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Solapur, also spelled Sholapur, is a city in south-western Maharashtra, India, near the Karnataka border, famous for its Solapuri chaddar cotton blankets, the lakeside Siddheshwar Temple and the old Bhuikot Fort. It is also the base for pilgrimages to the Vithoba Temple at Pandharpur, the shrine of Swami Samarth at Akkalkot and the Tulja Bhavani Temple at Tuljapur.
The city's guardian deity is Siddheshwar, a 12th-century Lingayat saint who attained samadhi here in 1167, and the Bhuikot Fort beside his temple passed between the Bahmani, Bijapur and Ahmednagar sultanates. Solapur's mix of Marathi, Kannada and Telugu speakers reflects its place close to the borders of three states.
Solapur grew into a leading textile centre, once home to Asia's largest spinning mill, and its chaddars were the first product in Maharashtra to win a Geographical Indication tag. Around the city lie the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary at Nannaj, the Naldurg Fort, the Ujani Dam on the Bhima River and the Kamala Bhavani Temple at Karmala.
Siddheshwar Temple in Solapur honours Siddheshwar, a 12th-century devotee of Shiva revered in the Lingayat faith as the guardian deity of the city, who attained samadhi on this site in 1167. Set beside a lake, its courtyard holds 68 Shiva lingas he is said to have installed and his marble samadhi.
Siddheshwar Lake lies in Solapur beside the Siddheshwar Temple, with the walls of Bhuikot Fort on its banks. Managed with the temple since 1899 by the Shri Siddheshwar Devsthan Panch Committee, it is the setting for the 15-day Gadda Yatra fair held around Makar Sankranti in January.
Bhuikot Fort is a ground fort on the banks of Siddheshwar Lake, one of the main sights of Solapur. Its outer walls are said to have been added by Mahmud Gawan of the Bahmani Sultanate, and in the 16th century it was the setting of a royal wedding between the Adil Shahi and Nizam Shahi dynasties.
Solapuri Chaddar is a cotton blanket woven in Solapur, known for its bold designs and durability, once made on hand looms and now on Jacquard machines. It was the first product from Maharashtra to win a Geographical Indication tag, and the city's weavers sell it across India and abroad.
The Vithoba Temple in Pandharpur, about 70 km west of Solapur, is the main shrine of Vithoba, a form of Vishnu, and the most visited temple in Maharashtra. Warkari pilgrims walk here in processions for the Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi festivals, and devotees may touch the feet of the idol.
The Swami Samarth Temple in Akkalkot, 38 km southeast of Solapur, honours Shri Swami Samarth, a 19th-century saint believed by his devotees to be an incarnation of Dattatreya. He lived in Akkalkot for over two decades, and his samadhi and shrine are now the town's main attraction.
Tulja Bhavani Temple in Tuljapur, 45 km northeast of Solapur, is a 12th-century Hindu temple to the goddess Bhavani, built by Maradadeva of the Kadamba dynasty. Counted among the 51 Shakti Pithas, it is one of the four great Shakti Pithas of Maharashtra and stands on the Yamunachala hill.
Kamala Bhavani Temple in Karmala, in the north of Solapur district, was built in 1727 by Rao Raje Nimbalkar and is considered the second seat of Tulja Bhavani. Built in the Hemadpanthi style, it is famed for the number 96: it has 96 pillars, a step well of 96 steps and 96 images on its top.
Naldurg Fort, about 45 km northeast of Solapur, is a medieval fort enclosing a basalt knoll above the Bori River, ringed by walls with many bastions. Held in turn by the Bahmanis, the Adil Shahis, the Mughals and the Nizam, it is known for its Pani Mahal, built into a dam across the river.
Akkalkot New Palace stands in Akkalkot, 38 km southeast of Solapur, the former capital of the princely state of Akkalkot ruled by the Bhonsale dynasty. Its Royal Armory Museum, a popular attraction, shows the collection gathered by Fattehsing Bhosle, who ruled Akkalkot from 1894 to 1923.
The Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary near Solapur, set up in 1979 and centred on the grasslands of Nannaj, protects the rare great Indian bustard in a drought-prone, semi-arid land of thorn scrub. The birds were first recorded here in 1972, which led the ornithologist Salim Ali to begin research.
Ujani Dam, also called the Bhima Dam, is an earth and masonry dam on the Bhima River in Solapur district, completed in 1980. At 56.4 m high it is the largest dam in the Bhima valley, and its reservoir irrigates farms across the district and helps protect the pilgrim town of Pandharpur from floods.
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