When the bugle of rebellion was sounded from the ramparts of Koppal forts

Nearly four decades before the first war of independence, the sparks of freedom were ignited at Koppal.

Two forts, one at Koppal and another at Bahaddur Bandi (on the outskirts of Koppal) witnessed battles against the British. The imposing forts symbolise patriotism, sacrifice and martyrdom even today.

The Koppal fort was built during the rule of Shivaji and the fort at Bahaddur Bandi was constructed by Nawab Hyder Ali’s aide Mohammad Usman. Tipu recovered both forts from the Marathas. He named the Koppal fort 'Sultangarh' and used it to store arms. After his death in 1799, control of the forts shifted hands from the British and the Nizam of Hyderabad till the liberation of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region in 1948.

In 1819, Veerappa Desai, a landlord from Kalkeri, about 20 km away from Koppal, rebelled against the imposition of taxes on farmers by the British. He recovered the Bahaddur Bandi fort and built a platoon of over 500 men. The British waged a war but suffered a setback. They summoned more forces from the Marathwada and Secunderabad regions. A platoon was stationed near Kalkeri to block the supply of weapons to the fort.

In the ensuing battle, over six officials in the British army were killed, and 51 were injured. Desai suffered losses and managed to escape. It is believed that he worked secretly against the British until his death.

Years later, in 1858, Bheemaraya from Mundaragi was appointed as tahsildar in Koppal due to his mastery of English. However, the British administration levelled false charges against him and dismissed him from the service.

Bheemaraya joined hands with Soratur Desai, Hammigi Kenchanagouda and Govinakoppa Desai and readied a platoon against the British. Arms and ammunition were stored at Desai’s house. The British recovered them and had to use 12 horses to shift them. However, Bheemaraya fought against the British, recovered the arms and ammunition and shifted them to the Koppal fort.

The British detained his two wives and children, but Bheemaraya did not yield. Platoons led from Dharwad and Hyderabad reached Koppal. The platoons entered the fort on May 31, 1858. Bheemaraya, who didn’t want to be imprisoned, shot at himself and laid down his life.

About 27 persons were hanged in full public view at the Gavimath premises in Koppal and in Raichur for their fight against the British.

An Ashoka Stambha (pillar) was erected in Koppal in 1958 to commemorate the centenary of the 1858 revolt (Bheemarya's rebellion or the Meerut revolt?).

Tracing other activities

These rebellions set the stage for Koppal's active participation in the freedom struggle, years later. Janardhan Rao Desai, Narasingh Rao Hampikar and Shivamurthy Swami from Alawandi, a village in Koppal, actively participated in the Quit India Movement until their arrests in 1939. P G Kulkarni, the Congress president of Uppin Betageri, established a Charaka Centre in Koppal even before 1922.

"We would visit villages by foot to create awareness among villagers. Meeting Mahatma Gandhi at Bhanapur railway station (in Yelburga taluk, Koppal) was the most memorable experience," recalls 99-year-old Goolaraddy Basaraddy Mulimani, a freedom fighter from Talkal in Koppal district.