The Kanara-Coorg Rebellion of 1837: Trends in Recent Regional Writings

Dr. Meenakshi M. M.

Abstract: The British colonial policies produced dissent, protests and anti-colonial rebellions everywhere in India and these rebellions took place almost regularly as colonialism spread with the progress of conquests and annexations of the Indian territories. Karnataka was no exception and one comes across numerous peasant rebellions, tribal uprisings, etc. as a reaction to the impact of colonial rule. One major anti-British movement was the Kanara-Coorg Rebellion of 1837, also called the Kalyanaswamy Rebellion, Kalyanappana Katakai, Amarasulya 'Dange', etc. Some scholars have looked into the problem of the origin, progress impact and character of this movement, which shook the British rule to its edifice in both Coorg or Kodagu and South Kanara for some time before it was crushed with a heavy hand. It is a shining example of the spirit of independence that people in the region cherished and their desire to get rid of the colonial yoke. It was a peasant uprising. The historiography of the rebellion is interesting, instructive and ever-growing. Apart from the colonial writings, which try to belittle the significance of it by brushing it aside as a 'mere Gowda affair', we have a vast corpus of indigenous writings, which project the movement as a 'war of independence'.

Keywords: Kanara-Coorge, Rebellion, Anti British Movement