The micro-stories from different parts of Karnataka during the six
decades of 19th century (1800-1860) give us an indication of the
wide-spread nature of anti-colonial struggles in different parts of
India. Clearly they had spread among commoners and gentry and a national
anti-colonial consciousness had seeped down to the remotest village.
It is unfortunate that we in India have not studied the facts
regarding the 1857 revolt nor have we digested the lessons from it. Our
conception is dominated by the British narrative. In short, they painted
the revolt as a feudal reaction to the modernity of industrial Britain.
British historians took great pains to paint all the leaders and heroes
of 1857 as decadent, two-faced, selfish, reactionary, turn-coats who
were fighting against loss of privileges and had no conception of
national consciousness or peoples’ welfare. More over according to
British historians, to carry out their personal agendas, the leaders
inflamed religious fanaticism and misled people who were otherwise happy
to be ruled by the British. Of course they also displayed British
colonial “even handedness and fair play”, by pointing out that there
was “some disaffection in the population and even the troops of the
British Indian Army caused by the high handedness of some Company
officials, however things became fine after the Company was replaced by
the British Crown through Queen Victoria’s Proclamation in 1858 and “the
rule of law” was established".
However a remarkably rich literature exists in various Indian
languages in the form of ballads, folk songs and legends and even
documents and reports, which is not accessible to English readers. An
excellent beginning in giving the Indian point of view was made by V D
Savarkar in his book “The Indian war of independence 1857”, published
underground in 1907. It has been followed up in the last 20 years by
various micro studies and finally by a significant two volume work, “War
of Civilisations: 1857 AD” by Amaresh Misra.
This article tries to put together some highlights of anti-colonial
struggles in the post-Hyder-Tipu-Karnataka from 1800-1860. In 1779
itself Hyder and Tipu had tried to put together a confederacy and worked
out an agreement with Nana Fadanvis, Janoji Bhosle, Mahadji Scindhia
and Nizam according to which Hyder was supposed to attack the Arcot area
and Madras, Janoji Bhosle on Bengal, Nana Fadanvis and Mahadji Scindhia
on Bombay and the Nizam on Circar districts. While Hyder and Tipu went
ahead with the plan the others did not. If this grand plan had succeeded
then perhaps India would have been rid of British colonial rule 80
years before 1857. However the narrow concerns of some rulers enabled
the East India Company to meticulously play on petty selfishness and
rule a continental sized diverse country like India for almost two
hundred years.
In this article we have put together some highlights of anti-colonial
uprisings in Karnataka between 1800 and 1860. The great struggle
between Hyder Ali-Tipu Sultan and the British was already over by 1799
with Tipu’s death in the 4th Anglo-Mysore war. The micro-stories from
different parts of Karnataka in those six decades tell us how
wide-spread the anti-colonial struggles were in different parts of India
and how they had spread among commoners and gentry and how deep the
consciousness had seeped down to the remotest village.
On the occasion of Golden Jubilee of the formation of Karnataka State
many historians have documented to a considerable degree the colonial
history of Karnataka. They have recorded dozens of armed uprisings in
Karnataka prior to 1857 besides the most famous one led by Hyder Ali and
Tipu Sultan. One can see concrete linkages of these revolts with the
uprising in the North. Many letters of request of support written by
Nanasaheb to various principalities in North and coastal Karnataka,
which were responded to by local kings have also come to light.
After the defeat and Tipu’s death in the battle field in the fourth
Anglo-Mysore war (1799), Karnataka was literally torn asunder between
the British presidencies of Bombay and Madras; Nizam of Hyderabad and
Marathas. A small dependency was created under the tutelage of Wodeyars
as the kingdom of Mysore, which increased the land revenue and the
burden on peasantry in an arbitrary manner to satisfy British demands.
This led to uprisings in kingdom of Mysore as well as areas of Karnataka
which had now been brought under, Nizam, Maratha and British rule. A
few of them are briefly described below:
Dhondiya Wagh (1800):
One of the first to revolt against the new arrangement was Dhondiya
Wagh. He was born in Chennagiri near Mysore. He joined Hyder Ali’s
cavalry in 1780. Later he developed differences with Tipu, who
incarcerated him. Hence British soldiers found Dhondiya in
Srirangapattana’s prison when they ransacked the city after the death of
Tipu. Dhondiya was released, who however immediately vanished and tried
to gather the demobilised Tipu’s soldiers. Very soon he built up a
significant armed force with a cavalry etc. He kept moving from
territory to territory and capturing small towns and forts that had been
taken over by Marathas, British and the Nizam. Governor General,
Richard Wellesley was exasperated by Dhondiya’s revolt and assigned his
brother Arthur Wellesley (Later to be known as Duke of Wellington, who
defeated Napolean at Waterloo) to suppress Dhondiya’s revolt. He sent
troops not only from Madras but even summoned some from Bengal.
The theatre of Dhondiya’s war encompassed forts at Chitradurg,
Savanur, Shimoga, Bidanur, Honnali, Harihar, Shikaripur, Kittur, Londa,
Ranebennur, Kundgol, Shirahatti, Kunigal, Dharwad, Gadag, Raichur,
Hungund etc. Practically it encompassed all of Central and North
Karnataka. He was supported by the people and smaller principalities
(samsthana) that were discontented with the British. Tipu’s son Fateh
Hyder supported him and Tipu’s former soldiers were the core of his
forces which at one point grew to over 70,000 with a 30,000 strong
cavalry. The British troops were led by Col, Stevenson, Col Wellesly,
Col Tolin, Col Mclean, Col Darlymple. The heroic campaign lasted from
June 1799 to September 1800. In the end Dhondiya was cornered by
British, Maratha and Nizam’s troops and fell for a bullet in the battle
at Konegal.
British historians have painted him as "rogue bandit”, whereas
Dhondiya himself had the title of “lord of both the worlds” among his
people. Edward Clive a British officer later admired his organising
ability and said “what started as an anarchic revolt became a major
international war”. Nationalist historians have described him as, “a
person with great determination and a magnetic personality”.
Venkatadri Nayak (1803)
Aigur (Ballam) Venkatadri Nayak was another leader who started his
revolt when the British were tied down by Dhondiya Wagh. His father
Krishnappa Nayak, was made the ruler of Aigur by Hyder Ali. But
Krishnappa betrayed him and joined the Marathas in 1792 and helped the
British. After the war he was scared of Tipu and ran away to Kodagu
(Coorg). However Tipu did not punish him but instead reinstated him. On
Tipu’s defeat in 1799, Krishnappa’s son Venkatadri Nayak became the
ruler of Aigur. He was ambitious and started expanding his territory.
Venkatadri Nayak captured Subrahmanya Ghat, a crucial pass in the
Sahyadris with access to Mangalore. He attacked the British troops at
Arakere and also defeated a 2500 strong army sent by Wodeyar of Mysore.
Venkatadri Nayak came to be known as the Bull Raja and Ballam Raja.
Wellesley took his revolt very seriously and made an elaborate plan to
capture him by getting troops from Mangalore as well as Bombay, Bidnur
and Sondha. The British tried to organise all the Patels of surrounding
villages against him and also terrorised the population by executing
many of his sympathisers. They generally followed a scorched earth
policy to prevent him getting any food supplies. The campaign lasted
nearly three years and finally on February 10, 1803 he and his 6
followers were arrested when they were in search of food supplies. All
the insurgents were later executed. Thus two great warriors were
suppressed by the British with Machiavellian tactics using the Mysore
Wodeyars, Marathas and the Nizam.
Koppal Veerappa (1819):
As mentioned earlier Karnataka was torn asunder between Nizam, Marathas
and the British after Tipu’s defeat. The North eastern parts were taken
over by Nizam, who put unbearable burden on the peasantry. The Nizam was
totally under British control with the Subsidiary Alliance signed in
1800. As a result of which the Nizam had to pay for the British
Subsidiary Force stationed to “protecthim” and even accept the
humiliating condition that the British would decide who the top
bureaucrat—the Diwan of Hyderabad would be. As Nizam’s unbridled
oppression with heavy taxation increased, there was no way but for the
peasantry to revolt. One such revolt was led by Veerappa in Koppal in
1818. Veerapaa was a small landowner in Koppal, he built a force and
captured Koppal and Bahadur (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3SWXcLH0UA)
forts built by Hyder Ali 40 years earlier. British forces led by Major
Doughton and Brig General Pritzler rushed to crush Veerappa and Nizam’s
general Idruskhan also joined them. Veerappa fought valiantly for five
days with only 500 men and died in battle. Even though Veerappa’s
rebellion was confined to a small area around Koppal, it represented a
popular peasant revolt and inspired many more in the region.
Deshmukhs of Bidar (1820)
After Tipu’s defeat the remnants of the old Bahmani Kingdom of Bidar too
were incorporated into Nizam’s rule and burdened with heavy taxation.
As a result revolts started appearing in 1820 in Udgir. Using Suliyal as
their base the local Deshmukhs led by Shivalingayya, Tirumal Rao and
Meghsham led this revolt. Hence this revolt is known as the revolt of
Deshmukhs. The Nizam relied on British help to suppress the Deshmukhs.
Lt. Gen. Sutherland was assigned for the same and he defeated them in a
campaign lasting two months and imprisoned them.
Sindagi Revolt (1824)
The popular revolt against the British spread to Bijapur too and in
Sindagi, 40 km from Bijapur the local people led by Chidambar Dikshit,
his son Diwakar Dikshit and Diwakar’s comrades Shettyappa, Raoji and
Rastiya declared sovereignty of people of Sindagi. They took over
Sindagi Taluk and boldly declared that “British Raj does not exist here
and we anyway do not recognise it. We are sovereign”. British could not
tolerate this challenge to their rule in such a brazen way even if
though it was confined to a Taluk in North Karnataka. They sent forces
led by Lt. Stevenson to capture the leaders. However the forces could
not locate the leaders. A traitor Annappa Patne however showed the
hiding place to the British. The local people who came to know the same
lynched Annappa on the spot. However the British were able to capture
the leaders and imprison them. The revolt was confined to a Taluk, but
showed advanced consciousness.
Rani Chennamma and the Kittur Revolt (1824)
Rani Chennamma of Kittur is a veritable icon in Karnataka and was
perhaps one of the first women leaders who fought against British Raj.
To this day she inspires people. She was born in the Desai family of
Kakati, a small village in the wealthy kingdom of Kittur, which stood
around 5 km north of Belgavi in Karnataka. In her youth she received
training in horse riding, sword fighting and archery. She became the
queen of Kittur on her marriage to Shivalinga Rudra Sarja, of the Desai
family of Kittur.
Kittur was a principality (samsthana) covering large parts of Dharwad
and Belgavi districts and was paying tributes to Marathas after the
fall of Tipu. However after the fall of Marathas in 1818, Kittur came
under British rule. Shivalinga Rudra Sarja did not have children and
when he fell sick, he asked his close confidant Gurusiddappa to choose a
boy from the surrounding region to be adopted as the heir to the
throne. Shivalingappa was such a boy who was then trained in appropriate
manner, renamed Mallasarja and adopted as the heir to Kittur.
Shivalinga Rudra Sarja died soon after on September 11, 1824.
Chennamma started ruling the kingdom in the name of the minor prince.
However Thackeray the then collector and political agent in Dharwad
arbitrarily refused to recognise this and asked the British Governor,
Elphinstone in Bombay to take over the kingdom under paramountcy—a ruse
three decades later formalised by Dalhousie as the Doctrine of Lapse.
In a clear act of provocation he declared that the treasury of the
kingdom was not safe and hence brought in his own guards and
administrators to “protect” the same. He even left a few soldiers to
“guard” the main gate of Kittur Fort. These provocations enraged the
people of Kittur. Chennamma patiently tried to get justice and sent her
emissaries to talk to the “Company Sarkar” (British East India Company)
and at the same time started strengthening the fort and carrying out
various military preparations anticipating a conflict. She called all
the loyal fighters from the surrounding region and discussed the
situation with them, sought their advice and loyalty. Thackeray was
surprised by the Rani’s gumption. He invited the Rani for talks, which
she refused. While Thackeray was gathering his forces the fighters of
Kittur readied themselves inside the fort and carried out a daring
attack on the British forces. Chennamma directed the battle from the
ramparts of the fort. On her orders, Balasaheb Sayyad, Rani Chennamma’s
loyal sharpshooter, killed Thackeray. Thus Thackeray came to a sorry end
on October 23, 1824 and along with him two more officers Capt.. Black
Stevenson and Lt. Dicton also died. British forces were roundly defeated
and many were taken prisoners by the insurgents.
This was a great setback for British Raj and its cultivated image as
an invincible force in the region. They soon gathered forces from
Sholapur, Mysore and Bombay and neared Kittur. Rani sent them a message
that if they attack Kittur then all British prisoners of war will be put
to death and then the people of Kittur will fight to death. Taken
aback, Chaplin, Commissioner of Deccan sent a message that if the
British prisoners are released and Sardar Gurusiddappa is handed over
then the status quo will prevail. Chennamma refused to hand over
Gurusiddappa but released British prisoners as an act of good faith.
However Chaplin had no intention of keeping his end of the deal and sent
his forces under the leadership of Lt.. Col Deacon to siege Kittur on
Dec. 3, 1824. The fighters of Kittur fought bravely for three days,
however due to treachery they found that their gun powder had been mixed
with cow dung and made useless. The fort fell. Rani Chennamma escaped
with the younger Rani Veeramma through a secret passage towards Sangolli
where she had supporters.
However British were able to intercept her on her way and capture
her. She was imprisoned in Bailhongal prison. After incarceration of
four years Chennamma died in prison on February 3, 1829. The Kittur
countryside was full of rebellion for over five years. The leader of
this rebellion was Rani Chennamma’s ardent admirer Rayanna of Sangolli.
Sangolli Rayanna (1829)
Rayanna was born in a shepherd family in Sangolli, a village in Belgavi
district. The family had a fighting tradition and was loyal to the
Desais of Kittur. Rayanna fought with the Kittur army in 1824 and was
captured by the British after the defeat of Rani. However soon he was
released as a part of British pacification program. His family members
had generous tax free lands given as Inam by the Desais, for their
earlier bravery and loyalty. However the Company Sarkar now increased
the taxes and eventually confiscated his lands. In November-December
1829, when he was restless, some of his friends invited him to lead a
revolt against the British. Rayanna soon started a guerrilla war
suitable to the surrounding landscape. He gathered a compact group of
fighters and started attacking treasuries and rich land owners who were
British collaborators. He seized mortgage and debt documents of
peasantry from them and burnt them. He soon gathered over 1000 fighters
and harassed the British and their collaborators relentlessly.
Realising that it was not possible to capture Rayanna by conventional
warfare, British adopted other means to do so. They sent in some spies
into his army and caught him unarmed when he was bathing in a river. He
and his associates were executed and many sent abroad for life
imprisonment.
Interestingly though British rewarded the traitors who betrayed
Rayanna very generously through land grants, the entire community
socially boycotted them. Even today the legend has it that those
families are cursed for generations and if anyone goes to their homes
for a lunch or dinner as a guest then the food in their plates will turn
into maggots!
Rayanna’s revolt inspired other loyalists of Kittur too to rise up
time and again. Gurusiddappa, Shankaranna, Gajapati, Savai Shetti,
Kotagi, Shaikh Suleiman, Bheemanna, Kaddigudda Balanna, Waddar
Yellannaetcled several uprisings against the British in support of
Kittur for almost a decade. The rebels executed the traitors who had
betrayed Rayanna and rose up time and gain demonstrating their love and
pride for the Rani Chennamma of Kittur.
Nagar Peasant Revolt (1830-31)
Nagar comprised of the taluks of Sagar, Nagar, Kowlidurga, Koppa,
Lakwally, Sorab, Shikarpur, Shivamogga, Honnaly, Harihar, Chennagiri,
Tarikere, Kadur, and Chickamagalur. Besides, there were 5277 villages,
1277 hamlets. Its population was 459,842. The Ikkeri dynasty ruled this
region and gained respect and prestige through an independent
distinguished rule from the Vijaynagar times to late 18th century when
they were taken over by Hyder Ali and Tipu. The region had a fighting
tradition. When the Wodeyars and Diwan Poornaiah were installed in
Mysore by East India Company after Tipu’s defeat, the region came under
heavy taxation. In fact nearly 60% of the Kingdom’s revenues were coming
from this region alone. After suffering from the duo’s arbitrariness
for three decades, 1800-1830, the region was ripe for rebellion against
the Wodeyars and their protectors—the “Company Sarkar”.
The administration was entirely corrupt and filled with nepotism and
casteism. The local Nayak’s and Patels and ryots were fed up of this
state of affairs and the heavy tax burden. This situation was utilised
by Boodi Basavappa, who assumed leadership of the uprising and declared
himself the new ruler. He declared sovereignty and pardoned the heavy
taxes and peasant debt to Sahukars (money lenders).
The result was one of the largest peasant revolts in colonial India.
According to Dr.. Siddalinga Swamy, the greatest burden to
cultivators was an advance payment of money to the government before the
grain was harvested. As no renter, or cultivator had money to advance,
he was obliged to take recourse to the Sahukars, who advanced money at
the rate of two percent per month and extracted a present of five
percent upon the advance. For the second and third instalment, a present
was not demanded; but when the fourth was to be paid the crops were to
be mortgaged. Most lenders insisted upon an immediate sale, and became
the purchasers themselves at the bazar price, which would then be lower
than at any other period. Many debt burdened ryots flocked to the
government to make complaints against Sahukars. But the government were
powerful. The Government also owed large sums of money to Sahukars. In
February 1826 the peasant debt to Sahukarsin Nagar was estimated at 4
lakh.
This sorry state of affairs depicted a weak and ignorant government
managed by corrupt officers, unable to correct the sources of evil
inherent in it. As the Wodeyar’s Government was corrupt, no control was
exercised over the district officers. Naturally the people were enraged
by the unjust and arbitrary acts of those officers. There was no process
in the country which required public servants to hear the complaints of
the ryots. This was the fertile ground for the insurrection in 1830.
Taking advantage of this, Basavappa spread the news that he had
assumed the sovereignty of the country and promised the ryots full
remission of all balance debt. A reduction of the Government tax demand
on their lands was also promised, if they would espouse his cause. Many
inflammatory speeches were made by supporters of Boodi Basavappa in
August 1830, asking ryots to join them. One of his supporters, made an
unsuccessful attempt to capture the fort of Anandapur in Nagar province.
On 23rd August the ryots of Nagar circulated a letter in the other
fouzdaris, inviting other ryots to assemble in a koota (assembly). On
23rd September the ryots of Chennagiri refused to pay their taxes, and
other taluks in Nagar fouzdari followed them. In December, Fouzdar
Viraraj Urs employed troops to disperse demonstrators at Holehonnur. The
ryots of the Chitradurg and Bangalore Divisions also refused to pay
taxes and joined the movement.
In the meantime efforts were made by Diwan Venkat Raj in Bangalore
and Chitradurg Divisions to pacify the ryots. The Maharaja himself under
took to tour some of the taluks in December 1830. However he was
humiliated by the ryots in Channarayapattana and in many other places.
The rebels gave a good fight to the troops. They captured some of the
forts in Nagar, and in many places they repulsed the Mysore troops.
On the 21st of December 1830 a Proclamation was issued directing all
persons carrying bones and Neem leaves (the symbols of insurrection) to
be seized, tried and if convicted, to be hanged. On the following day
instructions were given to the fouzdar of Bangalore to fire on the
protesters and to catch one or two protesters in each taluk and hang
them to spread terror among the populace. Many of the rebels were caught
and hanged. Some of the rebels’ noses and ears were cut off resulting
in several persons being badly disfigured.
The Raja said that this measure was indispensable to put down the
rebellion. As a result hundreds of ryots were hanged throughout the
territory. The Raja asserted that in ordering executions he did not act
of his own accord, but in compliance with the advice of the British
Resident.
The reverses to the Mysore troops led to the employment of Company’s
forces to quell the revolt. On 31st May 1831, the stronghold of the
rebels, Nagar, was captured and the revolt was practically quelled. But
stray bands of insurgency continued till 1832 when it was completely
suppressed.
The rebellion was spontaneous and did not have a visionary leadership
but it however demonstrated the widespread anger among different
sections of Kannadigas against the British rule and as well as their
puppets like the Wodeyars and Poornaiah. The Company however used the
occasion to further strip any element of autonomy from the Wodeyars and
Governor General William Bentinck, appointed commissioners to administer
the region.
Coastal Uprisings (1830-31)
There were widespread uprisings against heavy taxation in the coastal
regions of Karnataka. These regions had first protested the taxes
earlier in 1809-1810. The later agitations learnt from this experience
and were consequently more audacious.
The documents of East India Company have called these revolts as
Koota revolts. Kootaswere general assemblies of people of a village or
town, where they asserted their sovereignty, and hence a form of direct
democracy.
The mass struggle started in early 1830 and assumed a host of forms.
The most important of these, however, was the koota or simply
‘gathering’. The mass awakening was ignited through their assembly into
kootas which was a broad forum to organize the masses. While the
struggles might have been spontaneous, the form was quite well
developed.
The signs of the peasant unrest could be seen in the closing months
of 1830, when the ryots gave general petitions complaining of their
losses. But they developed and came to the fore in the beginning months
of 1831. The ryots of Kasargod, Kumbla, Mogral, Manjeshwar, Bungra
Manjeshawar and Talapady sent general arzees (petitions) and complaints
of their losses to Dickinson the Collector of South Kanara.
In their petitions, the ryots not only complained about the harsh
revenue assessment of November 1830, but they also demanded remission to
them all at a uniform rate.
In the second stage, beginning of January 1831, the ryots started their Kootas or assemblages.
It was in Bekal (Kasargod) that the Kootas started in the first week of
January 1831 and within a few days they spread to the northern parts of
Kanara.
Barkur, Brahmavar, Buntwal, Madhur, Manjeshwar, Mulki, Kadri, Kumbla,
Malluly (Malali), Wamanjoor, Mogral, Udyawar, Uppinangadi and Vittal
were some of the important places where the ryots of the respective
regions had assembled in Kootas or assemblages. The Kootas extended to
North Kanara also. Manjunatha temple at Kadri was the centre of these
peasant uprisings, where the Grand Koota [MahaKoota] was organised
towards the end of January 1831. Ryots from other important centres of
the district such as Kasargod and Buntwal came and met at Kadri. The
Venkataramana temple at Basrur, the Mahamayi temple at Mangalore, the
temple at Manjeswar and another temple at Wamanjoor were other important
centres of the Koota movement.
In order to organise these Kootas, the ryots assigned one Patel and
two head ryots in each of the villages. When any aspect was discussed
and plan or action was proposed in the Kootas, these leaders
disseminated them to the ryots in the villages. Further, each of the
Kootas had its own leaders and all of them met and discussed (at the
Grand Koota in Kadri). The organisers of these Kootas also made use of a
‘Secret Council’ or a secretariat. The object of this Council was to
maintain the secrecy of the whole organisational affair of the Kootas.
However, the result of the deliberations of this Council was
communicated to the various assemblies or Kootas. Thus the Secret
Council played the role of a linking and organising body in these
peasant uprisings. It in fact acted as a think-tank of the rebellion.
Further, anonymous pamphlets were made use of by the leaders to spread
their ideas and programmes among the ryots.
The participants in these Kootas at times made bold to attack
Government servants. Before Dickinson left Kundapura for Mangalore at
the end of January 1831 he received reports from the Tahsildar of Barkur
that the ryots of that taluk had assembled in Koota and had assaulted
some of the public servants. The report of the Tahsildar of Barkur says
that a Magane Shanbhog, who was deputed to read a government
proclamation was severely assaulted. Again at Mulki the ryots roughed up
an Ameen who had been sent to read them a proclamation issued by the
Government. The ryots were determined to refuse to give taxes to the
Government, until a fresh settlement was made, and their mood was so
defiant that they unhesitatingly attacked those public servants whom
they feared not long back. The growing sense of unity among themselves
and faith in their organisational strength had emboldened them to take
such postures of defiance. The peasant rebellion that surfaced in the
month of November 1830 continued up to the end of March 1831. It was
after Cameron’s promise (March 1831) to the riots that their petitions
would be considered and remissions would be made after an examination of
their losses to redress their hardships that they dispersed and stopped
organising the Kootas. Thus by April 1831 the rumblings of Koota
rebellions died down.
Kodagu (Coorg) Revolts (1833-37)
After the defeat of Tipu, the East India Company could not directly rule
Kodagu. They had to restore the kingdom to the traditional kings of
Haleri dynasty who were earlier displaced by Hyder and Tipu. However
these Haleri kings were fiercely independent and particularly Chikka
Veera Rajendra (1820-34) was a proud and independent king. He refused to
follow British diktat and instead armed his population and built up his
forces to resist any British attack. He corresponded with Maharaja
Ranjit Singh of Punjab and sought his support against the British.
There were constant skirmishes between him and the British
administration, which was based in Bangalore and Mysore and finally a
war between the British and Kodava forces was inevitable. Despite brave
fight put up by the Kodavas the British were able to capture the
Madikeri fort through treachery in 1834 and depose the king. He was sent
in Exile to Bangalore, Kashi and later London.
However the fighting people of Kodagu did not take this lying down
and several revolts took place. These were led by Swami Aparampaar,
Kalyan Swami and Putta Basava. All these fighters claimed to be heirs to
Kodagu throne one after another and sought support from the people in
their fight against the British in the name of Haleri dynasty. Each one
of them was given due respect and recognition by the people as true
heirs of Kodagu and thousands joined them. All of them sought to throw
out British from Kodagu, cancel the taxes imposed by them and fought for
an independent life for Kodavas. These uprisings went on from 1834 to
1837.
Other revolts before 1857
There were several other revolts which were local and minor in dimension
but which had a lot of impact on the psyche of the people of North
Karnataka between 1840 and 1857. One of them was in Badami, a town in
today’s Bagalkot district, which has an ancient history and was the
capital of Chalukyas who ruled much of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
between 6th and 8th centuries CE. An army built by loyalists of the
deposed king of Satara took over the fort and established their rule in
1839-40. They were suppressed by British Army and the leaders sentenced
to death and life imprisonment.
Similarly there were uprisings in Nippani, currently in Belgavi
district, in 1840-41, where over 300 Arab fighters under the leadership
of local Zamindar, Raghunath Rao attacked the fort and took it over.
Later they were suppressed by the Company Army. In 1849 the Paleygar of
Chitradurga rose up unsuccessfully. Revolts led by Lingappa in Bidar in
1852 harassed the British for several months and he had captured several
forts.
Uprisings in Karnataka during Ghadar of 1857
There were several uprisings in Karnataka during the Ghadar in 1857 and
went on till 1860. Unlike the Gangetic belt, where the revolt was
signalled by mutiny of British Indian Army, which were then followed by
revolts led by Nanasaheb, Zeenat Mahal, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Kunwar
Singh et al, the Karnataka revolts were popular uprisings led by local
peasant leaders, or small principalities who linked their local
struggles with the larger national one that was being fought under
Bahadur Shah Zafar and Nana Saheb’s leadership. The area of uprising
covered the entire districts from the coastal Canara (present day Karwar
and Mangalore) in the Madras Presidency, to the eastern Raichur and
Koppal districts under the Nizam; from Bijapurand Dharwadin the North in
Bombay Presidency to Sringeri and Hassan in the south.
Notable among them are the uprisings of: Bedasin Halagali near
Bijapur; revolt of Nargund near Gadag and Dharwad; revolt of Mundargi
Bhimaraya; revolt of Venkatappa Nayak of Surpur near Gulburga and Supa
revolts near Karwar.
Bedas of Halagali
One of the fighting tribes which fought the British tooth and nail from
1820’s to 1942 and formed the backbone of many uprisings in the Deccan
(comprising Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra) were Bedas who descended
from hunters. They have been called Ramoshis, Berad, or Bedas, Boya,
Dorabiddu and Valmiki in different areas.
Bearing arms to protect themselves and the community and their king
was part of their life and they did it with great pride. The prince of
Mudhol had accepted British overlordship and the Bedas in the area were
seething with dissatisfaction. The East India Company announced on 11
September, 1857 that all Indians should disarm, submit their arms to the
company and then get licences to carry arms. This was simply out of
question for Bedas. Hence when the Company Sarkar’s edict was sought to
be implemented by the King of Mudhol principality, the Bedas of Halagali
and surrounding area considered it a great insult and defied him. They
did not allow any official to enter their villages. They did not even
allow an arms’ census to be taken and did not accept the offer that they
will not be actually disarmed but will all be given licences to bear
arms. They said, “Bearing arms is our birth right and why should we take
anybody’s permission for the same?”
The revolt, which started in a small village called Halagali, kept
snowballing and started spreading to surrounding areas. The British Raj
saw it as a serious threat to its rule and when the local ruler was not
able to suppress it, Major Malcolm summoned the southern Maratha
regiment let by Lt. Col Seton Karr. The bedas, though vastly
outnumbered, fought fiercely for their rights. The British followed a
scorched earth policy in the region and after the final battle captured
290 Bedas and hanged 19 leaders of the uprising in Mudhol market in
December 1857.
Nargund Bandaya (revolt)
The principality of Nargund used to be under the Peshwas after the
defeat of Tipu. After the defeat of Peshwas in 1818, it came under
British overlordship. Bhaskar Rao Bhave also known as Baba Saheb rose to
the throne of Nargund in 1842 and administered this region efficiently.
However he did not have a son and told the British that he would adopt a
son to create an heir for Nargund. The British refused permission and
asked him to return some of the land received as Inam. This enraged Baba
Saheb and he got in touch with several rulers in Karnataka like
Mundaragi Bhimaraya, Surpur Venkatappa Nayakaand many others. He was
aware of the north Indian uprising and wanted to time his revolt also in
June of 1857. However he postponed the date at the last moment.
Meanwhile the British came across his correspondence with other rulers
due to some traitors and informers. They were alarmed by it but Baba
Saheb’s external conduct with them was friendly and proper and hence
they were lulled into not taking immediate action. However, when they
came to know that he had accumulated a large amount of artillery and
ammunition in his fort in Nargund, they asked him to deposit the same in
Dharwad. He readily agreed and sent them with an escort to Dharwad.
Simultaneously he secretly organised an attack on the convoy and brought
them back to Nargund, while claiming innocence.
In May 1858 when the British sent a force to prevent his networking
with other rulers, he attacked them and brought the decapitated head of
officer Manson, the head of British force sent to suppress him, to his
fort and displayed it to the people. Meanwhile he discovered treachery
within his fort leading to sabotage and adulteration of gun powder with
cow dung. While he went to attack the fort in Amargol near Hubballi,
British came to Nargund with a large force. Baba Saheb had over 2500
soldiers within the fort who fought valiantly, when the defeat was
imminent, Baba Saheb consulted his comrades and decided to escape to a
nearby forest. However in the forest near Torgal he was betrayed by some
camp followers. This led to his capture and later execution in Belagavi
on June 12, 1858. Nargund Bandaya is a legend in North Karnataka.
Interestingly, when a large peasant movement started in 1980 in North
Karnataka, in the Malaprabha basin, it took a massive turn due to
brutal police firing on agitating peasants in Nargund and the vast mass
peasant movement that developed came to be known as the second Nargund
Bandaya.
Surpur Venkatappa Nayak
Surpur or Shorapuris situated in the hills, about 50 km west of Yadgiri,
a district headquarters. It was ruled by Beda Nayak kings who had a
fighting tradition. They had resisted even the mighty Mughals under
Aurangzeb. Later they were harassed by the Nizam, the Peshwas and the
British and the kingdom was reduced in size toonly Surpur and Shapur
taluks. When Raja Krishnappa Nayak died in 1842, prince Venkatappa Nayak
the 4th,was only 8 years old. So the British created regency where the
prince was enthroned but Meadows Taylor a British administrator was
appointed as the Regent. Taylor was a scholar-administrator and greatly
improved the condition of the kingdom in terms of treasury, accounts,
clearing the old debts owed to the Nizam and Peshwa, public works,
irrigation etc. In 1853 Taylor handed over the reins to 19 year old
Venkatappa Nayak and retreated into the background.
In 1857, British got wind that some representatives of Nana Saheb
came to Surpur and had secret meetings with young Raja Venkatappa Nayak.
In the meanwhile, Mahipal Singh, a rebel from 1857 revolt, was captured
by the British and he disclosed to them that he was carrying out
instructions of Raja Venkatappa Nayak. The Company had actually
administered the kingdom under regency and the King had a close almost
filial relationship with Col Meadows Taylor. Even then, the British were
very suspicious of Bedas in general as they were playing an important
anti-colonial role. So they started interfering more and more in the
affairs of the kingdom. Finally in February 1858, they sent troops led
by Capt. Windham and Maj Hughes to attack Surpur, but the fort of Surpur
was very strong and a fierce battle ensued. When they were outnumbered,
the Raja escaped to Hyderabad and tried to get Nizam and his Diwan’s
support for the uprising. Unfortunately however, they handed him over to
the British. The Raja was sentenced to life imprisonment and while he
was being transported to Chenglepet jail from Sikandarabad, he was
killed. The Raja Venkatappa Nayak of Surpur was a lynchpin in a
coordinated uprising covering Miraj, Kolhapur, Koppal, Raichur and
Surpur and hence the British were greatly relieved by his defeat and the
kingdom was given to Nizam for the services rendered to the East India
Company.
Mundaragi Bhimaraya
Bhimaraya of Mundaragi is a legendary hero of Ghadar of 1857 in
Karnataka. There are many lavanis (ballads) written about him. He was
not a Raja but a commoner with extra ordinary vision and organising and
mobilising ability. His father was a local judge and Bhimaraya himself
served as a Mamledar (a land revenue official) in Bellary, Hoovina
Hadagali and Harapana Halli. He could not stand the exploitation of
peasantry under British rule and in protest he resigned and came back to
Benne Halli, his village.
He had observed the development of anti-colonial movement in
Karnataka and networked with various like-minded leaders. Nana Saheb’s
call to the people of India and all Desais, Deshmukhs, Deshpandes,
Jahagirdars, Patels and Kulkarnis of Karnataka greatly influenced him.
He had sent many emissaries in the garb of Sadhus and Swamijis to
contact others. He is also rumoured to have secretly visited Bangalore
and written a letter in vain to the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja
Wodeyar 3rd. Bhimaraya encouraged people in various areas to refuse to
pay taxes to Company Sarkar. He contacted various groups of Beda
fighters and started accumulating arms and creating ammunition dumps at
various places. On 23 May 1858 the fouzdar of Dambal raided one such
arms cache and sealed it. On hearing the news Bhimaraya came with his
army attacked the armoury and took back all his arms and ammunition and
shifted to a safer place in Shirahatti. Then he started raiding British
armouries in various places. Many local land owners and kings supported
Bhimaraya and joined him in the revolt. When British took Bhimarayas
wife and kids as hostages, Bhimaraya came with his army freed his family
and went to the fort in Koppal and prepared to fight with a large stock
of food, arms and ammunition. British gathered a large force from their
stations at Dharwad, Raichur, Hyderabad and Bellary and marched on
Koppal fort. After a fierce fight Bhimaraya fell to British bullets on 1
June, 1858. British carried out brutal reprisals against Bhimaraya’s
associates and supporters.
Canara Revolts
The district of Canara consisted of present Mangalore (Dakshina Kannada)
and Karwar (Uttara Kannada) districts and after Tipu, they were made a
part of Madras presidency. However these coastal districts were thickly
forested and mountainous and the large distance from Madras led to
further reasons for a weak British colonial state in the area. As
uprisings in coastal Maharashtra spread during 1857, Canara too became a
refuge for revolutionaries and also a centre of resistance. Here the
revolutionaries who came from Savantwadi played a major role. They also
tried to get support from some Goans as well as Portugese and moved into
Khanapur, Supa, Ulavi, Dandeli etc. They were also joined by Siddis
(African slaves brought to India by Portugese and who had escaped to the
dense forests of Canara near Karwar). Though many British historians
have said that these revolts were caused by the increased land and salt
taxes, it is clear that they were inspired by the stories of 1857
uprising in the North and were waiting for Nanasaheb to move southwards.
Despite the death and capture of many leaders, new ones kept springing
up in this region for nearly three years. Finally British divided the
district into two and attached Karwar to Bombay presidency in 1862.
This brief account of anti-colonial uprisings in Karnataka suffices
to understand the deep felt hatred of British rule in every corner of
India. Karnataka threw up its own heroes and legends in resistance like
Dhondiya Wagh, Swami Aparampar, Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna,
Nargund Baba Saheb, Mundargi Bimaraya, Surpur Venkatappa Nayak, Bedas of
Halagali and others. Moreover, the revolts and networks clearly
demonstrate the development of a broad national consciousness among
Indian people much before the so called modern era, despite India being
composed of many nationalities, languages, religious sects, cultures and
castes.
References:
1) “Kannada Bhoopradeshagalallina Sashastra Bandayagalu” (Armed
uprisings in Kannada Region)- by Dr. D. N. Yogeeshwarappa, from
Charitrika Karnataka (History of Colonial and Contemporary Karnataka)
-Ed by Dr. C. R. Govinda Raju (2010), Kannada
2) “Peasant Revolt of Nagar in 1830-31"- Dr. Siddalinga Swamy, pre-print
3) N. Shyam Bhat, “South Kanara, 1799–1860: a study in colonial administration and regional response", 1998,
4) “Ramoshi/Berad-Lingayat-Maratha Heroism, Jain Dilemma and the Haider
Ali-Tipu Sultan Memory: Perspicacious 1858 Karnataka Battles”, Chapter
55, War of Civilisations- India AD 1857, Vol II –by Amaresh Misra,
Rupa& Co (2008)
by
Shivanand Kanavi
Source
Related Posts
Kannada Kings
Kannada Queens
