JOIN USIf Bidar district in the far north corner of the State is considered to be a barren landscape with inhospitable climate, the interior villages and taluks can only be even more bleak and primitive. Bhalki and Bhatambra are two such obscure villages that are tucked away in the vast dry belt. With a slow-paced development, these little towns seem to have been lost into oblivion. Surprisingly, each of these villages have ancient robust forts that not many know about. During my recent forays in the district, these forts caught my attention and I went around exploring them.
Striking Bhalki
Bhalki is a nondescript town, dry and dusty, about 45 km west of Bidar. Even the residents of the town think that their town is hardly worth visiting. Being close to the Maharashtra border, we can find a strong Marathi influence here. The autorickshaw driver I engaged to go around felt the Fort is a neglected structure and isn’t worth seeing. As we approached this old Fortress in the outskirts of the town, a huge granite wall drew my attention. Spread over five acres, this Fort has massive stone walls guarding it, with an entrance at the east. The entrance opens into a large empty quadrangle with grass and bushes growing from the stone crevices.
On one side of the wall is a well-built stepped well and at the other end is a narrow passage leading to another courtyard in the north, where part of the old Fort has been utilised to run a higher primary school. Built from locally-available materials of black stone and lime mortar, the Fort walls stand strong to this day, but still needs some care and attention.
I was met by a teacher who volunteered to show me around and share his knowledge. The earliest reference of Bhalki dates back to 12th century. It is said that Kumbara Gundaiah, a saint of the Bhakthi movement of those times, hailed from here and has mentioned about the place in his literary works. Bhallunke, as it was referred in those days, was a religious place with a dozen shivalingas spread around and hence, was also known as Shivpuri.
But it was during the pre-independence period that Bhalki gained major importance. The Sepoy Mutiny movement of 1857, commonly known as India’s First War of Independence, was gaining momentum all over the country with Tatya Tope as one of the leaders. Madho Rao alias Rama Rao, a nephew of Maharaja of Satara, was popular as Jung Bahadur in this region.
As one of the followers of Tatya Tope, he contributed to the movement by raising an army of over 1500 soldiers. Dressed as a mendicant, he would go from village to village to create awareness and to recruit the soldiers for the uprising. He had even succeeded in occupying some of the British cantonments near Bidar, before being overpowered and imprisoned along with his followers.
The Fort at Bhalki was built by feudatory chieftains of Jung Bahadur, namely,
Ramachandra Jadhav and Dhanaji Jadhav, around 1850 AD. Other than that, not much of the history of the fort is discernible.
Walking around the courtyard, you can see a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh at the northern end. Called Sri Gadi Ganesh Mandir, it is fondly revered by local people. There are also other shrines like the Khumbheshwar and Bhalkeshwar in the vicinity. The District Heritage Cell constituted under the District Administration has some ambitious plans to refurbish and develop the Fort as a heritage monument. A project proposal has been submitted to Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, wherein plans to develop the quadrangle as a venue for cultural programmes, provision of basic facilities like drinking water, parking and toilets have been envisaged. A request for a grant of about Rs 1.25 crores has also been put forth.
Bhatambra’s allure
About 8 km northwest of Bhalki is another antique village called Bhatambra. Away from the settlement of a few houses stands a solid fort in the middle of bushes. Though its historic details are not well known, it supposedly has its origins from the medieval period. Though the Fort looks strong and attractively built, gross negligence has left it to decay amidst filth and squalor. Unfortunately, the local villagers, unbeknownst of the rich heritage, use the surroundings of the Fort for sanitation.
A local tells me no one has visited this place in years as there is nothing of significance here. But as we went inside through an arched entrance blocked by thorny shrubs, the ruining structures of a Fort that had thrived once with life, seemed to be crying for care. There is a centrally-placed structure that probably was a palace. Artistically built, it is still in good shape but for the overgrowth around.
To the north of it is an enclosure with a domed ceiling. My guide said there was a pond where the women used to bathe and the cells along the stone corridor were used for dressing. The steps in the corners lead to circular bastions which give you the view of surroundings.
Many crumbled structures here bear testimony to the general neglect inflicted upon them. If urgent steps for its upkeep and maintenance are not initiated, a fine heritage structure is surely going to bite the dust. Such structures need to be preserved so that the coming generations can experience our rich history.