Hubli

Hubli
Metropolis
Hubballi
Rani Chennamma Circle, Hubballi
Nickname(s): Chota Mumbai,[1]
Hubli Location of Hubballi Show map of Karnataka Hubli Hubli (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 15°21′42″N 75°05′06″E / 15.36167°N 75.08500°E / 15.36167; 75.08500Coordinates: 15°21′42″N 75°05′06″E / 15.36167°N 75.08500°E / 15.36167; 75.08500
Country	India
State	Karnataka
Government
• Mayor	Sri D K Chavan
Area
• Total	213 km2 (82 sq mi)
Elevation	671 m (2,201 ft)
Population (2011)	943,857
• Rank	50(India) Rank - 2nd (Karnataka)
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
Pincode(s)	580001 - 580064 (incl. Dharwad west end)
Area code(s)	+91-0836
Vehicle registration	KA 25 (Navanagar RTO) KA 63 (Gabbur RTO)
Official language	Kannada
Website	http://www.hdmc.mrc.gov.in

Hubli (also called Hubballi) is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka. It forms a continuous urban area with the city of Dharwad. Hubballi-Dharwad is the largest conurbation in the state after capital Bangalore.

The name "Hubballi" literally means "flowering creeper" in Kannada^[2]. While Dharwad is the administrative headquarters, the city of Hubli, situated about 20 km south-east of Dharwad, is the commercial centre and business hub of North Karnataka region. Crops including cotton, chili pepper and peanuts are grown in the surrounding rural agricultural areas, and Hubli is a major trading centre for these commodities. It is also an important city for the Indian Railways, as it is the headquarters for South Western Railway zone and the Hubli Railway Division. Hubballi is a major railway junction in North Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation.

Hubballi also houses the largest number of government offices outside Bengaluru^[3]. In 2016, Hubli-Dharwad was selected for solar city / green city master plans.^[4] Recently, Hubballi-Dharwad City was selected for a smart city project.

History

Rayara Hubli, also called 'Eleya Purvada Halli' or 'Purballi', was the old Hubli, where there is a Bhavani Shankara temple and Jain basti. 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.

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.^[5]

The impressive Chandramauleshwara/Chaturlinga temples in Unkal are from Chalukyan times.

Demographics

The population of Hubli-Dharwad, as per provisional census 2011 figures, is 1,349,563.^[6] 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 corporation covers 202 km². It is the second largest and second most populated city in the state of Karnataka. It has a large floating population of over 2 lakh, which stands second after Bangalore in Karnataka. Kannada is the major language spoken in the city. The average literacy rate of the city stands at 86.79%, of which Male literacy is 91.12% and female literacy is 84.44%^[7]

Geography

Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation

Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) was constituted in 1962 by combining the two cities separated by a distance of 20 kilometers. The area covered by the corporation is 202.3 km² spread over 45 revenue villages and is the second largest city corporation in Karnataka after Bengalooru. The population of the city as per the 1991 census was 700,000. The present population is more than 1.2 million. Hubli Municipal Council was established under the Government of India Act of 1850, and the Dharwad Municipal Council first came into existence on 1 January 1856. Both were merged later. ^[11][11]

Economy

Hubli is the commercial hub of Karnataka. It has a wide cluster of industries and has more than a lakh small and medium industries.^[12] 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.^[13] The agricultural produce market of Hubli at Amargol is one of the largest markets in Asia and the cotton market of Hubli is among the largest in India.

Wallace Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. has established its manufacturing unit at Dharwad, near Hubli.^[14]Pune based MNC company Bharat Forges will setup mechanics producing unit in mammigati near hubli-dharwad

Education

B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology

Hubballi, along with Dharwad, its twin city, is a major education center in Karnataka, housing a number of renowned educational institutions:

• The Karnatak University, Dharwad, a major university in Karnataka, was set up in 1949.

• The University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, was set up in 1986.

• The Karnataka State Law University was established in Hubballi. All the law colleges in Karnataka are regulated from here.

• The Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubballi, was set up in 1957 and is in the forefront of research and education in the field of medical sciences. The institute also houses one of the largest hospitals in India.

• The KLE Technological University Hubli, one of the famous engineering colleges in India, was set up in 1947.

• The Indian Institute Of Technology Dharwad, Dharwad, was set up in 2016.

• The Indian Institute of Information Technology, Dharwad, was set up in 2015.

• The Research Centre for DNA Diagnostics was also set up in the district.

Transport

Hubballi Airport

Air

Hubli Airport (IATA: HBX, ICAO: VOHB) is one of the major operational airports serving north Karnataka and is an international airport. The airport was upgraded to 300 pax per time, but owing to the increased number of passengers, there is a proposal to upgrade it to another 300 pax. Hubballi is well connected to major cities in India by air, including Bengalooru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Kochi and Mangalooru. Air India, Spicejet, Indigo and Alliance Air are currently operating flights to and from these destinations. Star Air is expected to start its services to Delhi (Hindon), Pune and Tirupati from November, 2018. ^[15]

Rail

The city currently has 4 stations and one Junction. The Hubli Junction railway station is the main railway station in the city with a built up area of 161460 sq.ft. .The other stations are Hubballi South, Unkal, Amargol and Navalur. 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 express, superfast (most notably the Siddhaganga Intercity Express) and Jan Shatabdi trains ply between Hubli and Bangalore every day. Hubli, an important railway junction, has daily trains connecting with major towns across the country.^[16]

South Western Railway headquarters, Hubli railway station

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hubli.

• Hubli - Dharwad Municipal Corporation
• Hubli-Dharwad
• Hubli at Curlie (based on DMOZ)