This is a List of Freedom Fighters in Karnataka who took leadership roles during India’s freedom struggle against the British and fight for Karnataka.
It is important to remember that at the time of the freedom of India (in 1947), there was no Karnataka as we know it today. Instead, it dispersed into 20 different administrative blocks, kingdoms, and administrations.
At this moment I want to remember and share with you the great personalities who sacrificed their entire life for the Freedom of India and Unite Karnataka.
Many Karnataka leaders who are directly or indirectly involved in the freedom movement, I try to gather all the information and present it to you, this list will not be static, I will keep updating it again and again when it is researched.
I wanted to highlight these freedom fighters because, when we ask someone they will say a few important persons such as Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, etc. but when it comes to local region people don’t remember much of them, so to educate the students and researchers this article will be helpful.
We did not obtain freedom only through the effort of one or two people, millions of people contributed to the struggle. So I am proud to be able to name some Karnataka freedom fighters today.
List of Freedom Fighters in Karnataka
1. Kittur Rani Chennamma
- Born – 23 October 1778, Belgaum
- Spouce – Raja Mallasarja (m. 1793–1816)
- Children – Shivalingappa
- Died – 2 February 1829, Bailhongal
Kittur Rani Chennamma was the first female activist for the Independence of India who fought against the British Empire. Chennamma could not beat them but she inspired many women to rise against British rule in the country. She was the Queen of the princely state Kittur in Karnataka.
Just by hearing a false news Rani Chennamma died, do you know what it is?
2. Sangolli Rayanna
- Born – 15 August 1798, Sangolli
- Parents – Dodda Baramappa Balappa Rogannavar
- Died – 26 January 1831, Belagavi
- Burial place – Nandagad,TQ: Khanapur (Beedi) Dist:Belagavi (Dharawad)
Sangolli Rayanna was the leading the Army of the Kingdom of Kittur, which was ruled by Rani Chennamma and fought against the British East India Company in 1824. He kept on fighting even after the queen was imprisoned, but at last, he was caught and hanged in 1932. We remember for his braveness and loyalty towards his kingdom.
3. Umabai Kundapur
- Born – 1892 in Kundapura, Karnataka
- Parents – Golikeri Krishna Rao and Jungabai
- Spouce – Sanjiv Rao Kundapur
- Died – 1992
Umabai Kundapur was the lady of Hubli district who organized large volunteers at the time of freedom struggle, encouraged local women who were not stepped out of their home. During her childhood, she moved to Mumbai with her family. Jallianwalla Bagh’s incidents made changed her route of life and joined the freedom movement with great revolutionaries.
4. Karnad Sadashiva Rao
- Born: 1881, Mangalore
- Education: Presidency college(autonomous)
- Parent(s): Ramachandra Rao (father); Radhabai (mother)
- Died: 9 January 1937, Mumbai
Karnad Sadashiva Rao is a freedom fighter from the state of Karnataka. He was also from a wealthy Mangalorean family born in 1881. He was involved in the Indian Independence Movement and with his wife Shantabai’s support, he founded Mahila Sabha to help poor women and widows. He was a true follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
5. Tipu Sultan
- Born: 20 November 1750, Devanahalli
- Full name: Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu
- Parent(s): Hyder Ali, Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa
- Died: 4 May 1799, Srirangapatna
Tipu Sultan, also known as the Mysore Tiger, ruled the Mysore Kingdom from 1782 to 1799. He was also a scholar, soldier, and poet. Tipu was the first son of Hyder Ali of Mysore and his wife Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa. He was born to a Muslim family. He fought many battles with the British and took French support initially.
6. Onake Obavva
- Born: 18 th Century
- Husband: Kahale Mudda Hanuma
- Fought against: Hyder Ali Army
- Died: 1779, Chitradurga
Onake Obavva is a heroic woman who showed her braveness to the world and respect towards her husband when an army attacked the Chitradurga empire, she alone fought till her husband noticed and she died while in the process. Today we remember her for the great step she took.
7. N.S. Hardikar
- Full Name: Narayan Subbarao Hardikar
- Date of birth: 7 May 1889
- Place of birth: Dharwad
- Date of death: 26 August 1975
Dr. N.S. Hardikar was closely associated with Lala Lajpatrai and involved in the freedom struggle not in the front face but by lecturing and selling books promoting the sentiments. He took many responsibilities over the year in Congress and he was the president of the Hindustan Association of America.
8. Yashodhara Dasappa
- Born: 28 May 1905, Bengaluru
- Died: 1980
- Awards: Padma Bhushan
- Children: Tulasidas Dasappa
Yashodhara Dasappa was a Gandhian and a freedom fighter. She was politically aligned with the National Congress of India and served as a minister in the Karnataka state governments led by S. R. Kanthi and S. Nijalingappa.
9. V.N. O’key
- Parents: T. Narasimha Shenoy and Sundaribai of Mulki
- Profession: humanitarian, artistic, and a social activist
- His Motto: Service before Self
V.N. O’key is a person who got a talent for illustrating arts and the one supported the Quit India Movement by helping Yusuf Meher Ali a freedom fighter. Even his paintings at the time of Emergency in India got global attention as well.
10. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
- Born: 3 April 1903, Mangalore
- Died: 29 October 1988, Mumbai
- Children: Tulasidas Dasappa
- Spouse: Harindranath Chattopadhyay (m. 1923–1955), Krishna Rao (m. 1917–1919)
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was a great women freedom activist who involved mainly in Salt Satyagraha, she is known for uplifting many women in the society such as handicrafts, handlooms, etc. in the post-independence.
Know more freedom fighters on next page…
