The city reached the peak of its prosperity during the 9th and 10th centuries, serving as the Imperial capital of the
Rashtrakutas. At Manyakheta, there is a historical fort whose restoration is in progress based on a proposal submitted by HKADB (Hyderabad Karnataka Area Development Board).
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India
census, Malkheda had a population of 11,180 with 5,679 males and 5,501 females and 2,180 households.[3]
History
Manyakheta rose to prominence when the capital of
Rashtrakutas was moved from
Mayurkhandi in present-day
Bidar district to Mānyakheṭa during the reign of
Amoghavarsha I. He is said to have built the imperial capital city to "match that of Lord Indra". The capital city was planned to include elaborately designed buildings for the royalty using the finest of workmanship. After the fall of the Rāṣṭrakūṭas, it remained the capital of their successors, the Kalyani
Chalukyas or
Western Chalukyas until about 1050 CE. According to Dhanapāla's Pāiyalacchi, the city was sacked by the Paramāra king
Harṣa Sīyaka in CE 972-73, the year he completed that work.[4]
Manyakheta is home to two ancient institutions.
The
Uttaradi Matha of the
Dwaita School of philosophy of
Madhvacharya. The remains of one of its most prominent saints, Sri
Jayatirtha's Brindavana is here. He wrote many commentaries on Madhvacharya's works but was well known for the commentary on celebrated work "
Anuvyakhyana" of
Madhvacharya which itself is a commentary upon the "
Brahma Sutras". For this commentary called Nyaya Sudha, he is popularly known as Teekacharya.[5]
The Jain
Bhattaraka Math. The temple of Neminath (9th century CE). The pillars and walls of the temple date back to between the 9th and 11th centuries. The idols include
tirthankaras, choubisi (24 tirthankaras), Nandishwar dvipa and idols of yakshi. There is a famous panchdhatu shrine with 96 images. In the same temple, there are other historical images. The last bhaṭṭāraka of the Malkheda seat who reigned during the year 1950–61, was Bhaṭṭāraka Devendrakīrti.[6]
The famous Mahapurana (Adipurana and Uttarapurana) was composed here by Acharya
Jinasena and his pupil Gunabhadra in the 9th century. The mathematics text Ganita Saara Sangraha was written here by
Mahaviracharya.
The renowned
Apabhramsha poet Pushapadanta lived here.
Malkheda is the home to one of the biggest cement factories by name Rajashree Cements owned by the Aditya Birla Group. The village is now developing into a business centre for food grains, dairy and livestock trading . Malkheda has got the biggest livestock trading centre in the entire region. The main crops grown here are mostly rainfed crops like different varieties of pulses pigeonpea, greengram, blackgram. Though water is plenty, it is rarely utilised for agriculture. The masonry here in Malkheda is basically stone masonry and the thatching of the roofs are done by square blocks of stone which are placed in a slanting way so that the rain water gets easily drained off.
Transport
Malkheda is well connected by road and rail. Malkheda lies on
State Highway 10. Malkaheda is 40 km southeast to the District Headquarters
Kalaburagi district and 18 km west to the Taluk Headquarters
Sedam. There is also a railway station near the village, Malkhaid Road.
^Georg Bühler, 'Pâiyalachchhî Nâmamâlâ', in Beiträge zur Kunde der Indogermanischen Sprachen, vol. 4, edited by Adalbert Bezzenberger (Göttingen, 1878) and B. J. Dośī, Pāia-lacchīnāmamāla (Prākṛta-Lakṣmināmamālā) (Bombay, 1960): v. 276
^Roshen Dalal (18 April 2014).
Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. p. 597.
ISBN9788184752779. Jayatirtha is credited with twenty-two works, the most important being Nyaya-sudha, a commentary on Madhva's commentary on the Brahma Sutra, known as Anuvyakhyana. His samadhi is located at Malkhed.
^Georg Bühler, 'Pâiyalachchhî Nâmamâlâ', in Beiträge zur Kunde der Indogermanischen Sprachen, vol. 4, edited by Adalbert Bezzenberger (Göttingen, 1878) and B. J. Dośī, Pāia-lacchīnāmamāla (Prākṛta-Lakṣmināmamālā) (Bombay, 1960): v. 276
Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath (2001). A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002) OCLC: 7796041