Dharwad


Dharwad is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merged with Hubballi in 1962 to form the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad. It covers an area of 213 km² and is located 430 km northwest of Bangalore, on NH-48, between Bangalore and Pune.

History

The Chalukyas ruled Dharwad during the 12th century. A stone inscription indicates that there was a ruler by the name of BhaskaraDeva in 1117. In the 14th century, the district was first overrun by the Bahmani Sultanate, after which it was annexed to the newly established Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, an official of which named Dhar Rao, according to local tradition, built the fort at Dharwad town in 1403. After the defeat of the king of Vijayanagar at Talikot, Dharwad was for a few years practically independent under its Hindu governor; but in 1573 the fort was captured by the sultan of Bijapur, Adil Shah, and Dharwad was annexed to his dominions. Adil Shah built a fort in an area later called Manna Killa, and later Nazratabad. With this fort, the strategic importance of Dharwad increased and it attracted the attention of subsequent conquerors, including Aurangzeb, Shivaji, Aurangzeb's son Muhammad Muazzam known as Bahadur Shah I or Shah Alam, the seventh Mughal emperor, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and finally the British colonizers.
In 1685, the fort was taken by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and Dharwad, on the break-up of the Mughal empire, fell under the sway of the Maratha Peshwa of Pune. In 1764, the province was overrun by Hyder Ali of the Mysore, who in 1778 captured the fort of Dharwad. The fort was retaken in 1791 by the Marathas. After the final defeat of the Peshwa by the British in 1818, Dharwar was incorporated into the territory of the British East India Company's Bombay Presidency. During the early 19th century, when the British were expanding their domains, they faced a lot of opposition from local rulers, including Baba Saheb of Naragund and Kittur Chennamma. Dharwad was independent before 1947.

Geography

Climate

Hubli-Dharwad has a tropical wet and dry climate. Summers are hot and dry, lasting from late February to early June. They are followed by the monsoon season, with moderate temperatures and a large amount of precipitation. Temperatures are fairly moderate from late October to early February, with virtually no rainfall. Hubli is 750 meters above sea level. The average yearly rainfall is 838 mm.

Demographics

The population of the twin cities as per provisional figures of Census 2011 is 943,857 and is urban. Hubli-Dharwad's population increased 22.99% between 1981 and 1991, from 527,108 to 648,298, and by 21.2% between 1991 and 2001. The municipality covers 213 sq. km.

Economy

Hubli is one of the commercial hubs of Karnataka. It is the fourth largest city in terms of economy after Bangalore, Mangalore & Mysore. It has a wide cluster of industries and has more than a lakh small and medium industries. The Government of India has set up a Software Technology Park of India on Pune–Bengaluru Road and Aryabhata Tech Park in Navanagar region of Hubli. The city is situated on the dividing line between Malnad and the Deccan plateau. Malnad is well known for its forests and forest-based industries and the other three sides are known for their agricultural products including cotton, groundnut and oil seeds, as well as manganese ore and granite.
The establishment of a new-generation diesel locomotive shed in the city by Indian Railways was another major boost for development of industries in this region, as it was first of its kind in Indian Railways history. The diesel locomotive shed at Hubli is the largest holder of EMD locomotives in India and was set up in 1880.

Civic administration

was constituted in 1962 by combining two cities separated by a distance of 20 kilometers. The area covered by the corporation is 213 km². spread over 45 revenue villages. The population of the city as per the 1991 census was 7 lakhs. The population of Hubli-Dharwad is 943,857 according to 2011 Census.There has been a huge demand by people of Dharwad to create a separate civic body and get itself detached by HDMC.Claims are that most of the funds are allocated to Hubli solely.
Hubballi is well known as a commercial as well as industrial centre, whereas Dharwad is seat of learning. Popularly believed that, it is this diversity and geographical positions that the state government amalgamated the two cities.
The twin-city corporation occupies unique place in Karnataka State. After the capital city of Bangalore, this is the largest city Corporation in the State.

Economy

Industrial and business development

Hubballi-Dharwad is a developing industrial hub in Karnataka after Bangalore & Mangalore, with more than 1000 allied small and medium industries established in Gokul Road and Tarihal regions of Hubli. There are machine tools industries, electrical, steel furniture, food products, rubber and leather industries, and tanning industries.
To promote the overall economic development of industries, institutions and businesses, the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce & Industry was formed. It is one of the premier associations, which has been gaining momentum in achieving potential growth and prosperity in Hubli region. One key aspect of industrialisation for Hubballi-Dharwad was foundation of Agricultural Produce Market Committee, which aimed at providing hassle-free market conditions for farmers, to establish regulated and stimulated production of agricultural related commodities and goods.

Education institutions