Scenes from a hero’s life

Around 15 km from Chennamanna Kittur in Belagavi district lies Sangolli, a seemingly small village. Yet, patriotism flows in colossal amounts here. 

The village is known by its bravest son, Sangolli Rayanna, a revolutionary who commanded the army of the princely state of Kittur and rebelled against the British. Until a couple of years ago, Sangolli only had a small temple dedicated to Rayanna to remind people of his contribution to the Indian freedom movement.

To celebrate the braveheart, who ignited one of the earliest revolts against the British in India, a space dedicated to Rayanna and the freedom struggle has been developed in his hometown.

A one-of-its-kind theme park in the state, the Shourya Bhoomi Shilpa Vana chronicles the life of Rayanna from his birth on August 15, 1796, in Sangolli to his martyrdom on January 26, 1831, at Nandgad near Belagavi’s Khanapur.

With around 1,600 realistic and life-size statues made of concrete, iron and bricks, the theme park depicts 64 scenes from the life of Rayanna and 25 scenes of village life. 

Fascinating works of art prepared in the rock garden constructed at Sangolli park.

Spread over 10 acres, it was developed by the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Area Development Authority and inaugurated in January this year. Rs 19 crore was spent to develop the park.

A statue of Rayanna riding a horse welcomes visitors into the premises, inspired by Kittur Fort. As one enters the premises through a huge gate, one can see various exhibits featuring Rayanna’s grandfather Rogappa, his father Bharamappa, warfare techniques adopted by Rayanna, a wrestling arena, a garadimane (traditional gym) and his death by capital punishment. Some exhibits also come with sound effects.

“These statues take us back to Rayanna’s era and create a sense of patriotism. We get to know his story in a detailed manner,” says Rashmi N, a young visitor from Bengaluru.

Behind the scenes

Around 200 people, including sculptors, painters and designers from Gotagodi Shilpakala Kuteera (at Shiggaon in Haveri district) toiled for around three years to create this theme park. 

One of the vibrant exhibits featured at the theme park in Belagavi district.

“As not much was known about the finer details of Rayanna’s life, we had to go through several historical sources, including British documents, gazetteers, folk songs and books to find historical accounts of Rayanna,” says Basavaraj Kamat, a historical researcher from Sangolli who worked on the project.

According to artist Harsharaj Solabakkanvar, who monitored the making of these statues, creating statues for this park was difficult as they had to pay close attention to the village set-up of those times. 

“We also had to thoroughly research the kind of sarees women wore and the attire of people from different social groups, including finer details like buttons, headgear, weapons and more,” Solabakkanvar adds.

The team also accounted for other information known about Rayanna, who was said to be 6.5 ft to 7ft in height. They decided to make colourful figures to add vivacity to the characters.

To keep the park looking lively and welcoming, Solabakkanvar’s team regularly washes the statues, paints them and repairs any minor damages.

In the last six months, the theme park, on average, has drawn 1,000 visitors each day and has collected a revenue of Rs one crore.

However, Kamat wants to further develop the theme park to take the story of Rayanna to a larger number of people. He wants to have better audio and light fittings in the park to add a dramatic touch to the figures. Kamat also wishes to introduce multimedia touchscreen panels and audio-video explanations, so that visitors find the experience more engaging.

The historian also highlights the need to improve facilities for tourists, and maybe introduce boating in the small pond at the premises.