SHOLAPUR

town, administrative headquarters of Sholapur district, Maharashtra state, western India, on the Sina River. In early centuries the town belonged to the Hindu Calukyas and Devagiri Yadavas but later became part of the Bahmani and Bijapur kingdoms. Located on major road and rail routes between Pune (Poona) and Hyderabad with branch lines to the south, the town developed as a commercial centre for cotton and agricultural produce. It is also an industrial centre, second only to Bombay as a cotton textile centre. There are ruins of the old Muslim fort. Sholapur district (5,800 sq mi [15,021 sq km]) comprises a low, undulating plateau with no major hills. The Bhima River (tributary of the Krishna) and two major tributariesthe Nira and Sinadrain the district. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture, but uncertain rainfall causes occasional famine. Wheat, millet, and cotton are the principal crops; sugarcane is grown under irrigation. Cigarette and oil-cake manufacture and handloom weaving are the major industries. Pandharpur is an important religious centre. Pop. (1981) town, 511,103; metropolitan area, 514,860; district, 2,610,144.