[7][8] Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch line to the cities of Kalaburagi and Vijayapura in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.
[9] It is classified as A1 Tier and B-1 class city by House Rent Allowance (HRA) classification by the Government of India.
[12][13] Solapuri Chadars and towels are famous not only in India but also at a global level,[14][15] however there has been a significant decline in their exports due to quality issues.
[23] The Science Centre in Kegaon (Solapur) is the third largest and prominent scientific association in Maharashtra.
[35][36] The "Nandi-dhawaj" 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.
The Solapur (anciently called sonnalage) District was ruled by various dynasties such as Andhrabhratyas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas and Bahamanis.
Siddheshwar of the time of the Kalachuri (Basavakalyan) suggest that the town was called "Sonnalage" which came to be pronounced as "Sonnalagi".
[44] 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.
It is evident from the inscriptions of Shivayogi Lord Siddheshwar 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'.
Taking the spirit of Dandi March from Mahatma Gandhi, the freedom fighters of Solapur hoisted the National Flag on 6 April 1930 on the Municipal Council building.
[52] However, this resulted in the executions of Mallappa Dhanshetti, Abdul Rasool Qurban Hussein, Jagannath Bhagwan Shinde and Shrikisan Laxminarayan Sarada, who were hanged by the British Government on 12 January 1931, in the prison at Pune.
The rise of Moghul rule and there after Britishers who came to India for doing cloth business has lot of impact on weaving technology.
Solapur is a city with tri-linguistic blend of Marathi, Kannada and Telugu language multi-cultural features.
It is situated at a distance of 410 km (250 mi) from the Maharashtra State Capital of Mumbai by road and train.
[62] Although summer does not end until May or even the midst of June, the city often receives locally developed heavy thundershowers in May (although humidity remains high).
Solapur lies very close to the seismically active zone around Killari, Latur District, about 100 km (62 mi) east of the city.
[64] 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.
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.
[66] Solapur is located at an important junction of the north–south railway line which provides good transportation infrastructure for trade and industry.
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.
City has many national and internal brands, malls and outlets such as D-Marts, Zudio, Westside, Dominos, McDonalds, etc.
There are also many jewellery brands in city such as PNG, Shingavi, Poona Gadgil and Sons, Tanishq, Malabar, etc.
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.
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.
[82] 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.
The Solapur airport has been developed at an estimated cost of Rs 65 crore to operate Code- B- type of aircraft.
The artworks installed inside the Terminal building glorify and showcase the rich art, architecture and culture of Solapur City.
The paintings at different locations in the terminal showcasing the Lavani dance form, the images of various traditional musical instruments of Maharashtra and 'Pandharpur Wari' work displays to make the passengers informed and enchanted with the enriched cultural heritage, rooted tradition and religious beliefs of the city.
With the new Airport, Solapur anticipates heightened connectivity, promising increased business opportunities and tourism growth in the region.