South India · Karnataka
Hubli, Karnataka
Sources: wikimedia
About Hubli
- Inland
Where it is
Hubli, officially Hubballi, is a commercial city in north-western Karnataka that forms a twin city with Dharwad, lying where the forested Malnad country gives way to the Deccan plateau.
History
The old town of Rayara Hubli grew under the Vijayanagara Empire as a trading centre for cotton, saltpetre and iron. The Marathas held it in the mid-18th century and the British took it from the Peshwas in 1817, after which the railway and the cotton trade made it the commercial hub of north Karnataka. It is now the headquarters of the South Western Railway.
People
Kannada in its north Karnataka form is the main language, and Marathi and Urdu are also spoken. The Hubli and Dharwad area has a rich tradition of Hindustani classical music, having produced singers such as Gangubai Hangal, and Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on a grand scale.
Known for
- The world's longest railway platform
- Chandramouleshwara Temple at Unkal
- Unkal Lake
- Siddharoodha Math
- Dharwad peda from the twin city
Did you know?
Platform 1 at Hubballi Junction, the station named after the saint Siddharoodha Swami, is 1,507 m long and was recognised in 2023 as the longest railway platform in the world.
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