Amid the usual concrete structures that house government offices, the Naragund Town Municipal Office stands out. Large wooden pillars welcome visitors to the office, and as they step in, they see a locked old wooden door. On either side are two small rooms where one can see typical government employees buried in piles of old files. As they stand before the locked door, they see a narrow stairway leading to the first floor. Wooden pillars and ceiling on the first floor make them realise that they are in a heritage building, which has been disfigured owing to repair works taken up by unqualified workers with least regard for preserving the heritage.
But as they enter the adjoining room, which is now the office of the Chief Officer of the Town Municipal Council, their eyes light up. The decorated walls and ceiling, and the myriad hues of traditional artworks immediately catch a visitor’s attention. “This is what remains of the Babasaheb’s palace (Raj Wade) now, and there is one of his swords preserved in the other room,” said senior staff R.P. Malakar.
Barring the chief officer’s room, there is nothing in the whole premises to indicate that this building was once the palace of Bhaskar Rao Bhave also known as Babasaheb Bhave, who rebelled against the British a year after the first war of independence (1857) and was subsequently caught and executed.
Bhaskar Rao II Bhave, fondly known as Naragund Baba Saheb was the ruler of Naragund (comprising 33 surrounding villages) who succeeded his father Dadaji Rao III in 1842. According to the Dharwad District Gazetteer “Even earlier to the rule of the Peshwas, Chatrapathi Shahu had founded the Jahgir at Nargund. Rama Rao Bhave had been granted Naragund village as a Jahgir in 1711. In addition, the Savanur Nawab granted one taraf to the Bhave family.”
Bhaskar Rao or Babasaheb is described as a brilliant person who had a library of nearly 4,000 Sanskrit works in his ‘Wada’ (Big house with courtyards, also referred to as a palace). He was one among those rulers, who were affected by the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Governor General of India Lord Dalhousie. His inability to adopt a son to succeed him rattled Baba Saheb and an upset Baba Saheb who got in touch with Peshwa Nana Saheb, who was leading the 1857 War of Independence.
Babasaheb put together a coalition comprising the heads of the neighbouring princely states of Ramdurg, Nippani, Dambala, Mundargi, and Koppal. The intelligence report of the same reached the British officers, who were already busy tackling the rebellions in Northern India and they sent Charles Manson, Political Agent of the region to tackle the situation in advance.
Babasaheb gained the initial advantage, he lay seize on the camp of Charles Manson at Surebhan village near Naragund on May 27, 1858, and killed him. The decapitated body of Manson was thrown into the fire and Babasaheb brought the head as an exploit and hung at the ‘Agasi’ (entrance) of Naragund, which is now known as ‘kempagasi’ (red entrance).
After killing Manson, Babasaheb received the shock of his life, when he found that his own close associates Krishnaji Joshi and Banya Bapu had been reporting all his activities to Manson secretly. He found the letters of correspondence between them which were in the possession of Manson, which also revealed that they had caused damage to the stock of gun powder in the Nargund fort. Although Babasaheb sought help from Mundargi Bhimrao, he was not in a position to help as he reached Koppal and was engaged in fighting the British.
On hearing the news of Manson’s death, British army led by Col. Malcolm reached Nargund and laid siege to Nargund on May 31. On June 1 they marched towards the fort. Of the nearly 700 people who confronted them, 70 were killed. The next day, when they entered the fort and reached the palace it was. The valuable library was burnt down by the furious British army.
In the folklore
Having been deceived by treachery and perfidy, the disolutioned Babasaheb had left the fort. However, he was pursued and caught near the forest of Toragal. His mother Yamunabai and wife Savitribai ended their life by plunging themselves into the river. Babasaheb was tried and hanged at Belgaum on June 12, 1858. The rebellion of Babasaheb which resulted in the killing of Manson and his subsequent execution has found its way into the folklore in the form of ‘lavani’ and is referred to as ‘Naragund Bandya’ (Naragund Rebellion) in the history of Karnataka, while British records term it another ‘mutiny’ by chieftains.
Converted to municipal office
The ‘raj wade’ (palace) captured by the British was later turned into a municipal office after one was established in 1871. Just few years before India attained independence, i.e. on May 20, 1942, the Municipal Office, Naragund purchased the building for Rs 4,000. A plaque (dated 1-3-1943) giving details of the purchase and office bearers of the municipality still adorns the front wall of the building.
All these years, the Raj Wade has been used as the municipal office of Naragund, which is a Town Municipal Council(TMC) now. Over the years, the structure has undergone temporary repairs, and several portions of the structure have already collapsed or rendered unfit for occupancy. While some efforts have been made to retain the old structure, it seems the damage has already been done due to lack of maintenance. The adjoining annexe with a courtyard, which reportedly was the women’s quarters (Annapurna) has been leased out to an organisation running a ‘rehabilitation centre for destitute and elderly persons’. The structure seems to be fragile. A portion having an underground secret annexe has caved in. The front elevation of the annexe has undergone a change with cement and bricks being used for the purpose. The words ‘babasaheba aramane’ (Babasaheb’s palace) written on it look amusing considering the change the building has undergone.
It is not that none is bothered about preserving the history. A group of teachers and writers from Naragund made a futile attempt to trace and collect more information on the relatives of the Bhave family, but to no avail. According to C.S. Salutagimath, Professor of Political Science and Retired Principal of Government Degree College in Naragund, still a lot is needed to be done to unearth details pertaining to the freedom fighter. People like him and other like minded persons hold programmes to commemorate the sacrifice and a memorial hall has been constructed in the town. And bust of Babasaheb installed in front of the municipal office welcomes the visitors.
Will it be restored?
More than the thinking to preserve the structure as a monument, the structural fitness of the building seems to have forced the authorities to chalk out plan for building a new municipal office for the town. The plan was sanctioned during the 2017-18 fiscal year and the building is in the final stage.
However there is no clear cut plan as such on restoring the structure. Amit Taradale, Chief Officer of Naragund TMC, told The Hindu that probably with the plan of restoring and preserving the structure, the new building was planned. “It may take another six months for the new building to get completed. Once the office is shifted, we will take a call on the restoration issue. We will have to consult various departments before taking a final call. The issue of restoration, whether to convert into a memorial or museum and other issues have to be decided upon in consultation with senior officials”, he said.
(Sources: Dharwad District Gazetteer, History of Indian Mutiny, 1857-1859 by Colonel G.B. Malleson, CSI, Published from London in 1880)
