Solapur Pune Pravasi Sanghatna (in Marathi). Solapur. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Solapur District Geographical Information". Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
  4. ↑ Meena Menon (21 June 2006). "A dream come true for beedi workers of Solapur". The Hindu. Mumbai. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Roberts, L, Dorris, M. "Gumasta licence". Retrieved 29 December 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "District Gazetteers: Solapur". gazetteers.maharashtra.gov.in. Government of Maharashtra. 1977.
  7. ↑ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  8. ↑ "Population by Religion - Maharashtra". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  9. ↑ "District Census Hand Book – Solapur" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  10. ↑ "Gumasta License". Shopact Maharashtra. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Maharashtra". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  12. ↑ "Solapur census records". The Gezzeters department Solapur.
  13. ↑ "Geographical information" (PDF). Solapur district. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  14. ↑ "Top teacher wins $1m and gives half away". BBC News. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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