Solapur Tourism
The history of solapur is really amezing and since I was born & lived there for 20 years, it has much more importance in my life.Solapur
Solapur is a city of ‘Hutatmas’. A hutatma means a freedom fighter who lost their lives while fighting with British government.
Solapur have 4 hutatmas…Shri.Mallappa Dhanshetti, Shri.Kurban Hussain, Shri.Jagnnath Shinde and Shri.Kisan Sarda.
The importance of Solapur is unique in the history of India in the sense that this district enjoyed the freedom even before independence. The citizens of Solapur enjoyed the Independence for three days from 9th to 11th May 1930. After the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi in May 1930, protests and demonstrations against the British Rule were held throughout the India. Large scale rallies and protests were done at Solapur also. Many citizens lost their lives in the Police firings. Due to this the irate mob attacked the Police Stations. Out of fear the Police and other officers ran out of Solapur.
Secondly, the Solapur Municipal Council was the first Municipal Council of India to host the National Flag on the Municipal Council building (Now Municipal Corporation) Solapur in 1930. The brief history runs like this. Taking the spirit of Dandi March from Mahatma Gandhi, the freedom fighters of Solapur decided to host the National Flag on the Solapur Municipal Council. Accordingly, senior freedom fighter from Pune Shri.Annasaheb Bhopatkar hosted the National Flag on 6th April 1930 on Municipal Council. This was the first and the unique incidence of such kind throughout the country. The British rulers, due to irritation declared the Marshall Law at Solapur and arrested many leaders and innocent citizens on false charges. The freedom fighters Shri.Mallappa Dhanshetti, Shri.Kurban Hussain, Shri.Jagnnath Shinde and Shri.Kisan Sarda were arrested on charges of killing two Policemen of Mangalwar Police Station.The lower court sentenced the punishment of hanging till death for these freedom fighters. The High Court Solapuralso confirmed the same decision and these four freedom fighters were hanged till death on 12th January 1931, in the prison of Pune. This resulted in the city becoming recognized as “The City of Hutatmas”.
As a mark of respect to these freedom fighters, the statues of them have been installed in the heart of the city and the location has been named as.
How to Reach
It is situated at a distance of 410 Kms. from Mumbai and is well connected by rail and road. It falls on the Mumbai-Chennai and Mumbai-Hyderabad railway track.
Solapur is at a distance of 245 kms from Pune, 305 Kms. from Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh). The National Highways viz. NH-9, NH-13 and NH-211 pass through the city making Solapur on the frontline of the commercial map of India.
Solapur Food
Solapur is basically a religious abode for many people in India and Maharashtra. It is situated in a Hindu pilgrimage route, and caters to the pilgrims and tourists traveling to the neighboring state of Karnataka as well. So the restaurants available mainly offer a vegetarian cuisine. The names of the restaurants often have a religious meaning or something to do with the Hindu religion, like ‘Annapurna’, who is the Goddess of Anna, meaning food. In a wider sense she is a goddess who gives spiritual and material support to all who pray to her. Also the Restaurant ‘Upasana” in the Hotel “Tripursundari” has a religious connotation. Upasana is another word for meditation or worship of the deity.
There is a large range of hotels with restaurants catering to prices, which all can afford. Some luxurious places offer continental as well as Chinese food with their Indian delicacies. India is famous for its hospitality and guests at a restaurant are given individual attention and all their needs are looked after.
As I mentioned earlier, Solapur has many pilgrims, especially during the Hindu festivals. Often food is served to theSolapur pilgrims in the temples starting with simple rice, vegetables and lentils, but topped with a pudding, which is famous in Solapur and is called ‘lapshi’. It is made of broken wheat or cracked wheat mixed with jaggery or sugar. The wheat’s grainy texture lends this dish a special flavor.
One cannot find standard fast-food joints like Mac Donald’s and Pizza Hut, but the local fast food joints are called ‘Dhabas’, where meals are provided cooked in small hutments, or a make-shift garage, converted into a restaurant. A vegetarian meal with rice, Indian wheat bread, lentils, two types of vegetables and a pudding is called a ‘Thali’ and is more than enough to fill your stomach. Often food is unlimited and the guests get a refill as many times as they like. One of the famous dhabas is the Reliance A1 Dhaba and is frequented by bus-travelers or families and groups of students traveling by road.
Food kiosks, coffee shops and canteens are mushrooming in Solapur in close proximity of business centers and colleges and educational institutions. Today Solapur is a city frequented by business tourists. So there are various categories of hotels, from the 1-star to the 5-star ones, which can cater to all your needs. All these hotels serve typical food from Maharashtra, but tourists can ask for food that suits their taste as well.
