The name of Solapur is believed to be derived from the combination of the two Sanskrit words: Sola, meaning sixteen and pur meaning village. The present city of Solapur was considered to be spread over the sixteen villages of Aadilpur, Ahmedpur, Chapaldev, Fatehpur, Jamdarwadi, Kalajapur, Khadarpur, Khandervkiwadi, Muhammadpur, Ranapur, Sandalpur, Shaikpur, Solapur, Sonallagi, Sonapur and Vaidakwadi. All these villages are now merged into the Solapur Municipal Corporation. Located in the south-western region of Maharashtra, on the major rail and road route between Mumbai and Hyderabad, the city of Solapur has a total population of 9,51,000 and a literacy rate of over 82 percent. Marathi and Kannada are the widely spoken languages. Solapur District is one of the most urbanized districts of Maharashtra and about one third of the population lives in the urban areas. As per the 2011 census, the total population of the district is 4.3 million, the literacy rate is 77 percent and 44 percent are in the working age. 63 percent of the workers are employed in the agriculture sector, 4 percent in the household industry and 33 percent in services and industry. The major crops grown in the district include oilseeds, jowar, wheat, sugarcane and pomegranates. Solapur district has the highest number of sugar factories in India. Though the majority of the population works in the agriculture sector the region has good infrastructure for manufacturing and trade in Maharashtra. The first waste to energy electricity plant in Maharashtra is situated in Solapur. There are many small and medium scale industries engaged in beedi making, handloom, power loom and cotton mills. Solapur has the worlds second-largest and Asias largest spinning mill. Solapuri chadars are famous and the first product in Maharashtra to get a Geographical Indication tag. This region was ruled by the prominent kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas and Bahamani. The Siddheshwar Temple situated in the heart of the city in the midst of Bhuikot Fort is the main temple of the city.
