Bagalkot Tourism Places - UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The prominence of Bagalkot is known from the Hindu epic Ramayana, when the demon king of Sri Lanka 'Ravan’ gifted this region to his musicians as it was a barren land then. The sequential thread of the history of Bagalkot originates from the Chalukyan roots from the 6th century. The quartzitic artefacts such as handaxes and cleavers were discovered from the village of Lakhamapur near the Malaprabha river valley. The first documented evidence dates back to the 2nd century CE, when the taluks of Badami were mentioned in the works of the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. The Chalukya king Pulakesin I fixed Bagalkot as his headquarters.
The town also has its mention in the writings of Hiuen Tsang. The Chalukyas of Badami, whose kingdom stretched from modern Karnataka to Maharashtra and Gujarat, was a highlight of the history of Bagalkot. Chalukya king Pulakesin II further consolidated the empire by battling with the Kadambas, Gangas, Mauryas, Gurjaras etc. The Kalyani Chalukyas conquered the area before the 10th century and moved their capital from Badami to Kalyani, in the present day Bidar district. By the 11th century, all of Karnataka fell into the dominion of the Hoysala empire. The Yadavas of Devagiri annexed Bagalkot in 1190 AD and ruled until approximately the 13th century.
The Deccan invasion by the Muslim Khilji dynasty, led by Alauddin Khilji in 1294 brought an end to the Yadavas. In 1818, after having lost their kingdom to the British East India Company, the Maratha Peshwas of Satara were crowned under lords of the kingdom. The British incorporated this region into the dominion of the Bombay Presidency. After the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 allowed for the creation of a Mysore State, renamed as Karnataka in 1971. A separate district of Bagalkot was carved in 1997 carving out from Bijapur. Though the region remains dry most of the time because of its topography, the entire district is dotted with unmatchable sights of temples as architectural marvels.