Bhalki
Encyclopedia
Bhalki is a town, and a taluka, in Bidar district
in the state of Karnataka
, India
.
's followers is arrested and tried by the Nizam
, in 1867. This person was Madho Rao, alias Rama Rao, the nephew of Shrimant Shahu Chatrapati, 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
s. and gave 200 Rupees to his follower Deva Rao to recruit 500 soldiers. A jamadar got a monthly salary of 40 Rupees, a sepoy
30 Rupees and a sawar
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.
He caused great damage to the British government, and captured a cantonment
area called Ashti in Bidar district
. He and his main followers were eventually arrested by two officers of the British resident in Hyderabad state
. Their trial however, was conducted by the Nizam’s courts. The Magistrate
of the criminal court, Moulvi Nasrullah Khan, completed the trial in less than a month, charging them with "trying to bring about insurrection 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.
, Bhalki had a population of 35,102. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bhalki has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 61% of the males and 39% of the females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.Official language is Kannada. Marathi
and Dakhni Urdu are also widely spoken
Bhalkeshwhar Temple
Ram Temple
Rameshwar Tekadee
Old Town
Bhalki Tank
Bidar District
Bidar is a district of Karnataka state in southern India. The historic city of Bidar is the administrative centre of the district. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state, near the borders with Andhra Pradesh to the east and Maharashtra to the north and west...
in the state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
History
First mention of the town was made as "Bhallunke" in the vachanas of 12th century sharanas. The sharana Kumbara Gundaiah is from Bhalki who is a 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 TopeTatya Tope
Ramachandra Pandurang Tope , popularly known as Tatya Tope , was an Indian leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and one of its finest generals. He was a personal adherent of Nana Sahib of Kanpur. He progressed with the Gwalior contingent after the British reoccupation of Kanpur and forced...
's followers is arrested and tried by the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
, in 1867. This person was Madho Rao, alias Rama Rao, the nephew of Shrimant Shahu Chatrapati, the Maharaja of Satara
Satara
Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...
. 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
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
s. and gave 200 Rupees to his follower Deva Rao to recruit 500 soldiers. A jamadar got a monthly salary of 40 Rupees, a sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
30 Rupees and a sawar
Sowar
Sowar , meaning 'The one who rides' in Persian, was originally a rank during the Mughal period. Later during the British Raj it was the name in Anglo-Indian usage for a horse-soldier belonging to the cavalry troops of the native armies of British India and the feudal states...
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.
He caused great damage to the British government, and captured a cantonment
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
area called Ashti in Bidar district
Bidar District
Bidar is a district of Karnataka state in southern India. The historic city of Bidar is the administrative centre of the district. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state, near the borders with Andhra Pradesh to the east and Maharashtra to the north and west...
. He and his main followers were eventually arrested by two officers of the British resident in Hyderabad state
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
. Their trial however, was conducted by the Nizam’s courts. The Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
of the criminal court, Moulvi Nasrullah Khan, completed the trial in less than a month, charging them with "trying to bring about insurrection against the empire".
Jung Bahadur, Bheem Rao, Balakishtayya and Vithoba were sentenced to transportation to life
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
. 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 18.03°N 77.22°E. It has an average elevation of 587 metres (1925 feet).Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Bhalki had a population of 35,102. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bhalki has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 61% of the males and 39% of the females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.Official language is Kannada. Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
and Dakhni Urdu are also widely spoken
Interesting places in and around the town
Bhalki fort- Located in the old Bhalki town, it hosts a variety of buildings, including the Satyaniketan School, residences, Kumbheshwar (Ganesh) Temple, etc. This fort is locally known as the 'Gadi' (from gad, meaning a fort in Kannada and MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
).
Bhalkeshwhar Temple
- This temple is close to the fort, and dedicated to ShivaShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. There is also an adjoining stepped well, which is lined with locally abundant black basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
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 late Shri Kanhiayalalji Sharma in 1980.
Rameshwar Tekadee
- Located on a hill (TekaDee - hill in MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
) 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 fortified town, with old style residential houses, albeit now modified to suit modern needs. The historic Hiremath Samsthan, started by His Holiness Sri Chennabasava Pattadevaru, is also located in the old town.
Bhalki Tank
- An artificial lake created for rainwater harvesting, and a view point for some spectacular winter sunsets.