The land before time

Once the celebrated capital of Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas, Malkhed in Kalaburagi district is now a town of ruins with many a story to narrate, writes D V Guruprasad

When I first visited Malkhed, it was not for sightseeing. It was in connection with security duties for the urs (death anniversary) of the Muslim saint Baba Hazrat Syed Shah Khalifat, whose dargah is located there. The dargah, an epitome of communal harmony, attracts thousands of visitors. Seeing the ramparts of a fort near the dargah, I asked the locals whose fort it was. Informing me that the fort was built by the Rashtrakuta kings in the ninth century, I was asked whether I had heard of King Amoghavarsha Nrupatunga. When I replied that he was the poet-king who wrote Kavirajamarga, the first classical work of Kannada poetics, there was an appreciative nod. Learning that Malkhed was not only the capital of Rashtrakutas but also the Chalukyas of Kalyani, and that it was a capital city for more than two centuries, I decided to visit the fort later and explore it at leisure. That opportunity came to me only recently.

From a grand past

Located about 40 km away from Kalaburagi, Malkhed, earlier known as Manyakheta, is on the banks of River Kagina. The Jain king Amoghavarsha-I (800-878) made the town the capital of Rashtrakutas when he shifted his capital from Morkhandi in Bidar district in 818. Being a great patron of art and literature, King Amoghavarsha, who ruled for 64 years, wanted his capital to be like Indraprastha, the grand mythological city of Lord Indra. An Arab traveller, Suleiman mentions that people of all faiths lived in Malkhed peacefully and that the king respected Muslims. During the reign of Amoghavarsha, a great mathematician, Mahaveeracharya, who composed a scholarly treatise Ganita Saara Sangraha, and reputed Jain scholars like Jinasenacharya and Gunabhadracharya flourished. Famous apabhramsa poet Pushpadanta also lived in Malkhed during that time. Malkhed was a prosperous capital city then.

With thoughts of seeing the ruins of a great capital city, I entered the fort, lying adjacent to Malkhed village, through a massive arch gate with two semi-circular bastions on each side. The bastions and the more-than-six-metres-high fort wall are made of Shahabad limestone found in abundance locally. Near the entrance is a statue of Jain tirthankara Parshvanath. A narrow semi-paved pathway led me to two smaller gates and soon I was in the central part of the fort. All around me was nothing but ruins and more ruins of ancient structures. My attention was drawn towards a circular watchtower, which is still intact, and I went towards it to explore. This tower, which is about 10 metres high, has a narrow spiral stairway through which I reached the top. From there, I could get a panoramic view of the ruins of the fort, the town of Malkhed, River Kagina and one more watchtower.

Unlike Hampi, most of the monuments in Malkhed are in shambles and it is very difficult to catalogue the various ruined buildings. A local guide showed me the remains of Parshvanath Basadi, a Jain temple built on a high platform. No idol is found in this basadi and only about a dozen pillars remain. Not too far away is Kala Masjid, a domed structure with three arched entrances. One of its arches is propped up by a stone wall. Built on a high platform, its parapet has some fine carvings. Eight pillars support this small building. Ruins of several monuments and a few cannons lay scattered in the fort complex. I was shown the ruins of the royal living quarters, a watchtower, etc. Many ancient structures have been and are being vandalised. Some of the ruins like a Hanuman temple called Kote Anjaneya Temple have been renovated with bricks and cement.

Gems discovered

With so much of stones and rubbles and with no signboards, it becomes impossible for the visitor to imagine how the buildings within the fort looked a thousand years ago. What is significant is that structures in both Islamic and Jain architectural styles lie together, which supports the belief that Amoghavarsha was tolerant to all religions.Within Malkhed town, there is a temple of Neminatha, built in the nine century. This very colourful temple has a four-feet-high idol of Neminatha sitting in a cross-legged position as its main deity. There are several other idols of Jain tirthankaras made of stone and panchaloha in this temple. I was told that there are about one hundred idols here. On the banks of Kagina river in Malkhed is situated the brindavan (resting place) of Sri Jayatheertha), a philosopher better known as Teekacharya. He is well known for his work Nyaya Sudha, and his commentaries on the works of Madhvacharya. But a group of people believe that this is not the brindavan of Sri Jayateertha and it is actually located near Gangavati.

As I was leaving Malkhed, a sense of sorrow enveloped me. A capital of a great dynasty which gave sustenance to renowned scholars, and a city known for its communal harmony is today lying in total ruins, utterly neglected and uncared for. The government of Karnataka is said to have held the first ever Rashtrakuta Utsav here in March 2018 to celebrate the glory of Malkhed but its after-effects are yet to be seen.