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Understand
The Word Solapur is believed to be derived from "SOLA" meaning sixteen in local language ( Marathi ) & "PUR" meaning village. Those sixteen villages were Aadilpur, Ahmedpur, Chapaldev, Fatehpur, Jamdarwadi, Kalajapur, Khadarpur, Khandervkiwadi, Muhammadpur, Ranapur, Sandalpur, Shaikpur, Solapur, Sonalagi, Sonapur and Vaidakwadi which are now united in Municipal Corporation of Solapur.
The district is having 11 Talukas and is surrounded by Ahmednagar and Osmanabad districts in the north, Osmanabad and Gulbarga (Karnataka State) in the East, Sangli and Bijapur (Karnataka State) in the South and Pune, Satara districts in the West.
Once well known for its textile heritage, still Solapur is a good place for shopping of Chaddars, Bedsheets & towels.
Talk
Marathi is widely spoken in Solapur. Apart from Marathi, lot of people can speak Kannada as well as Telugu. Almost everyone can understand Hindi ( though they may not be able to speak ) and English. But if you are coming from other country than India, it's better to hire a local guide who can speak Marathi.
Get in
Solapur is transport hub connecting Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is well connected by Road and Rail to major districts and cities.The national highways 9 ( Running between Pune and Hyderabad ), 13 ( Running Between Solapur and Chitradurga in Karnataka ) and 211 ( Running from Solapur to Aurangabad and further Dhule ) pass through Solapur city.
Solapur station is not a junction but nearby station Hotgi is a junction connecting Kurduwadi, Wadi & Bijapur.
There are daily trains running from Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore & Chennai to Solapur.
Get around
Solapur is a good place for religious people. You can visit Siddheshwar Temple. It will be a good experience if you visit it in winter afternoons. The Famous Vitthala Temple is in Pandharpur which is 93 km from Solapur. Also there is Swami Samarth Maharaj Temple at Akkalkot which is just 45 km from Solapur. Another temple of goddes Tuljabhavani is at Tuljapur which is 45 km from Solapur.
See
Some of the attractions could be Siddheshwar lake, Kambar Talaw (lake), Municipal Building etc. There is Maldhok wildlife Sanctuary in Nannaj near Solapur.
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