SANGOLLI RAYANNA ,FREEDOM FIGHTER AGAINST BRITISH -KITTUR RANI CHENNAMMAA SENATHIPATHI BORN ON 15 AUGUST 1798

SANGOLLI  RAYANNA ,FREEDOM FIGHTER AGAINST BRITISH -KITTUR RANI CHENNAMMAA SENATHIPATHI BORN ON 15 AUGUST 1798

Sangolli Rayanna (15 August 1798 – 26 January 1831)[citation needed] was a prominent warrior from Karnataka, India. Rayanna was born on 15 August 1798 in kuruba Community.

[1] He was the army chief of the Kingdom of Kittur ruled at the time by Rani Chennamma and fought the British East India Company till his death. His life was the subject of the 2012 Kannada film Sangolli Rayanna.








FACTS

He was born on 15th August 1798 which incidentally is Indian Independence day.
He was hanged to death by the British on 26th January 1831 which incidentally is Indian Republic Day.

He was hanged to death exactly 100 years earlier to the execution of Rajguru, BhagatSingh and Sukhdev in 1931. 
Rayanna's grave is 8 feet long because Rayanna was over 7 feet tall.
Legend says that a close associate of Rayanna planted a Banyan sapling on his grave ,the fully grown tree stands to this day.

WARRIOR AND FREEDOM FIGHTER

Our history books do not talk much about Sangolli Rayanna.He doesn't feature in the list of the greatest freedom fighters when being mentioned by our Government,  His birth centenary and death anniversary isn't celebrated as how its done for other leaders who fought for freedom struggle.

But he is one of the greatest warriors of all times, he was the army chief in the kittur Empire , present day it is located in Karnataka. Exercising Guerrilla Warfare tactics he fiercely fought the British East India Company much before the rebellion of 1857. We Indians should at-least remember and know about this true patriot who was the first person to fight foreign oppression of our Motherland.

Activities[edit]

Sangolli Rayanna also participated in the 1824 rebellion and was arrested by the British, who released him later. He continued to fight the British and wanted to install adopted son Shivalingappa as the ruler of Kittur.

[2] He mobilised local people and started a guerilla type war against the British.[2] He and his "army" moved from place to place, burnt government offices, waylaid British troops and plundered treasuries.[2] Most of his land was confiscated and what remained of it was heavily taxed. 

He taxed the landlords and built up an army from the masses. The British troops could not defeat him in open battle. Hence, by treachery, he was caught in April 1831 and tried by the British; and sentenced to death.[2] Shivalingappa, the boy who was supposed to be the new ruler, was also arrested by the British.[2]

Rayanna was executed by hanging to death from a Banyan tree about 4 kilometers from Nandagad in Belgaum district on 26 January 1831.[3]

Rayanna was helped by Gajaveera, a Siddi warrior, in his revolt against the British in 1829-30.[4]

Memorial[edit]

Rayanna was buried near Nandagad. Legend says that a close associate of Rayanna planted a Banyan sapling on his grave. Unlike the usual 6 foot grave, Rayanna's grave is 8 feet long because Rayanna was tall - more than 7 feet. The tree is fully grown and stands to this day. 

An Ashoka Stambha was installed near the tree. A small temple in the name of Sangolli Rayanna was constructed at Sangolli village, in which stands a statue of Rayanna flanked by two wooden weights used for body building. One of the wooden weights is original, i.e., it was used by Rayanna himself for body building. A community hall, built in commemoration of Rayanna at Sangolli serves the villagers of Sangolli.