Kedambady Ramayya Gowda’s statue to be brought to Mangaluru on August 29

Kedambady Ramayya Gowda’s statue to be brought to Mangaluru on August 29

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 29, 2022: A bronze statue of Kedambady Ramayya Gowda, mounted on a horse, who is said to have revolted against the British in a mass insurrection in 1837, will be brought to Dakshina Kannada on Monday for installing it at Bavutagudda or Light House Hill in the city.

 

Peasant uprisings, called ‘koots’ by the British, which broke out against the East India Company in the coastal belt during 1830-31, reached the stage of an armed struggle in 1837.

The revolt by peasants was not related to the freedom movement, though, but against the high land revenue (tax) assessment and the absence of a lucrative market for farm produce. But it did motivate people to join the freedom movement after 1850, say researchers.

As the Dakshina Kannada district gazetteer puts it, the uprisings, which began in Bellare in the last week of March, 1837, spread to Sullia, Puttur, Bantwal, Kumble, Kasaragod, and finally to Mangalore (now Mangaluru), the headquarters of then Canara district.

The gazetteer says that the revolutionaries lowered the British flag at Bavutagudda, now in the heart of Mangaluru, on April 5, 1837, and hoisted their own flag.

According to Prabhakar Neerumarga, author of Kannada book Mangalura Kranti, the peasants had captured Mangalore for 13 days. Gowda is said to be one among those who revolted against the British then.

Earlier this year, the council of Mangaluru City Corporation had agreed to install his statue on the occasion of the country celebrating 75 years of Independence.

According to Mayor Premananda Shetty, the statue will be installed at a cost of ₹40 lakh. In that, the share of the city corporation is ₹30 lakh and the remaining ₹10 lakh is being borne by the Department of Kannada and Culture.

The statue including a 10ft platform is about 22ft high.

Made in Vijayawada, the statue was brought to Aadi Chunchanagiri Samsthana on August 27 from where it was brought to Kodagu on August 28. It will be brought to Mangaluru in a procession via Sullia on August 29.

The procession will enter Sampaje at 9 a.m. and reach Mangaluru at 6 p.m. via Sullia, Puttur, Mani, B.C. Road.

Mr. Shetty said the the statue will be installed at Bavutagudde in the coming days and its unveiling date will be announced later.

Courtesy: The Hindu