Babasaheb of Naragund

The Story

Naragund was a small princely state in present-day Karnataka, whose Desai family had ruled for centuries. When the great revolt of 1857 swept across Bhārat, the young prince Bhaskar Rao — known to his people as Babasaheb — raised the banner of rebellion, refusing the British suzerainty that was closing in on his little kingdom.

He gathered his forces and fought against the British along with other rebel chieftains of the region, attacking British positions and inspiring the local people to rise. The British, alarmed by a prince of the Deccan joining the revolt, moved swiftly against Naragund with a larger force.

Babasaheb fought until his state was overrun, was captured, and was sentenced to death. He was hanged in 1858 — one of the youngest princely martyrs of the uprising. His family's lands were confiscated, and the Desai line was broken, but the memory of his defiance became a legend of Karnataka's freedom history.