Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy was a freedom fighter who rebelled against the British East India Company in 1846 when about 5000 farmers protested against the British in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
Wiki/Biography
Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy was born in 1805 (age: 42 years, at time of death) in the village of Rupanagudi, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. His father, Uyyalawada Peddamalla Reddy was a poligar who married two daughters of Poligar Nossam.
Family
His father’s name is Uyyalawada Peddamalla Reddy. He has two older brothers. He married Siddhamma, Peramma, and Obulamma with whom he had three sons; Dora Subbaiah and two others and a daughter.
A Story of Rebellion
The East India Company introduced the Permanent Settlement agreement in 1803 in the Madras Presidency replacing the agrarian socioeconomic status with a more equal arrangement. According to the agreement, the heirs were deprived of their property rights and the village head was deprived of being the owner of the land and collecting the revenue. After a certain age, landlords were stripped of their land and they were given pensions. However, the pension is meager. When the British captured the Rayalaseema region, Narasimha refused to share the revenue generated from this region. Narasimha Reddy is a Governor in Rayalaseema Army. He ruled over 66 villages including Kadapa, Anantpur, Kurnool, etc. Narasimha Reddy held a protest with 5000 people against the East India Company system.
To defeat the British, he used a proxy war. On 10 June 1846, Narasimha attacked the treasury of Koilkuntla and moved to Cumbum. He started rebelling against the East India Company by killing a ranger, Rudraram. The district collector took the rebellion seriously and sent Watson (an officer) to arrest Narasimha Reddy. However, Watson failed to catch him. The British declared Rs. 5000 for Reddy’s tip and Rs. 10,000 for his head. On 23 July 1846, Narasimha Reddy with his army attacked the British Army in Giddalur, Andhra Pradesh. To arrest Narsimha Reddy, the British Army captured his family in Kadapa. To free his family, he moved to Nallamala Forest. When the British came to know about his hiding in the forest, they intensified their action around the forest as Narsimha Reddy returned to Koilkuntla.
When the British administration found out about Narasimha Reddy’s location, they completely surrounded the area and on 6 October 1846, Narasimha Reddy was arrested in the middle of the night. He was charged with murder and treason and sentenced to death. After being arrested, he was severely beaten and tied with thick chains. After that, he, wrapped in bloody clothes, was taken to the streets of Koilkuntla so that no one would dare rebel against the British Law. Apart from Narasimha Reddy, 901 people were accused of conspiring against the British. However, later, 412 people were released, 273 people were released on bail and 112 people were convicted and faced life imprisonment. On 22 February 1847, Narasimha was publicly executed at Koilkuntala at 7 am
Narasimha Reddy was hanged on 22 February 1847
Facts
- When he was hanged, about 2000 people had gathered to witness his hanging.
- Forts built by him still exist at Rupanagudi, Uyyalawada, Veldurthi, and Giddalur.
Narsimha Reddy’s chest
- On his 170th death anniversary, a special cover page was released in Uyyalawada on 22 February 2017.
Special cover in honor of Narsimha Reddy
- Director Surender Reddy is making a Telugu film on the life of Narasimha Reddy in 2019, titled, ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy.’ In this film, Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Kichcha Sudeep, Vijay Sethupathi, and Jagapati Babuhave played important roles.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
