The historical background of Hubli (known along with Dharwad as twin cities in the State of Karnataka) is of hundred years old. It was a part of the Vijayanagara Empire, and later of Marathas and Mughals.
In the past Hubli was an Agrahara managed by 200 Mahajans. It was known as Purballi earlier. It was under the Vijayanagara rule for over a period of time during when the place took prominence as a center for cotton growers. The Mughals took over the area and Hubli came under the direct administration of the Savanur Nawabs. At that time of History, the city took modern form under the supervision of a trader called Basappa Shetty. He built the present day Durgadabail which is a market center now. The Marathas re-entered the city during the British rule by Sangli Patwardhan. In the year 1880 a Railway workshop was built here.
Inscriptions at Bhavani Shankar temple convey that the region comprising Hubli was under the Chalukya rule around 1068 AD. Later the East India Company had established a factory here to convert the place into a trade center. The Marathas destroyed it.  The Savanur rulers (local rulers) built a fort in Hubli. It is a market center now. Bhavani Shankar temple is an important historical monument of Hubli dating back to the Chalukya rule. Chandramauleshwara temple is another ancient monument to be found in Unakal near Hubli which records the rule of Chalukya dynasty in the region. Hubli has come under the influence of the Veershaiva movement (a socio-cultural movement in the 12t and 14th centuries). After independence Hubli has grown into a major industrial center in Karnataka after Bangalore.