Information on Bhalki Fort (Bidar, Karnataka) - History & Architecture

Situated in old Bhalki town, Bhalki Fort is a specimen of historical importance of Karnataka. Bhalki Fort hosts variety of constructions which comprise Satyaniketan School, residential areas and temples among others. This fort is also termed as 'Gadi' which derived from the word 'Gad'. It is believed that Bhalki Fort was created by Ramachandra Jadhav and Dhanaji Jadhav between the years 1820 to 1850. They were the superintendent of King Jang Bahadur and were famous Martha commander who contributed significantly in the battle for independence.

Bhalki Fort Architecture

Bhalki Fort is a famous heritage structure with an open air congregational field. The fort was created on about 18000 square kilometre, i.e. approximately within five acres of land. It encloses a small jungle outside the Bhalki town. Bhalki Fort is about seven meter height and is created by using locally accessible black stones as well as home-made lime grout mix. There are open walls inside the fort and at the outside of the fort, there is a small pond. However, at present, the pond has been dried up. Inside the fort there is Kumbheshwar temple and from slight distance there is another temple named Bhalkeshwar temple.

Nowadays, due to low maintenance, Bhalki Fort has become a ruined place. Most of its traditional architecture has been demolished with time. Majority of the fort wall is unbroken, but the stones through which the walls are made of are missing in various places. The black stone of the fort has fallen and the main entrance has also been damaged. Thus, the district administration of Karnataka has planned to refurbish Bhalki Fort in order to return its old glory.

Bhalki Fort History

Bhalki is an ancient city which dates back to 12th century. It was during the era of Mauryas, Shatvahanas and Chalukyas from 1100 AD to 1106 AD. On that time Bhalki was named as Bhallunke. People of Bhalki have made several convents and it is popular as a cultural place. Various Maratha rulers also ruled this place and made several constructions and one of them is Bhalki Fort.

Bhalki Fort has played very significant role during the war in 1857. In historical record, it was stated that King Jang Bahadur upraised against the British people and created an army of about 1500 individuals in Bhalki Fort. He recruited soldiers in order to slaughter the British people and to regain his lost glory as Royal dynasty of Satara. King Jung Bahadur with his followers had moved from one place to other as the form of beggars in order to plot a battle against British. He caused significant loss to the British administration and apprehended a cantonment in Bidar region. However, he and his followers were ultimately detained by British officers. King Jang bahadur is believed to spend his final lifetime in Hyderabad prison. On the other hand, his followers were given the punishment for incarceration for about 14 years.

Bhalki Fort Tourism Importance

Although Bhalki Fort has lost its grandeur due to low level of maintenance, government of Karnataka is attempting to preserve the place in order to make it a site for tourism. Planning has been undertaken in order to strengthen and redecorate the fort along with to improve the existing infrastructure. Bhalki Fort is an iconic building of Karnataka and possesses certain beauties which is worth exploring. Furthermore, Bhalki Fort is also a great symbol of cultural history which makes is a vital place for tourism.