OSMANABAD

town, administrative headquarters of Osmanabad district, Maharashtra state, western India, north of Sholapur. Part of the ancient Yadava Hindu kingdom, it fell to Bahmani and Bijapur kingdoms in the 14th and 16th centuries and was later incorporated into the territories of the Nizams of Hyderabad. It became a part of the Indian Union in 1947. Cotton ginning and pressing are its chief industries. It has two colleges affiliated with Marathwada University. Osmanabad district (5,451 sq mi [14,117 sq km]) borders on Karnataka state. It occupies the Osmanabad plateau, which is drained by the Manjra River. Despite favourable annual rainfall, the district is sparsely populated. Most of the people are engaged in agriculture; the chief crops are millet, pulses, and oilseeds. Some cotton is grown, and it is the basis of the only large-scale industry. Osmanabad town, Latur, and Tuljapur (a Hindu pilgrimage centre) are the chief towns. Pop. (1981) town, 39,068; district, 2,230,620.