Middle Palaeolithic localities have been discovered in the Kalagdi basin of BAGALKOTE

Over 191 Middle Palaeolithic localities have been discovered in the Kalagdi basin of the district. The discovery of settlements in the village of Lakhmapur near the Malaprabha valley yielded the identification of quartzitic artefacts such as handaxes and cleavers.^[1] A pre-Chalukyan brick temple was discovered at the foothills of Bachinagudda, in Pattadakal where an idol depicting the bust of Chaturmukha Shiva. Evidence of megalithic habitation was also discovered at the foothills of Bachinagudda, as were Marahathi and Satavahana coins of a later period. ^[2]

The first documented evidence of the existence of Bagalkot district dates back to the 2nd century CE, when the taluks of Badami, Indi and Kalkeri were mentioned in the works of the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. In the 6th century CE, the Hindu Chalukya rulers ruled over much of present South India. The Chalukyan king Pulakesi I established Bagalkote as his administrative headquarters; the district retained its prominent status until the Chalukyan empire was sacked by the Rashtrakutas in 753 CE. The Chinese explorer Hieun-Tsang visited Badami and described the people as “tall, proud,…brave and exceedingly chivalrous”. ^[3] He estimated the kingdom to be approximately 1,200 mi in circumference.

The rule of the Chalukyas of Badami, whose kingdom stretched from mordern Karnataka to Maharashtra and Gujarat was a highlight of Bagalkot’s history. Chalukya king Pulakesi II further consolidated the empire by battling with the Kadambas, Gangas, Mauryas of the Konkan, Gurjaras and Emperor Harshavardhana, whom he vanquished on the banks of the Narmada river ^[4] Accounts of war were inscribed on stone structures in the town of Aihole, now located in the taluk of Hungund. The Kalyani Chalukyas, descendants of the Badami Chalukyas conquered the area before the dawn of the 10th century CE. Their rule was intersperced with wars againsts the Cholas and Hoysalas. The Kalyani Chalukyas moved their capital from Badami to Kalyani, in the present day district of Bidar. Akkadevi, sister of the Kalyani Chalukya Jayasimha II ruled in the area for more than 40 years from 1024 CE. During the course of her rule of the area, then known as Kisukadu, seventy villages from Bagalkot district were added to her administration. The Chola king Vīrarajendra seized the area by defeating Somesvara I at Koodalasangama. By the 11th century CE, all of Karnataka including Bagalkot fell into the dominion of the Hoysala Empire, first consolidated by Veera Ballala and later subordinated to the Sinda kings.

Chalukyan sculpture of Shiva in the taluk of Badami

A Chalukya era stone carving of the Hindu God Shiva in the taluk of Badami.

The Yadavas of Deogiri annexed Bagalkot in 1190 CE and ruled until approximately the thirteenth century. The Deccan invasion by the Muslim Khilji dynasty, lead by Ala ud din Khilji in 1294 brought an end to the rule of the Yadavas. In the 14th century, much of this territory was overrun by the Muhammad Taghlaq. That the Taghlaqs were undisputed overlords of this territory cannot be established since Harihara, first king of the Vijayanagara Empire is supposed to have possessed territories as far north as Kaladgi in 1340 and because a fort was built under permission from Harihara in Badami during that time period. ^[5] In the late 15th century, the Adil Shahi dynasty founded by Yusuf Adil Shah established an independent state with Bijapur as its capital. It is from this time that Bagalkot’s history is homogenous to that of Bijapur’s. In 1818, after having lost their kingdom to the British, the Maratha Peshwas of Satara were crowned underlords of the kingdom. With the failing of their brief reign which ended in 1948, the district passed into the hands of the British Raj and was incorporated into the dominion of the Bombay Presidency. According to the 2001 census of the district, the towns of Bagalkot and Badami each had a population of over 100,000. Kannada is the primary language in the district. Approximately 88% of the district’s population was Hindu, while 11% was Muslim. In September 1901 a famine swept through the district, particularly affecting Indi, Sindgi and Badami taluks.

India gained independence from the British in 1947; thereafter, the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 allowed for the creation of a Mysore State, renamed Karnataka in 1971, and for Bijapur (and therefore Bagalkot) to be included in its dominion. ^[6] A separate district of Bagalkot was carved out from the existing Bijapur district in 1997.