Sadali is a hobli

Hobli

A hobli is defined as a cluster of adjoining villages in the state of Karnataka, India. This clustering of villages was formed mainly to streamline the collection of taxes and maintenance of land records by the revenue department of the state. Each hobli consists of several villages and several...

  (group of villages) headquarters in Chikballapur district, Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is located at a distance of about 100 km from Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

. It is equidistant from five taluk headquarters: Sidlaghatta

Sidlaghatta

Sidlaghatta is a town in Chikkaballapur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Geography:Sidlaghatta is located at . It has an average elevation of 878 metres .It is the Silk City of state Karnataka.-Demographics:...

, Chintamani

Chintamani

Chintamani is a town in the Chikkaballapura district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located at a distance of 75 km north east of Bangalore and 25 km east of Chikballapur city.-Geography:...

, Bagepalli

Bagepalli

Bagepalli Kannada:ಬಾಗೆಪಲ್ಲಿ is a panchayat town in Chikballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India. Bagepalli is situated 100 km north of Bangalore on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway. The region is just below the southern border of the Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, South...

, Gudibanda

Gudibanda

Gudibanda is a panchayat town in Chikkaballapur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.- Geography :Gudibanda is located at . It has an average elevation of 826 metres .- Demographics :...

 and Chikballapur

Chikballapur

Chikkaballapur is the District Headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India. Located within 3 km of Muddenahalli and its nearby town, Kanivenarayanapura, the sites of the upcoming Sri Sathya Sai Baba University and College of Medicine, Indian...

.

Sadali has mythological, historical and semi-historical folklore links.

Geography

Sadali in Sidlagatta Taluk, is a village north of Sidlagatta town on the road to Bagepalli. It is surrounded by small hillocks. It has two big tanks built by the kings of erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore

Kingdom of Mysore

The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...

.

Mythology

Tradition has it that it was founded by Sahadeva

Sahadeva

Sahadeva was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. He was one of the twin sons of Madri, who invoked Ashvins using a mantra shared by Kunti for a son. His twin brother was named Nakula...

, the youngest of the Pandava

Pandava

In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...

 brothers, and hence was called Sahadevapatna/Sahadevapura. It was later abbreviated as Sahadevapalli, Sadahalli and now Sadali.

History

It was one of the provinces under Vijayanagara Empire

Vijayanagara Empire

The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...

  called the Sadali Kingdom, which seems to have included Chikkaballapur and the adjoining area; this was in Naganna Odeyar's charge under Bukka

Bukka

Bukka was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. Bukka patronised Telugu poet Nachana Soma....

 in 1371 AD. Naganna Odeyar and his son Depanna Odeyar figure prominently in connection with Sadali between 1370 and 1385. Their exact relation with the ruling family of Vijayanagara is not known.

In the historical period, the village changed hands several times. Khasim Khan, a Military Commandant of Moghul Empire conquered this area and it was annexed to the Sira Suba and bestowed as a Jagir on two Muslim chiefs [one of them was Fateh Mohamad, father of Hyder Ali(?)]. To prevent its falling into the hands of Nawab of Cuddapah, they privately disposed of it about 1759 AD to Dodda Baire Gauda of Chikballapur

Chikballapur

Chikkaballapur is the District Headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India. Located within 3 km of Muddenahalli and its nearby town, Kanivenarayanapura, the sites of the upcoming Sri Sathya Sai Baba University and College of Medicine, Indian...

 and later it was seized by Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...

, father of Tippu Sultan in 1762 AD. Dodda Baire Gauda was a descendant of Rana Baire Gauda who ruled Avathi. This dynasty was responsible for development of Chikballapur, Doddaballapur, Sidlagatta and Sadali.

Folklore

There was a Palegar by name Thirumalayya. A hillock is identified even today by his name called Thirumalayyana Gudda. He had one hundred wives. He was very strict in his administration and maintenance of law and order.

There was a poor old woman with two sons. She had lost her husband in young age and brought up her sons with great difficulty. They were simple minded and used to work as labourers in the fields. It was very difficult to lead the life with their meagre income. These two young men went near the tank in the early hours of an unlucky day and found some Jowar (maize

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

) crop yield leftovers on a rock by the side of the hillock. They brought it home without expecting any harm. The yield had been stolen by some thieves the previous night from the field of a farmer of the village.

Meanwhile the farmer complained the matter to the Palegar who promptly ordered an enquiry. The servants of the Palegar found the leftovers of the yield in front of the house of the old woman who supposedly did not own a piece of land. The sons of the old woman were immediately arrested. The poor old woman pleaded innocence of her sons with the Palegar, explaining the facts. But the witnesses were against them and they were executed.

Soon after the cremation of the bodies of her sons, the old woman cursed the village be destroyed with the rain of fire within a day and ended her life jumping into the tank. She also cursed the farmers:Jowar crop sown by any farmer be destroyed without a trace and the farmer be subjected to the fury of the village deity, Sadalamma.

Accordingly the original Sadali was supposed to have been destroyed by the rain of fire and the present town had been built to the east of the old town after this event. Until recently the farmers of the town were afraid of sowing Jowar in their fields.

Present condition

Chennakeshava temple, [known as Peddagudi (= Big Temple)] in a dilapidated and neglected condition, is still standing as an eye witness to this gory incident. The architecture of this beautiful temple resembles the style of the temples at Hampi

Hampi

Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

, the capital of Vijayanagara Empire.

The temple might have been constructed during the rule of Naganna Odeyar or Depanna Odeyar. The idol of Lord Chennakeshava is said to have been removed from peddagudi and re-installed in the present town. There are no records available as to when and why exactly these events happened, but ashes of a potters' lane can still be found at the foot of the north side of Thirumalayyana Gudda.