Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy: A Forgotten Hero in the History

What did India not do to get independence from the British? Mollions of brave sons laid down their lives for freedom. Many filmmakers have also made films on some brave sons. Now a similar film is going to be released soon. The film is based on the life of Narasimha Reddy. Chiranjeevi plays the role of Narasimha Reddy in the film. Amitabh Bachchan is also in an important role in this. Very few people know about them. Narasimha Reddy was the first patriot who revolted against the mighty British rule.

Who was Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy?

He raised his voice against the atrocities on farmers in the year 1847 and fought against British. He was the son of Sitamma and Mallareddy of Utiyalawada village. He got the responsibility of collecting taxes from his grandfather in Allagadda area. The atrocities of the British on the farmers were increasing. He opposed this.

Raised Voice Against Ryotwari System:

In Madras Presidency, which is today part of Andhra Pradesh, the British introduced the Ryotwari system. Through this system, the British used to get a lot of money in the form of taxes. Munro implemented it in the whole of Madras in 1820. Under this arrangement there was a direct settlement between the British and the peasants. In this, the farmers had to pay taxes directly to the British company. But if a farmer was unable to pay the tax, the company would snatch his land. Narasimha Reddy raised his voice against this system.

 Revolted Against British Rule:

Many farmers committed suicide due to the discontent with the Ryotwari system. But no one had the courage to raise their voice against it. This condition of farmers was not seen from Narasimha Reddy. He began to unite the peasants against the British. To get the farmers their due, Narasimha waged a war against the British.

He Was Publicly Hanged:

Narasimha waged a war against the British by taking five thousand farmers along with him. They started looting the treasures of the British. He used to distribute that treasure among the poor. The British were upset seeing the rising status of Narasimha. In such a situation, he decided to eliminate Narasimha. The British issued an arrest warrant against 1000 people of Narasimha’s group. Of these, 112 people were sentenced to death, including Narasimha’s name. On 22 February 1847, the British publicly hanged Narasimha to create fear in the minds of the people. Narasimha was martyred but he ignited the flame of revolution in the minds of the people.

Also read: Velu Nachiyar The 1st Bravest Queen of India who fought against British

Intersting Facts about Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy:

• Narasimha Reddy was born on November 24, 1806 in Uyyalawada, District Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh in a military family. His full name was Uyyalavada Narasimha Reddy. His father’s name was Uyyalawada Peddamalla Reddy and grandfather’s name was Jayarami Reddy.
• Narasimha Reddy was the governor in the military. He had command of 66 villages like Kadapa, Anantapur, Bellary and Kurnool, and he used to control an army of 2000.
• Narasimha Reddy was given the responsibility of collecting taxes from his grandfather from the Allagadda area.
• Narasimha Reddy was proficient in the art of guerilla warfare. In war, he used guerilla tactics.
• It is believed that Narasimha Reddy was the first person to raise his voice against the British rule.

• After the British took over the area of Rayalaseema, the British asked him to share the tax amount, but he refused to share the income of this area with the British.
• Due to the increasing oppression of the British, They started raising his voice and was in favor of an armed rebellion. He started associating many people with him against the British rule.

• On 10 June 1846 he attacked the treasury at Koilkuntla and proceeded towards Cumbam (District Prakasam).
• He revolted by killing the forest ranger Rudraram. The District Collector took the rebellion very seriously and ordered Captain Nott and Watson to capture Narasimha Reddy. But they failed in their attempt.
• The British government announced a reward of ₹ 5000 for the person who gave information about Narasimha Reddy and ₹ 10000 for his head, which was a huge amount in those days.
• On 23 July 1846, he attacked the British army at Giddalur with his army and defeated them.
• To capture Narasimha Reddy, his family was taken prisoner by the British army in Kadapa. In an attempt to free his family, he went to the Nallamala forest.
• When the British came to know that he was hiding in the Nallamala forest, then the British strengthened their activities further. After which Narasimha Reddy returned to Koilkuntala area and waited for the spot at Jagannath Konda near village Rambadhunipalle.
• When the British Officer came to know about him in Koilkuntla, the British officers surrounded the area overnight. Narasimha Reddy has arrested by British army at midnight on 6 October 1846.

• After being captured at Koilkuntla they were brutally beaten by British, tied with thick chains and carried on the streets of Koilkuntla in blood-stained clothes, so that no one else would dare to rebel against British rule.
• 901 other people were also accused of revolting along with Narasimha Reddy. But 412 of them were acquitted and 273 people were released on bail. 112 people were convicted, among them was Narasimha Reddy.
• Some of them were imprisoned for 5 to 14 years. Some were even sent to a prison in the Andaman Islands. Narasimha Reddy was charged with murder and sedition and orderd to death.
• Six weeks later, he was publicly hanged on Monday, February 22, 1847, at 7 a.m. at Jurreti Bank, Koilkuntla, District Kurnool. Thousands of people were present to see his hanging.
• By sacrificing his life, awakened the flame of freedom and revolution in the minds of the people.
• The forts built by him are still present at places like Uyyalawada, Rupangudi, Veldrathi, Giddalur etc.
• To commemorate the 170th death anniversary of the first freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, a special cover has been released at Uyyalawada on 22nd February, 2017.
• The Telugu film ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’, which came in the year 2019, is based on the life of freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. Chiranjeevi played the role of Narasimha Reddy in the film. Amitabh Bachchan is also in an important role in the film. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Amitabh Bachchan along with Nayantara, Keecha Sudeep, Vijay Sethupathi, and Jagatpati Babu in important roles.

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