Vidurashwatha – The Forgotten Jallianwala Bagh of South India

Located near the Karnataka–Andhra Pradesh border, the quiet village of Vidurashwatha in Chikkaballapur district is best known today for its serene temple dedicated to Santhana Nagendra Swamy and its annual jatre. But nestled behind the temple is a memorial that tells a story few remember; a tale of sacrifice, resistance, and tragic bloodshed. It is no exaggeration that Vidurashwatha stands as the Jallianwala Bagh of the South, a phrase that echoes the grief and glory of a largely forgotten chapter in India’s freedom movement.

The Flag That Stirred a Nation

On 25th April 1938, as India’s fight for independence surged across the subcontinent, Vidurashwatha became the site of a bold act of defiance. Inspired by the Shivapura Satyagraha, a group of leaders from the Indian National Congress and villagers from Hindupur, Gauribidanur, and nearby areas decided to hoist the national flag at Vidurashwatha. The act was simple but significant: they would raise the Swaraj flag despite the prohibitory orders in force.

Coinciding with the local jatre, the village was already bustling with thousands. The plan was to raise the flag in a grove of trees behind the temple. The area itself was symbolic, flanked by a river on one side and a temple on the other, the space represented peace and unity.

But the authorities were not unaware. Anticipating unrest, they had issued strict orders forbidding any attempt to hoist the flag. Undeterred, villagers began gathering in the morning, waiting patiently under the trees in the scorching heat. By 1:30 PM, a police battalion arrived.

What followed was devastating.

From Hope to Horror

Without warning, the police opened fire on the unarmed crowd. The shooting continued for nearly four hours. Ninety-six rounds were fired.

British reports tried to downplay the carnage, claiming only 10 people died. But local accounts and later investigations confirmed that 32 villagers were martyred that day. Among them was Gowramma, a nine-month pregnant woman. Eyewitnesses believe that the death toll may have been well over 100.

Most families, fearful and devastated, collected their loved ones’ bodies by nightfall, leaving only a handful for authorities to account for the next morning. The forest at Vidurashwatha had turned into a cemetery overnight.

The Nation Responds

The massacre sent shockwaves across the country. Mahatma Gandhi, in a statement issued on April 29, 1938, said:

“The sacrifices of the 32 people who died in Vidurashwatha in an attempt to achieve independence through non-violence are not in vain.”

He sent Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Acharya Kripalani to assess the situation. What followed was the historic Mirza-Patel Pact, signed between Diwan Mirza Ismail of the princely state of Mysore and the Indian National Congress. It marked the beginning of participatory governance in Mysore; seven Congress leaders were included in the Reforms Committee, and the ban on hoisting the Indian flag was lifted.

A Place, A Legacy, A Lesson

The massacre may have become a footnote in the nation’s textbooks, but at Vidurashwatha, memory still lingers.

In 2009, a memorial known as Veera Soudha was constructed at the very site of the firing. Adjacent to the Uttara Pinakini River, the memorial houses a museum and library that chronicle not just this tragic event, but resistance movements from across the country. The lush greenery surrounding the area offers a tranquil backdrop to the otherwise tragic memory it carries. Two black granite monolithic pillars, engraved with the Ashoka Chakra and inscriptions in Kannada, serve as the central memorials. They commemorate the lives of the 32 martyred protestors with etched names and serve as silent yet powerful sentinels of history. 

Though the temple’s religious significance continues to draw crowds, very few venture into the memorial’s grounds or recognize its historical relevance.

But for those who do, Vidurashwatha offers more than a story—it offers a sobering reminder of the price of freedom.

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Vidurashwatha is not just a village. It is a page in our collective history - one written in courage, sacrifice, and the quiet resolve of a people who believed in freedom.

Let it not remain forgotten.

Happy travelling.