Kalyan of Basavanna

Mahatma Gandhi spoke thus at the Belgaum session of the Indian National Congress in 1924:

“It has not been possible for me to practise all the precepts of Basaveswara which he taught 800 years ago and which he also practiced… Eradication of untouchability and dignity of labour were among his core precepts. One does not find even shades of casteism in him. Had he lived during our times, he would have been a saint worthy of worship."

Before India's independence, Basavakalyan was called Kalyani. After independence and division of states on linguistic basis in 1956, Kalyani was renamed as BasavaKalyana in memory of Vishwaguru Basavanna.

Basavakalyana was ruled by Western Chalukyas, Kalachuris, Yadavas of Devagiri, Bijapur Sultanate, Bahamani Sultanate (Bidar, Gulbarga), Mughals, Hyderabad Nizams.

Vishwaguru Basavanna was a great revolutionary who established spiritual democracy called "Anubhava Mantapa" in 12th Century in India(Anubhava Mantapa - which is also called as the "FIRST PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD". Its lead by Saint Allamprabhu), and gave practical solutions to all kind of problems mankind was suffering at that time. His teachings are time tested, scientific and proven. Basava-Tatva is never ending inspiration to achieve the welfare of mankind.

The historic town of Basavakalyan that was the focal point of the 12th century cultural revolution led by Basaveshwara, is getting a facelift by the Basavakalyan Development Board (BKDB).

The historic city was the capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas who ruled nearly half of India in the 10th century. Scholars such as Someshwara, poet Bilhana of Kashmir and legal expert Vigyaneshwara were in the court of King Vikramaditya VI.

Later, the Kalachurya King Bijjala assumed the throne in the 12th century. He appointed Basaveshwara as his Prime Minister. Basaveshwara led a movement that struck at the roots of the social evils such as untouchability and gender discrimination. It is said that he motivated nearly 600 common men and women to become writers.

In 1210, the fort was attacked by Mallil Kafur during his southern invasion.[1] In the 16th century, Vijayanagar Emperor Rama Raya (1484–1565) traced his ancestry with the past Chalukyan Kingdom (974–1190) and also with this dynasty’s capital, Kalyana. He was also called the ‘Lord of Kalyana’, apart from being known as the "Chalukyan Emperor". He had aligned with different Muslim rulers of the Deccan during his reign to have a symbolic control of the Kalyan fort. In 1543, he defeated the Sultan of Bidar and gave control of the fort to Sultan of Bijapur.

In 1558, after the death of Bijapur Sultan, his son Adil Shah I forged friendship with Rama Raya and defeated the Sultan of Ahmadnagar. Raya had set three conditions of surrender to the defeated Sultan of Ahmadnagar, one was that the Sultan would meet him in his tent and accept paan (combination of betel not and betel leaf), the second was that the Sultan’s general would be executed and the third was to hand over the key of Kalyana fort to him personally. All three conditions were met. The key to the Kalyana fort was handed over by the Hussain of Ahmadnagar formally to Raya, who in turn handed it over to his ally Adil Shah of Bijapur. Raya held the fort symbolically only as a mark of his past association with his ancestors of Western Kalyana dynasty who had fought against the Cholas of Tamil Nadu.

The fort is strategically built as a defence structure in a camouflaged setting, which is not discernible till the enemy is at close quarters of the fort. This gives advantage for the defence forces holed up in the fort to repulse enemy attacks. This strategy of locating the fort in naturally camouflaged locations was popular in the forts built in the Deccan.

In the Kalyan or Basvakalyan fort, as an economy measure, the defences of the fort were built by inter-connecting large boulders scattered on the hills with strong fort walls. The fort was made defensively complex with guard rooms and barbicans, which was a novelty at that time. The fort consisted of three concentric irregular fort walls.

The BKDB has identified 27 historic sites in and around Basavakalyan. The work of preserving and protecting them is on in full swing. The board has started building compound walls around each protected structure.

Article sources:

Basavakalyana Fort

The Hindu