Solapur (IPA: [Slpr]) (About this sound pronunciation (helpinfo)) is a city located in the south-eastern region of Indian state of Maharashtra.[6][7] Solapur is located on major road and rail routes between Mumbai and Hyderabad, with a branch line to the cities of Bijapur (now known as Vijayapur) and Gadag in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.[8] It is classified as a 2 Tier and B-2 class city by House Rent Allowance (HRA) classification by the Government of India.[9] It is 49th-most-populous city in India and 43rd-largest urban agglomeration.[10] Solapur has speakers of Marathi and Kannada.[11] Solapur is the fourth-largest district in Maharashtra in terms of land area, and seventh-largest in terms of population and 43 largest populated district in India[12] The district shares its borders with the indian state of Karnataka. Solapur district has the highest number of sugar factories (total 33) in India.[13][14] Solapur leads Maharashtra in production of Indian cigarettes or Beedi.[15][16] Solapuri Chadars and towels are famous in India and also at a global level,[17][18] however there has been a significant decline in their exports due to quality reasons.[19] Solapuri chadars are the famous and first product in Maharashtra to get a Geographical Indication tag[20][21] It has been a leading centre for cotton mills and power looms in Maharashtra. Solapur had the world's second-largest and Asia's largest spinning mill.[22] The National Research Centre on Pomegranate (NRCP) of India is located in Solapur.[23][24][25] and also the pomegranate farming is done on a large scale in Solapur District.[26] The Science Centre in Kegaon (Solapur) is the third largest and prominent scientific association in Maharashtra.[27][28] 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.[29][30][31][32] The first waste-to-energy electricity plant in Maharashtra is situated in Solapur.[33][34][35][36][37] The Gramadevata (Chief deity) of the city is Shri Shivyogi Siddheshwar.[38][39] The "Nandidhwaj" procession on the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti 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.[40][41] In 1992, the Solapur Municipal Corporation extended its area up to 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) by merging its suburbs.[42] Solapur district is famous for Solapuri Chaddar (is a cotton bed sheet is a cotton bed sheet), towels etc. Nowadays Rapier Terry Towel Looms also introduced in the manufacturing sector.
