Name: Alluri Sita Rama Raju
Other Names: Aluri Rampa Rama Raju, Rama Chandra Raju
Born on: July 4, 1897
Birth Place: Mogallu village, West Godavari district, India
Died on: May 7, 1924
Place Died: Mampa village in the Visakhapatnam District
Title: Manyam Veerudu
Early Career
Alluri Sita Rama Raju's father died when he was in school and he grew
up in the care of his uncle 'Rama Krishnam Raju', a tehsildar in
Narsapur in the West Godavari district. He studied at 'Taylor High
School' in Narsapur then moved to Tuni along with his mother, brother
and sister. While there, Alluri visited areas of the Visakhapatnam
district and became familiar with the needs of the indigenous people. At
the age of 15, he moved to his mother's home town of Vishakhapatnam and
enrolled at Mrs. A.V.N. College. He was dropped out of college after
failing in the fourth form (Std. IX).
Rampa Rebellion
Raju led a protest movement in the border areas of the East Godavari
and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. Inspired by the patriotic
zeal of revolutionaries in Bengal, Raju raided police stations in and
around Chintapalle, Rampachodavaram, Dammanapalli, Krishna-devi-peta,
Rajavommangi, Addateegala, Narsipatnam and Annavaram. Raju and his
followers stole guns and ammunition and killed several British army
officers, including Scott Coward near Dammanapalli. In December 1922,
the British deployed a company of Assam Rifles, near Pegadapalle under
the leadership of Saunders. Raju, who had by then gone underground,
resurfaced after about four months and continued the fight, strengthened
by tribal volunteers using bows and arrows under the leadership of 'Gam
Mallu Dora' and 'Gantam Dora'.
The British campaign lasted for nearly a year from December 1922.
Rama Raju was eventually trapped by the British in the forests of
Chintapalli then tied to a tree and shot dead with a rifle in Mampa
village. Following the martyrdom of Alluri, the tribal revolt lost its
momentum and petered out by October 1923. Police officer Mr. N.
Gnaneswara Rao responsible for Raju's entrapment was awarded Rao
Bahadur. Alluri Sita Ramaraju tomb is present in Krishna devi peta
village.
Alluri Army
Alluri’s Army raided Chintapalli Police Station, on 23rd
Krishnadevipeta Police Station, and on 24th Rajavommangi and captured a
good number of guns, bayonets and cartridges and swords. He set free the
revolutionary, Veerayya Dora from jail. The British Army got alerted
and platoons of Police and Army were sent to capture Setarama Raju. At
Peddavalassa, Raju attacked the British Army. They were defeated during
this battle and suffered very heavy casualties and retreated. From That
day onwards there was a regular warfare between Raju and the Britishers.
Raju came out triumphant in all.
Legacy
Today a statue of Raju stands at the junction of Seethammadhara
Junction and The Park in Visakhapatnam. The Indian Postal Department
issued a commemorative stamp on Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju in the series
‘India’s struggle for freedom’ in 1986. A Telugu movie was made about
Raju’s life, entitled Alluri Sita Rama Raju. Krishna starred as Raju and
V. Rama Chandra Rao directed the film. The popular song ‘Telugu Veera
Levara’ was included in this film and has inspired generations of the
Telugu Community. Mantena Satya Narayana Raju a dietician and an
Ayurvedic Consultant is a relative of Sri Alluri Sitarama Raju. The only
photograph of him, which was taken after his death is preserved in the
A.P. State Archives, Hyderabad.
