Hubballi

Hubballi, officially known as Hubli, is a city located in the Indian state of Karnataka within Dharwad district. The twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad together form the second largest urban agglomeration and municipality in Karnataka by area and population, as well as the largest city in North Karnataka.

A historical turning point for the locality occurred in 1880, when the British initiated a railway workshop. Prior to this industrial advancement, Rayara Hubli—also referred to as Purballi or Eleya Purvada Halli—developed as a commercial center famed for trade in iron, saltpetre, and cotton under the Vijayanagara Rayas. Following centuries of shifting governance involving the Adilshahis, the Mughals, the Nawab of Savanur, the Marathas, and Hyder Ali, administrative control over the old and new towns eventually transferred to the British by 1820. The launch of the 1880 railway workshop fundamentally transformed the area, establishing Hubballi as a prominent industrial center in this region of India.

Today, the city serves as the taluk headquarters for Hubli City and Hubli Rural, housing numerous government offices outside the state capital. The settlement features historic landmarks including the 11th-century Bhavani Shankar Temple and the Chalukyan-era Chandramauleshwara Temple in Unkal.

Hubballi, officially designated as Hubli, functions as a prominent urban center situated in the Indian state of Karnataka. Positioned within the Dharwad district at an elevation of 627 meters, the municipality operates under the Asia/Kolkata timezone with geographic coordinates of latitude 15.34776 and longitude 75.13378.

The historical turning point for Hubli occurred in 1880 when the British established a railway workshop in the settlement. This decisive industrial intervention transformed the locality into a recognized manufacturing hub within the region, building upon a long heritage of commerce that previously saw trade in cotton, saltpetre, and iron under the Vijayanagara Rayas, alongside structural expansions by the Adilshahis, Mughals, and the Nawab of Savanur.

Originally known as Rayara Hubli, Eleya Purvada Halli, or Purballi, the old settlement traces its roots to the 11th century, a timeline verified by an inscription located inside the Bhavani Shankar Temple, which stands as the oldest temple in the city. Over subsequent centuries, the locale underwent frequent administrative shifts, enduring conquests by Shivaji in 1673, the Marathas, and Hyder Ali, before British administration took formal control of Old Hubli from the Peshwas in 1817 and the new town from the Sangli Patwardhan in 1820.

Today, the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad comprise the second largest municipality and urban agglomeration in Karnataka by area and population, as well as the largest urban area in North Karnataka. The urban population stands at 943,788 inhabitants, utilizing the INR currency and engaging with a diverse array of recognized languages including en-IN, hi, bn, te, mr, ta, ur, gu, kn, ml, or, pa, as, bh, sat, ks, ne, sd, kok, doi, mni, sit, sa, fr, lus, and inc. Administrative operations are supported by the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, an entity established in 1962 under the Government of India Act of 1850. Furthermore, modern planning initiatives have recognized the municipal significance of the twin cities, leading to selection for solar and green city master plans in 2016 and inclusion in a national smart city infrastructure project in 2017.