Dharawad
| Dharwad | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Nickname(s): Pedha Nagari, Hubballi-Dharwad City, Dharanagari, Vidya Kashi. | |
 Dharwad
|
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| Coordinates: 15°27′30″N 75°00′30″E / 15.45833°N 75.00833°ECoordinates: 15°27′30″N 75°00′30″E / 15.45833°N 75.00833°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Karnataka |
| District | Dharwad |
| Named for | Education Hub, Major Industries |
| Area | |
| • Total | 200.23 km2 (77.31 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 750.75 m (2,463.09 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Vehicle registration | KA-25, KA-63 |
| Website | www |
Dharwad is the district headquarters of Dharwad district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was merged with the city of Hubballi in 1961 to form the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad. It covers an area of 200.23 km² and is located 425 km northwest of Bengaluru, on NH-48, between Bengaluru and Pune.
The word "Dharwad" means a place of rest in a long travel or a small habitation. For centuries, Dharwad acted as a gateway between the Malenadu (western mountains) and the Bayalu seeme (plains) and it became a resting place for travellers. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dwarawata', 'dwara' meaning "door" and 'wata' or 'wada' meaning "town".
A different theory suggests that during the Vijayanagara rule of Dharwad there was a ruler by name "of Dharav" (1403), and Dharwad got its name from him. There are some inscriptions that refer to Dharwad as Kampana Sthana.
Inscriptions found near Durga Devi temple in Narendra (a nearby village) and RLS High School date back to the 12th century and have references to Dharwad. This makes Dharwad at least 900 years old. Also, there is an inscription at Hanuman Temple at Bankapur lake near Garag (a village about 18 km from Dharwad).
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 Dhar Rao, according to local tradition, built the fort at Dharwad town in 1403. After the defeat of the king of Vijayanagar at Talikot (1565), 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 thus attracted the attention of subsequent conquerors, including Aurangzeb, Shivaji, Aurangzeb's son Mu Azam, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and finally the British colonizers.
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Wikipedia