Bhalki is a town in

Bidar district Bidar district is the northernmost part of the Karnataka state in India. The administrative headquarters of district is Bidar city. Geographically, it resembles the "Crown of the State", occupying its northeastern end. It is bounded by Kamared ...

in the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

History

First mention of the town was made as "Bhallunke" in the

vachanas Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. Madara Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who lived ...

of 12th century sharanas. The sharana Kumbara Gundaiah was from Bhalki who was part of Bhakthi movement.

The 1857 War of Independence

Bhalki's importance in the 1857 war is played out at the very end of the war, when one of

Tatya Tope Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope, : ̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe 6 January 1814 – 18 April 1859) was a general in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and one of its notable leaders. Despite lacking formal military training, Tantia Tope is widely consi ...

's followers is arrested and tried by the

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

, in 1867. This person was Madho Rao, alias Rama Rao, the nephew of Shrimant Shahu

Chatrapati Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit language.The word ‘Chhatrapati’ is a Sanskrit language compound word (tatpurusha in Sanskrit) of ''Chatra (umbrella), chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). Th ...

, the Maharaja of Satara. He was also known as ''Jung Bahadur'', as referred by Sir Richard Temple in his diaries. During a search, officials discovered that Jung Bahadur carried several papers in English and Marathi, translation of a deed of agreement and a seal saying he was the `Chatrapati of Satara'. Jung Bahadur raised an army of over 1500 people in and around the forests of Bhalki, spending up to 20,000

Rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

s. and gave 200 Rupees to his follower Deva Rao to recruit 500 soldiers. A

jamadar Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār' ...

got a monthly salary of 40 Rupees, a

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...

30 Rupees and a

sawar Sowar ( ur, سوار, also ''siwar'' meaning "the one who rides" or "rider", from Persian ) was originally a rank during the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire. Later during the British Raj it was the name in Anglo-Indian usage for a horse-sold ...

10 Rupees. He recruited soldiers in the villages issuing them '' Kaulnamas'' or appointment letters, in which he asked young men to join him in the task of ''"murdering the British and regaining the lost glory of the Royal family of Satara"''. Jung Bahadur and his followers moved on foot from village to village, disguised as

mendicants A mendicant (from la, mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many ins ...

. He caused great damage to the British government, and captured a

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...

area called Ashti in

. He and his main followers were eventually arrested by two officers of the British resident in

Hyderabad state Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...

. Their trial however, was conducted by the Nizam’s courts. The

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of the criminal court, Moulvi Nasrullah Khan, completed the trial in less than a month, charging them with ''"trying to bring about

insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the empire"''. Jung Bahadur, Bheem Rao, Balakishtayya and Vithoba were sentenced to transportation to life. Jung Bahadur is said to have spent his last days in the Hyderabad prison, where he died. His followers Yeshwanta and Jehangir Ali were sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment. Others like Eshwanna Naikwadi and Vir Peddappa were given minor punishments.

Geography

Bhalki is located at . It has an average elevation of 587 metres (1925 feet).

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Bhalki town has a population of 40,333. Bhalki has literacy rate of 80.34%, higher than the state average of 75.36%; with 87.52% of the males and 72.72% of the females literate. 12.12% of the population is under 6 years of age. Female Sex Ratio is of 945 against state average of 973. Child Sex Ratio in Bhalki is around 974 compared to Karnataka state average of 948.

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

is spoken by the majority of the population.

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

: Located at the edge the old Bhalki town, it hosts a variety of buildings, including the Satyaniketan School, residences, Kumbheshwar (

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

) Temple, etc. This fort is locally known as the 'Gadi' (from ''gad'', meaning a fort in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and

). Believed to be built between 1820-1850 by Ramachandra Jadhav and Dhanaji Jadhav, satraps of Jang Bahadur, the black

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

stone and

lime mortar Lime mortar or torching is composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. The ancient Egyptians were the first to use lime mortars, which they used to plaster their temples. In addition, the Egyptians also incorporated various ...

seven metre tall fort covers around 18,000 square metres (five acres). The Kumbheshwar (

) temple is inside the fort. There are open wells inside the fort and a small pond outside it, though all of them have dried up. The Bidar district administration has proposed a plan to preserve and develop the fort, at a proposed cost of Rs.1.25 crores. ; Bhalkeshwar Temple : This temple is close to the fort, and dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. There is also an adjoining stepped well, which is lined with locally abundant black

stones. ; Ram Temple : Also known as Balaji temple, is in the ''Gunj'' area of the town. The temple was built in 1945 by the Sant Mahant Shri Premdas Baba and reconstructed under the guidance of the Marwadi Samaj in 1980. ; Rameshwara Tekadee : Located on a hill (TekaDee - hill in

) a couple of kilometres north-east of the new town centre, this is a historical fort-like structure offering a panoramic view of the surrounding plains. It also hosts a temple. ; Old Town : This is the historic Bhalki town protected by the fort. The old town is a typical example of a medieval

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in South India, southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bou ...

fortified town, with old style residential houses, albeit now modified to suit modern needs. The historic Hiremath Samsthan, started by Sri Chennabasava Pattadevaru, is also located in the old town. ; Bhalki Tank : An artificial lake created for

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...

, and a view point for some spectacular winter sunsets. ; Bhatambra Fort Bhatambra is famous for the 12th century fort located in the village. The fort is in good condition. Bhatambra is 12 km from Bhalki.

Transport

Bhalki is 40 km from District headquarters

Bidar Bidar (/ biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider ''Bidar Metropolitan area ...

. It is well connected by road to major towns in

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. Bhalki also has a railway station in the town. Bhalki is the center place in district which equally connect to other talukas (Bidar, Basavakalyan, Aurad B, Humnabad) including Udgir, and Shahajani Aurad in Maharashtra.

References

{{Bidar topics Cities and towns in Bidar district Lingayatism