Sangolli Rayanna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 August 1798 |
| Died | 26 January 1831 (aged 33) Nandagad, Belagavi |
| Burial place | Nandagad, Belagavi |
| Nationality |  Indian |
| Other names | Rayanna Bharamappa Rogannavar |
| Occupation | Military commander |
Sangolli Rayanna (15 August 1798 – 26 January 1831) was an Indian military leader. Born inSangolli,Belagavi district. His father was Bharamappa Rogannavar. His mother was Kenchava. He served as a senior commander in the military ofKittur ruled byKittur Chennamma, the kingdom - like many others - called by the British as aprincely state, during the early 19th century. After Chennamma led a failed rebellion against the BritishEast India Company (EIC) in response to the EIC's infamousDoctrine of Lapse in 1824, Rayanna continued to resistCompany rule in India. After leading another uprising against EIC authority, he was ultimately captured by the British and executed byhanging in 1831. As he played a very important role in Indian Freedom, his memorial statue was built in the village of Sangolli, Belagavi. Rayanna's life was the subject of theKannada-language filmsKranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna (1967) andKrantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012).[1][2]
Sangolli Rayanna was born on 15 August 1798 inSangolli,Belgavi district. At some point in his life, he enlisted in themilitary of the Kingdom ofKittur, rising to the position of a senior commander. In 1824,Kittur Chennamma, the ruler of Kittur, rose in rebellion againstCompany rule in India in response to the BritishEast India Company's (EIC)Doctrine of Lapse. Rayanna fought in the rebellion and was arrested by the British forces, who eventually released him.[3]
Incensed by the East India Company's confiscation of the majority of his lands (as punishment for participating in the 1824 rebellion) and heavy taxation of the remainder, Rayanna continued to oppose British domination in the region, planning to install Shivalingappa, the son of Chennamma, as the new ruler of Kittur. Lacking the resources to raise aregular army, he recruited men from among the local peasantry, who were similarly incensed by the EIC, and started aninsurgency against the British in 1829. His insurgents targeted EIC administrative buildings, British forces and local treasuries, all the while constantly remaining on the move so as to avoid being attacked by a larger enemy force. Rayanna used taxes gained from local landlords and the loot gained from plundering treasuries to fund his insurgency. He was assisted bySiddi leader Gajaveera during his insurgency.[4]
In April 1830, Rayanna was captured alongside Shivalingappa by the British, who tried him in a court of law and sentenced him to death.[5] On 26 January 1831, at the age of thirty-three, he was executed by hanging by the British authorities from abanyan tree near the village ofNandagad.[6][1] After his death, he was buried nearNandagad. A close associate of Rayanna, Sangolli Bichugatti Channabasappa, planted a banyan sapling on his grave, which remains there to this day; astambha was also installed near his grave. Thegovernment of Karnataka has named a school, a rock garden and a museum after Rayanna.[7]
Gee Gee songs (Ballads) are heroic folklore verses composed in North Karnataka[8]' Several such songs are sung about Kittur Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna and other freedom fighters of pre-independence Karnataka.[9] A life size bronze statue of Sangolli Rayanna, riding a horse with open Sword in right hand, was installed near the City Railway station ofBengaluru.[10] The main railway station of Bengaluru City was renamed as "Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru Junction Railway station" (KSR Bengaluru Jn.) in 2015.[11] In 2012, a biographical film was produced on his life.[12] He was also the subject of another Kannada-language motion pictureKrantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (Revolutionary Hero Sangolli Rayanna), directed by Naganna and starringDarshan,Jaya Prada andNikita Thukral.[12]