HUBLI
HUBLI
Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by size and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is located in Dharwad district of Karnataka and is the taluk headquarters of Hubli City and Hubli Rural. Although it hosts the HDMC office, the district headquarters is located in Dharwad.
It also houses the largest number of government offices outside Bangalore. In 2016, Hubli-Dharwad was selected for solar city / green city master plans. In 2017, government of India included Hubli-Dharwad city for a smart city project, a flagship scheme for overall development of infrastructure in the twin-cities
HISTORY
Rayara Hubli, also called ‘Eleya Purvada Halli’ or ‘Purballi’, was the old Hubli, where there is a Bhavani Shankara temple and Jain basati. Under Vijayanagara Rayas, Rayara Hubli grew as a commercial centre, famous for trade in cotton, saltpetre and iron. Under the rule of the Adilshahis, the British opened a factory here. The factory was looted by Shivaji in 1673. The Mughals conquered Rayara Hubli and it was then placed under the governance of the Nawab of Savanur, who built a new extension named Majidpura. Later, trader Basappa Shettar built new Hubli around the Durgadabail (fort maidan) part of Rayara Hubli.[citation needed]
Hubli’s famous Moorusavira Matha is claimed to have been established by a Sharana of Basaveshwara’s period. Hubli was conquered by the Marathas from the Nawab of Savanur in 1755–56. In the following years, Hubli was conquered by Hyder Ali, only to be recaptured by the Marathas in 1790. At this point in time, the old town was administered by a person named Phadke under the Peshwas and the new town was under the administration of the Sangli Patwardhan. The British took Old Hubli from the Peshwas in 1817. The new town, with 47 other villages, was handed over to the British by the Sangli Patwardhan in lieu of subsidy in 1820. Later in 1880, the British started the Railway workshop and with this, Hubli came to be reckoned as an industrial centre in this part of India.
The impressive Chandramauleshwara temple in Unkal is from Chalukyan times. The Sufi shrine, Sayed Fathesha Wali, was visited by Tipu Sultan.
Etymology
The name Hubballi comes from Kannada Hoovina Balli which means “Flowering creeper” in Kannada. Hubli is the anglicised version of Hubballi.
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 640 meters above sea level. The average yearly rainfall is 838 mm
Economy
Hubli is one of the commercial hubs of Karnataka. 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–Bangalore 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 oilseeds, 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 the development of industries in this region, as it was the 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
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 by 22.99% between 1981 and 1991, from 527,108 to 648,298, and by 21.2% between 1991 and 2001. The municipality covers 213 km2
Education
Hubli, is an education centre in Karnataka, housing several educational institutions:
- KLE Technological University, set up in 1947
- Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli, set up in 1957; also houses one of the largest hospitals in India
- Karnataka State Law University, Hubli; all the law colleges in
- Karnataka are regulated from here
- KLE Institute of Technology, set up in 2008
- Nehru Arts, Science and Commerce College
Transport
Air
Hubli Airport (IATA: HBX, ICAO: VOHB) is a domestic airport serving the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad and North Karnataka in the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on Gokul Road, 8 kilometres from city centre and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Dharwad. It is the third busiest airport in Karnataka after Bangalore and Mangalore (both are international airports), the 45th busiest airport in India. In March 2020, Hubli airport received the best airport award under government of India’s Regional connectivity scheme. Hubli airport connects to 10 destinations throughout the country. Efforts are being taken to upgrade it to international standards
Rail
The city currently has four stations and one Junction. The Hubli Junction railway station is the main railway station in the city with a built-up area of 161,460 sq. ft. In September 2020, the union cabinet has approved the change of the station name to ‘Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station – Hubballi’.[23][24] The other stations are Hubli South, Hubli East, Unkal, and Amargol. Hubli is the headquarters of the South Western Railway zone. It was carved out as a zone from the current South Central Railway. It is the centre for the Hubli Division. The Hubli Division is one of the highest revenue-generating divisions in India. Hubli is well-connected by the Indian Rail Network. Several trains ply between Hubli and Bangalore every day. Hubli, an important railway junction, has daily trains connecting with major towns across the country. In November 2019, the work for extending a platform was undertaken by the Railways at the estimated cost of 90 Cr. According to railway officials, the length of the renewed platform is estimated at 1,400 meters, which would be longest in the world.The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020. Hubballi also has a Heritage Rail museum. The Indian Railways currently has 11 railway museums across the country. For bringing glory to the proposed Rail Museum, narrow-gauge Railway Rolling Stocks, from different Railways are being displayed and work is moving at a rapid pace. It is proposed to collect photographs of Rail network going back to the 19th and early 20th century so that all old memories of Rail Journey can be part of the photo gallery in the proposed Rail Heritage Museu
Road
Hubli lies on the “Golden Quadrilateral”. Asian Highway 47 passes through Hubli. It lies on National Highway 63 (Ankola–Gooty) and National Highway 218 (Hubli–Humnabad), which connect Hubli with major cities in the region. NWKRTC (North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation) is a state-run corporation headquartered at Hubli. A semi ring road connecting NH4 (Pune–Bangalore), NH67 (Ankola–Gooty) and NH218 (Hubli–Humnabad) is already under construction.