Osmanabad, officially known as Dharashiv, is a city and municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city is the administrative headquarters of Osmanabad district. It is the seventh largest city in Marathwada and the 39th largest city in Maharashtra in terms of population.
Osmanabad takes its name from the last ruler of Hyderabad, the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, of which the region was a part until 1948. According to historical evidence, the district was ruled by Mauryas, Satavahanas, Rashtrakutas and Yadavas. In the early centuries, the city belonged to the Hindu Chalukyas and Devagiri Yadavas, but later became part of the Bahmani and Bijapur kingdoms.
For a time, Osmanabad was also ruled by the Mughal, Bahmani, Nizam and Adil Shah kingdoms. Before the rule of Hyderabad Nizam, it was under the control of Mughal king Aurangzeb. Being under the Nizam's rule, the district did not celebrate its freedom when the rest of India gained its independence in 1947. However, in 1948, the state of Hyderabad was merged with independent India and the district became part of the then state of Bombay. It became part of the state of Maharashtra when the state was formed in 1960. Osmanabad has a historical lineage dating back to the times of Marathwada, and even earlier to various kingdoms of which the region was a part.
