Dharwad
Dharwad, also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the northwestern 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 and is located northwest of Bangalore, on NH-48, between Bangalore and Pune.
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.
Etymology
The word "Dharwad" is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dwarawata', 'dwara', meaning "door" and 'wata' or 'wada' meaning "town." It means a place of rest in a long travel or a small habitation. For centuries, Dharwad acted as a resting place for travelers and a gateway between the Malenadu and the Bayalu Seeme.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 "Dharav", according tolocal tradition, built the fort at Dharwad town in 1403. After the defeat of the king of Vijayanagar in the Battle of Talikota, 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, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb's son Bahadur Shah I, 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 Nargund and Kittur Chennamma.
Geography
Climate
Hubli-Dharwad has a tropical wet and dry climate. Summers are relatively mild 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. Dharwad is 750 meters above sea level. The average yearly rainfall is.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 Hubli-Dharwad municipality covers.Culture
Dharwad has earned the reputation of being called as 'Cultural Capital of Karnataka'. Dharwad Region's Cultural Life blossomed with some of the finest Poets, Writers, and Thinkers at the beginning 20th century. Hindustani Classical Music is a genre that inspires a possessive devotion among people from the region. Dharwad city is known for karnatic music, art, culture, musicians, poets, writers and cuisine.Literature
Dharwad has nurtured some of the best writers in Kannada, and has many iconic places that bear an association with the Language and State’s Culture. Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha also played a crucial role in bringing literary enthusiasts together.Places such as Sadhankeri in front of Varakavi D R Bendre’s house is that serene location from which the poet drew inspiration to write his poems.
Dharwad has the reputation of earning 3 Jnanpith Awardees in Karnataka. Da Ra Bendre, V.K. Gokak, Girish Karnad.
- Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre popularly known as Da Ra Bendre is generally considered as one of the greatest Kannada lyric poets of the 20th century. Da Ra Bendre wrote with the pen name ‘Ambikatanayadatta’. Da Ra Bendre described Sadhankeri as a place of inspiration for his poems praising the beauty of nature. He was honored with the Padma Shri award in 1968 and his collection of poems ‘Naaku Tanti’ earned him the Jnanapeeta Award.
- Vinayaka Krishna Gokak was a major writer in the Kannada language and a scholar of English and Kannada Literature. His epic ‘Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi’ has earned him Jnanapeeta Award in 1990. He completed his education at Majid High School, Savanur, and attended the Karnataka College, Dharwad where he studied Literature.
- Girish Karnad was an Indian Actor, Film Director, and Kannada writer. He was awarded the Jnanapeeta Award for his immense contributions to Kannada Literature and Theatre in 1998. Girish Karnad had earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Statistics from Karnatak Arts College, Dharwad.
Fine Arts
Recognizing the immense contribution of Dharwad towards the Music, Literature, and Arts field, Central Government has decided to set up Lalitha Kala Akademy Regional Centre in Dharwad. The Lalitha Kala Akademy will act as a catalyst for artists to get equal exposure as some of the bigger cities artists get and will make Art Field more vibrant in North Karnataka region.
Cuisine
Jolada rotti is a very popular and very common diet in Dharwad city it is part of the staple diet of most of the districts of North Karnataka, where it is eaten with pulse curries such as jhunka, yengai, shenga chutney or other assorted chutnies. Jowar rotti is also called as jawarichi bhakri in neighbouring Maharastra.Dharwad peda is a sweet delicacy prepared of milk and sugar which has been accorded Geographical Indication.
Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation
Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation was constituted in 1962 by combining the two cities separated by a distance of 20 kilometres. The area covered by the corporation is spread over 45 revenue villages and is the second-largest city corporation in Karnataka state. The population of the city as per the 1991 census was 700,000. The population of Hubli-Dharwad is 1,158,000. Hubli Municipal Council was established under the Government of India Act 1850, and the Dharwad Municipal Council first came into existence on 1 January 1856. Both were merged later forming Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation The headquarters of HDMC is situated in Hubballi, comprising 82 members covering four Vidhan Sabha Constituencies of Hubli-Dharwad. There has been a huge demand by the 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.On January 2, 2025 the Karnataka state cabinet declared the separation of Hubballi Dharwad municipal corporation, formation of new municipal corporation for the city of Dharwad.
Transport
Road
is a bus rapid transit system built to serve the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad, located in the North-Western part of Karnataka state in India. Hubli-Dharwad BRTS project is a Government of Karnataka initiative to foster long-term economic growth in the region. The project promotes fast, safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable public transportation between the twin cities and aims to reduce congestion and air pollution in the region. But it has severely affected the private traffic, by restricting the lanes. Many don't approve the project, as BRTS system has failed in many cities across India, for example both in Pune and Delhi.The length of the Hubli-Dharwad BRTS corridor is from CBT Hubli to CBT–Dharwad with the width of the cross-sections ranging from. The BRTS corridor includes segregated bus lanes, access-controlled bus stations, physical and fare integration with BRT feeder services, off-board ticketing through smart cards and bar-coded paper tickets, an intelligent transport system and high-quality buses. The corridor is designed for operating regular and express services. It consists of two lanes for BRTS buses on either side of the median bus station facilitating overtaking lanes for express services. Foot overbridges at six locations, PELICAN signals, and synchronised signal management are proposed to facilitate the easy approach of passengers to bus stations.