Anantapur: Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy was a brave freedom fighter from the Rayalaseema region, committed to fighting for freedom from British rule.
Reddy was born to Uyyalawada Peddamalla Reddy in Uyyalawada in Kurnool district which is on the banks of the Kundu River. His father Peddamalla Reddy and his grandfather Jayarami Reddy were local chieftains (Polygars) of Koilakuntla.
Narasimha Reddy and his army attacked British forces camped at Giddaluru on July 23, 1846 and defeated them. Unable to capture him, the British imprisoned his family at Kadapa. In an attempt to free his family, Narasimha Reddy moved to Nallamala forest. Someone in the village informed the Collector of Koilakuntla and the British restricted his movements in the Nallamala region.
Narasimha Reddy then came back to Koilkuntla and hid in Jagannatha Konda, near the village of Ramabhadrunipalle. He was betrayed yet again and the area was surrounded by armed forces at night.
He was caught at midnight of October 6, 1846. To teach insurgents a lesson, Narasimha Reddy was humiliated by being tied in heavy chains and paraded in the streets of Koilkuntla with blood-stained clothes. As many as 903 people were charged along with Narasimha Reddy for this uprising.
Some 412 were acquitted and 273 were released on bail. Around 112 were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for between five and 14 years. Some were sent to prison in the Andaman Islands.
The younger brother of the rulers of Auk was one of them. Narasimha Reddy was charged with revolt, murder and dacoity and convicted on all charges.
He was sentenced to death by hanging. On February 22, 1847, Reddy was hanged publicly by the British in Koilkuntla on the banks of a river. The Renati Surychandrula Smaraka Samithi was formed to preserve the memory of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy and the philanthropist Budda Vengal Reddy, both of whom were born in Uyyalawada village. The committee published a book in both Telugu and English, titled Renati Surya Chandrulu (The Sun and Moon of Renadu), in 2015.
