Remembering Sangolli Rayanna
Sangolli Rayanna is highly regarded for his service during the time of Rani Chennamma, the then queen of the erstwhile princely state. Image source: https://indianexpress.com/
Sangolli Rayanna (15 August 1796 – 26 January 1831) was a brave Indian warrior who fought the British to the death. Originally from Kittur, a princely state in Karnataka. He was the Shetsanadi for the Kingdom of Kittur, ruled at the time by Rani Chennamma, and fought the British East India Company until he died. His community is Kuruba (Kuruba gowda) & he’s a proud Kannadiga. Rayanna was hanged from a Banyan tree in Belagavi district about 4 kilometers from Nandagad.
Influence
Rayanna was executed by hanging from a Banyan tree 4km from Nandagad in Belagavi district on 26 January 1831. She mobilized locals and started a guerilla war against the British. With his guerrilla army, he burnt government offices, waylaid British troops, and plundered treasuries.
He lost most of his land, and what was left was heavily taxed. Then he taxed the landlords and built an army from the masses. British troops couldn’t beat him openly. Thus, he was caught and tied up by the British in April 1830 and sentenced to death. Shivalingappa, the boy who was supposed to be the new ruler, was also arrested.
Award and Legacy
The legend has numerous legacies across. Here are few but not limited to the followings:
A film about his life was made in 2012. In Bengaluru, a life-size bronze statue of Sangolli Rayanna riding a horse with an open sword in his right hand was installed near the railway station. Bengaluru City’s main railway station has been renamed “Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station” in 2015.
Immortality
Rayanna was hanged from a Banyan tree on 26 January 1831, about 4 kilometers from Nandagad in Belagavi district.
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