The Heroes of Bijapur (Vijayapura)

Gol Gumbaz, built 
during the 17th century 

One of the key Islamic Sultanates of the Deccan in the post-medieval era was the Bijapur Sultanate, which expanded its reign throughout Maharashtra and Karnataka and lasted for almost 200 years between 1496 and 1686. With the fall of the Deccan Sultanates, Bijapur gradually came under various regimes—the Mughals, the Marathas, and the British. However, the English chapter of Bijapur remains largely unheard of, as the focus of colonial history shifts to harbor towns, with the 1857 revolt acting as a launchpad for popular revolutionary stories. Nevertheless, anti-colonial revolutionary stories from the Deccan and further south have existed since the arrival of the Portuguese in the late 15th century. While Karnataka has produced some of the finest heroes—kings, queens, and freedom fighters—who dedicated themselves to defending the nation and their home territories, the district of Bijapur also has certain names worth remembering. This post will highlight four such individuals from Bijapur district who devoted themselves to the service of Mother India and whose names have been forgotten in Indian history.

A Prabhat Pheri during the Civil
Disobedience
Movement of the 1930s
Photo uploaded by Abhilash Kolluri
on Researchgate

During the freedom movement of the 1930s and 40s, the concept of 'Prabhat Pheri' was a common sight in mobilizing locals for peaceful marches against British tyranny. During these marches, slogans were raised, and pamphlets were distributed among the masses, gathering them for public meetings and motivating them to participate in the freedom struggle. This seemingly small yet highly impactful activity spread throughout the nation, often leading to arrests and deportation to jails. Encouraged by Gandhi, this spread of information helped connect locals with freedom fighters and strengthened their support, which was essential in advancing the cause. The British even warned Gandhi to stop the Pheris as they involved musical performances with instruments, starting from the early morning hours, which the colonial rulers found to be a 'nuisance.' One such activist from a small village called Managuli in Bijapur was Basavantappa Siddappa Guddada, a grocery seller and an excellent accountant. He actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement, burning foreign goods and breaking tobacco pipes. Upon his arrest, he was imprisoned in Central Prison, Bijapur, and later transferred to Yerawada Jail. Eventually, he was released on August 15, 1947, along with the remaining political prisoners who had been incarcerated during British rule.

Although this may not be a grand heroic story, the fact that people from remote villages actively participated in the freedom movement posed as big a threat to the British Empire as the Congress and revolutionaries did. At that time, Bijapur district fell under the jurisdiction of the Bombay Presidency and was bordered by numerous small princely states under the Deccan States Agency. These states, now scattered across Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Belagavi (Belgaum), Bagalkot, and Vijayapura (Bijapur) districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka, included Akalkot, Jamkhandi, Jath, Aundh, Mudhol, Miraj (Senior and Junior), Daflapur, Kurundwad (Senior and Junior), Sangli, Wadi, and others. These princely states had a neutral stance during the 1857 rebellion and remained largely indifferent during the 1930s and 40s freedom movement. Having a neighboring district actively involved in the independence movement was, therefore, a remarkable achievement.

The village of Masabinala produced another patriot, Balappa Narasappa Bhosagi, who actively participated in the freedom movement of the 1930s. He took part in burning the Jumanala railway station in Bijapur, an act of protest that disrupted British commerce. Burning railway and bus stations and cutting down trees to block roads were common strategies used to sever transport links and disrupt British trade, which heavily relied on these networks. Balappa was arrested and sent to the Central Prison of Bijapur in 1932.

Govinddas Mannulal Shroff

Govindbhai Shroff, also known as Govinddas Mannulal Shroff, was another prominent figure from Bijapur who played a crucial role in liberating the Marathwada region from Nizam's rule during Operation Polo in 1948. The state of Hyderabad was surrounded by Indian forces, all aiming to free it from Nizam’s domination and integrate it into the Indian Union. Govindbhai, among others, motivated and encouraged the residents of Marathwada—including Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar), Osmanabad (Dharashiv), Beed, Parbhani, and Nanded—to take up arms against the Nizam's Razakar army.

Kaloji Narayana Rao

Another powerful tool in the freedom movement was the power of the pen. Poets, authors, composers, and writers who awakened the masses and urged them to join the struggle against colonial rule have existed since time immemorial, not just in India but wherever colonization occurred. The southern Indian states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and even Puducherry have demonstrated time and again that their literature played an irreplaceable role in the anti-imperial movement. Figures such as Purandara Dasa (1480-1564, from Shimoga/Shivamogga, Karnataka), Vadiraja Tirtha (1480-1600, from Udupi, Karnataka), Kshetrayya (1600-1680, from Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh), Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan (15th-16th century, Malappuram, Kerala), and Pillai Perumal Iyengar (17th century, around Madurai) used religious devotion ('bhakti') as a tool to foster community resistance against invaders. This tradition continued during British rule. From Bijapur itself, a poet and freedom fighter named Kaloji Narayana Rao emerged, actively participating in Hyderabad’s freedom struggle against the Nizam in the 20th century. His poem 'Nizam Nawab' criticized the authoritarian rule of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan and warned of his downfall if he ignored the people's demand for independence. His sharp criticism led to his arrest, but his primary mission remained spreading literacy and education to empower people to speak out against tyranny.

The riots in Hyderabad State after India's independence in 1947 affected the neighboring regions in the Bombay State, particularly the districts of Osmanabad (Dharashiv), Bidar, Nanded, and Beed. These events had repercussions in the bordering districts of Gulbarga and Bijapur, although no direct conflicts were reported there. However, the suffering of the people during the 1947-48 period deeply impacted freedom fighters in neighboring states.

Politically, Bijapur underwent several transformations after independence. The Deccan States Agency became the United Deccan States, which merged with Bombay State in 1948, bringing Jamkhandi and Mudhol under Bijapur. In 1956, the reorganization of states on linguistic lines transferred Bijapur to the Kannada-majority state of Mysore (later Karnataka). In 1966, there was an exchange of villages between Bijapur, Satara, and Belgaum. In 1997, Bagalkot was carved out as a separate district. Finally, in 2014, Bijapur was renamed Vijayapura. In 2023, a proposal to rename Vijayapura as Basaveshwara, after the 12th-century social reformer born in the district, was put forth. However, this proposal remains under discussion, receiving mixed reviews from various political parties.