Qibla · Maharashtra
Qibla direction in Solapur
To face the Kaaba in Solapur, turn to 282.3° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (12.3° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,796 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Solapur should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 282.3°, the Qibla of Solapur. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 282° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Solapur
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 12.3° towards north: the result is the bearing of 282.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 12° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Solapur, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Solapur is a handy reference, because the prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Solapur to Mecca points to 276.3° (west), 6.0° away from the correct 282.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 7 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
How is the figure of 282.3° obtained? From the coordinates of Solapur (17.6715° N, 75.9104° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Solapur to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,796 km from Solapur as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,830 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 58 min, although most pilgrims from Solapur connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Solapur run 2.5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Solapur rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Solapur
On 67 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Solapur while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (27 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 17:53 local time.
On 157 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in March (31 days), for instance on 1 March 2027 at 07:41.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 07:41 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 08:35 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 09:39 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 10:32 |
| 1 May 2027 | 17:53 | 11:39 |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:47 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:40 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 18:16 | 11:33 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 10:17 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 09:17 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 08:08 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 07:07 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Solapur: at 14:48 and 14:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Solapur compared with other cities
Compared with New Delhi, 1,225 km away, the Qibla in Solapur is turned 15.7° further clockwise (282.3° against 266.6°), and Mecca is 39 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Dharashiv (58 km), prays towards 281.6°, a difference of 0.7°.
Across the 442 cities in India on this site, the Qibla ranges from 256.8° in Srinagar to 294.3° in Nagercoil, a spread of 37.5°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for India.
Qibla in cities near Solapur
Qibla in Solapur: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Solapur?
It is 282.3° from true north, which is west: 12.3° north of west.
How far is Solapur from Mecca?
3,796 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,830 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Solapur?
On 67 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Solapur not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 276.3°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Solapur at 282.3°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 282.3° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.