Sarvai Papanna, the hero who never looked back… Today is the birthday of Sardar Sarvai Papanna

When the mother said, ‘We don’t want these wars, son.. we have a profession of song, we have to do it for a living’.. Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud said, “What if we climb a palm tree… except Muntha Kallu, if we hit Golconda, we should rule as a king.” Born on August 18, 1650 in Khilashapur of the present Station Ghanpur Constituency, Papanna Goud grew up extraordinarily and created history. Mother is Sarvamma and father is Dharmanna Goud. Dharmana Goud, the elder of the village, was killed by the local nobles for standing on the side of Dharma. Papanna has a fighting spirit from childhood. When he was in Kallu Mandava, the Mughal soldiers used to mock and taunt him. When a soldier was about to kick his friend with his foot, he couldn’t control his rage and cut the soldier’s neck with a sharp knife. His guerilla war that started there continued till he became the emperor of Golconda fort.

Papanna started a guerilla army with his friends Chakali Sarvanna, Mangali Masanna, Kummari Govindu, Jakkula Perumallu, Dudekula Piru, Kotwal Mir Saheb and 12 others. He used to run trains in the heart of Gadila Dora. Papanna’s name and fame spread and youth joined Papanna’s army in large numbers. The guerrilla army that started with 12 men grew to 12,000. First he occupied the fort of Sarvaipet and gradually he captured about 20 forts including Tatikonda, Kolanupaka, Cheryala, Husnabad, Huzurabad, Bonagiri, Warangal and Kota till 1678–80. Finally, he conquered Golconda and ruled for 7 months. If you look at some of the important events of his fighting life, you can understand his military, diplomatic ethics and punctuality.

First, in 1675, he built a fort in his own village Shapur (now Khilashapur) and laid the foundation for the expansion of his kingdom. After the death of Aurangzeb, when the rule of the Qutub Shahis over Golconda and the rule of the Turks weakened, he attacked and captured Warangal fort on the day of Muharram and proved his martial ethics. He also besieged and besieged the mighty Bonagiri fort, married the sister of the fort Foujidar and captured the Bonagiri fort. After the capture of Warangal fort, enormous wealth fell into the hands of Papana. Aurangzeb entrusted the responsibility to Rustum Dil Khan to defeat Papanna. If he gave that responsibility to Yusuf Khan, Yusuf besieged the fort of Khilashapur. Finally Yusuf Khan was killed by Papana in that battle. Next Rustum Dil Khan, the Deputy Governor of Hyderabad, besieged Papanna with an army of 30,000. In the event that the war that lasted for about 3 months did not go anywhere, Papana gave some wealth to Dil Khan and made him go back. He practices charity in Sama, Dana, Bheda and Dandopaya.

Fight till the end..

After Aurangzeb, Papanna consulted with Bahadur Shah, the Mughal Emperor, and made himself a royal seal, believing that he was ready to build a roof if he was recognized as the king. After that, within 6 months, Papanna declared himself as the emperor and stopped Kappam Kattu to Delhi. Seeing his rule weakened by the power struggle between Delhi Mughals, Papanna invaded Golconda and ruled for 7 months. During that 7 month rule he implemented many reforms in his kingdom from Warangal to Golconda. He gave important posts to the Bahujans and encouraged the Bahujan landlords here and there on par with the zamindars. Unable to digest the presence of a low caste as the king, the hereditary landlords and all the foujdars from other regions followed the path of Delhi and put pressure on the Mughal emperor and insisted on eliminating Papanna at any cost. The Muslim emperor Bahadur Shah’s army, the Hindu landlords, nobles, and Nayaka Sena all together besieged Golconda. The war, which began in late 1709, lasted until April 1710. Sardar Papanna fought the enemy army till the end. But he was captured by his brother-in-law’s conspiracy. Finally, in April 1710, Papana was beheaded and sent to Bahadur Shah in Delhi. After almost 30 years of social struggle, the Bahujan empire that was established has collapsed.

Historical evidence.

There are many living testimonies of Sarvai Papannagoud’s struggle even today. Khilashapur, Tatikonda fort, Vemulakonda forts built by him, Husnabad town, Ellamma temple, check dams built by him are still standing today. The Saka of Renuka Ellamma temple in Golconda fort is also from that time. There the first bonam is offered as a tribute to the Gowda social class Papanna. There are many folk tales and songs that have continued since then. In 1874, an English historian named JA Boyal recorded 7 Burra stories of Payala Raju, the sentence in the inscription of Dulmitta Veeragallu, “Bandipota Gowda Shapur Khila Puli Gowda, Yabadi Roddi, Shabbarayada, Fodaur Papanna Gowda” is a Living proof. Cambridge University conducted a study on Papanna and published a book (The New Cambridge History of India, The Social History of Deccan) with his portrait. There is a stone statue of Sarvai Papanna in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Historians Barbara and Robert Mate Klip describe Papanna as the “Robin Hood of the Deccan”, while Richard Eaton calls him a “social bandit”. This generation owes a debt to Pervaram Jagannath and former DJP Pervaram Ramu who have given the history of sin to the present generation.

Let’s move with sinful spirit..

Shivaji Maharaj raised the flag of rebellion against the Mughals in his father’s army, but Papanna, a simple Gita worker with no background, proved that even with determination one can achieve anything. Both adopted the guerilla warfare ethic to establish the state. As they were Shudras, the Brahmins there blocked the program of crowning Shivaji as ‘King’. Here, a Bahujan caste could not digest the rise of the king, and could not resist and fight, they turned their backs on the lords, landlords and Mughals saying Jee Huzoor. Mughals, Qutb Shahis, Nizams, colonialists… Today the rule of the Kalwakunts, any rule like this, which was local then, now is the time to break the political circle. All these foreign rulers are looting the ‘wealth of Telangana’. The gadi lords of the day and the political lords of today are oppressing the people of Telangana and robbing them. In the past, canvases and cannons.. Today, polling booths and ballots. With the fighting spirit of Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud, the time has come to liberate Telangana and establish a democratic Telangana. We don’t want swords and daggers, we don’t want swords and bullets, just one vote is enough. If a single vote is cast against today’s oppression of Telangana regardless of castes, religions, parties and temptations, Telangana of four crore people will be possible.

– Dr. Boora Narsaiah Goud,
Former MP, Bhuvangiri