Bhalki (Kannada: ) is a town, and a taluka, in Bidar district in the state of Karnataka, India. First mention of the town was made as "Bhallunke" in the vachanas of 12th century sharanas. The sharana Kumbara Gundaiah is from Bhalki who is a part of bhakthi movement. Bhalki's importance in the 1857 war is played out at the very end of the war, when one of Tatya Tope's followers is arrested and tried by the Nizam, in 1867. This person was Madho Rao, alias Rama Rao, the nephew of Shrimant Shahu Chatrapati, the Maharaja of Satara. He was also known as Jung Bahadur, as referred by Sir Richard Temple in his diaries. During a search, officials discovered that Jung Bahadur carried several papers in English and Marathi, translation of a deed of agreement and a seal saying he was the `Chatrapati of Satara'. Jung Bahadur raised an army of over 1500 people in and around the forests of Bhalki, spending up to 20,000 Rupees. and gave 200 Rupees to his follower Deva Rao to recruit 500 soldiers...
