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Raja Venkatappa Nayaka IV or Nalvadi lakshya (?–1858), was a prominent final ruler from the
Nayak Dynasty Nayaka dynasties emerged during the Kakatiya dynasty and the Vijayanagara Empire period. The Nayakas were originally military governors under the Vijayanagara Empire. After the battle of Talikota, several of them declared themselves independent. ...
of Shorapur (or Surapur) in present-day Yadgiri district of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karn ...
state. He refused to accept the suzerainty of the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
and waged a war against them during the
Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
. He also aligned the southern kings to fight against the British and created an alliance consisting of Jattu,
Jamkhandi State Jamkhandi State was one of the Maratha princely states of British India. It was founded in 1811 and its capital was at Jamakhandi. It was administered as part of the Deccan States Agency of the Bombay Presidency and was one of the former states ...
, Mudhol State, Naragund and Koppal states.


Biography

This district was ruled by Valmiki Nayaka's ( berad) who had a tough resistance to
Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
. The British appointed Philip Meadows Taylor, a writer, as its Resident and Regent when the ruler there died, leaving a young prince Venkatappa. Venkatappa Nayaka was educated in English and Taylor had endeared himself to the prince, who addressed Taylor as "Appa". When the prince started his personal rule, being well educated, he felt the British overlordship very irritating. He was in his early 20s and had sent an agent to
Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...
Nanasaheb Baji Bajirao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), also known as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy in India. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his illustrious father, the Peshwa Bajirao I. During ...
in December 1857. The British heard reports that Venkatappa was planning a revolt on 8 August 1858, and was trying to encourage the British Regiments at
Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...
,
Dharwad Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...
and
Belgaum Belgaum ( ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...
to revolt. Two agents trying to sow seeds of dissension in the Belgaum army had been identified on 2 February 1858, and they were dispatched by Venkatappa and Raja of
Jamkhandi Jamakhandi is a city in Bagalkot district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jamkhandi. It is located 90 km towards west from District headquarter. It is the first princely state to mer ...
. Venkatappa had recruited a large number of
Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, N ...
and
Rohillas Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Ro ...
. Captain Malcolm posted a contingent at a village near Surapur and another battalion was posted at Sindhanur. Campbell was sent to Surapur by Malcolm to advise young Venkatappa. On 7 February, the British army near Surapur was attacked and many soldiers were killed by Venkatappa's men. The next day, the British attacked Surapur fort, and the army from
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
led by Colonel Hues was also summoned. Venkatappa's men attacked the Surapur fort killing many British soldiers. Reinforcements were called from the nearby cantonment site (Chavani) at
Lingasugur Lingasugur is a municipal town in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. There are many Temples, hills and forts (Quila). The festivals of Muharram and Maha Shivaratri are important here. Mudgal in Lingasugur taluk has a very anci ...
. But Surapur did not have much force to face the huge British army. Vagangeri Bhimrao from Surapur, a secret agent of the British, advised Venkatappa to go to
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. ...
and seek help from Salar Jung. Venkatappa escaped from the fort and made his way to Hyderabad. The next day, Bhimrao opened the fort door and Surapur was occupied without much resistance. However, Venkatappa was apprehended at Hyderabad by Salar Jung, and handed over to the British. He was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. When Taylor met him, Venkatappa told him that: Taylor, who had great affection for Venkatappa, had his life term reduced to four years internment by prevailing upon the Governor General, and he was to be reinstated after this four-year term. He was to be taken to
Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also se ...
fort, and was to be interned there together with his two queens. While he was being taken to Kurnool, on an early morning when his armed guard had gone out for ablution, Venkatappa took the revolver his guard had left behind and shot himself dead. Though there are debates over his death, some historians believe that he was stabbed from the back by a British officer and buried near Amberpet, a few miles away from Hyderabad.


Developmental works

Raja Venkatappa Nayaka was instrumental in the construction of water tanks, bunds, wells and water stations. The Mandakini lake and the Lotus Lake near the Surapur fort are credited to him. He initiated measures for soil and land conservation, and encouraged afforestation.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venkatappa Nayaka, Raja History of Karnataka Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Indian independence armed struggle activists 19th-century Indian monarchs