Alluri Sitarama Raju (4 July 1897 or 1898 – 7 May 1924) was an Indian revolutionary who waged an armed rebellion against the British colonial rule in India. He engaged in guerilla campaigns against the British forces across the border regions of present-day Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and led the Rampa rebellion in 1922. He was known by the title "Manyam Veerudu" (hero of the jungle) to the local people.
Born into a Telugu family in Pandrangi in Madras Presidency (present day Andhra Pradesh) as Alluri Rama Raju, he prefixed the name "Sita" to his name in memory of a girl whom he loved during his youth and whose untimely demise at a young age left him heartbroken. He later took up sannyasa at the age of 18 and became a leader of the tribal people in the early 20th century colonial India. In the backdrop of the Non-cooperation movement (1909–22) across the country, the Rampa rebellion was born from rising discontent towards the British rule amongst the tribals. The Madras Forest Act exploited the economic value of the forests and restricted the free movement of the tribals in their forest habitats, prevented them from practicing their traditional form of agriculture called podu, and threatened their way of life. Rama Raju harnessed these grievances and mustered a combined force consisting of tribals and other sympathisers to the cause, and engaged in guerilla campaigns against the British across the border regions of present-day Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Rama Raju sought to expel the British forces from the Eastern Ghats region in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. During the rebellion he led numerous raids on police stations of the imperial police to acquire firearms for his forces, which resulted in significant police casualties. After each raid, he would leave a written note in the station signed by him informing the police about the details of his plunder there, including details of the weaponry he acquired daring them to stop him if they could. In response to these raids and to quell the rebellion, the British colonial authorities undertook a two year long manhunt and spent over to capture Rama Raju. Eventually, in 1924, he was captured in Chintapalli forests, and was tied to a tree, and summarily executed by a firing squad at Koyyuru. A mausoleum housing his final remains was later built at Krishnadevipeta.
Early life
Birth and childhood
thumb|upright=0.75|House in [[Pandrangi, believed to be the birthplace of Rama Raju]]
Alluri Rama Raju was born into a Telugu family in the erstwhile Madras Presidency (current Indian state of Andhra Pradesh). He was born on 4 July and his year of birth is reported by some sources as 1897 and others as 1898. Details of his place of birth also vary, with various sources suggesting it as Bhimavaram, or Pandrangi. His father, Alluri Venkata Rama Raju, was a professional photographer, who later settled in Rajahmundry, and his mother, Surya Narayanamma, was a housewife. He lived an austere life amongst the tribal people, and took only food items such as fruits and honey from them, while returning others back to the tribals with his blessings. His charismatic nature gained him a reputation among the tribals of being someone possessed with holy powers, and a messianic status–a reputation that was bolstered both by myths he created about himself and by his acceptance of ones about him that were established by others, including those concerning his invincibility. The changes meant that they faced starvation, and threat to their livelihood, which forced them to engage in the demeaning, arduous, and exploitative coolie system being used by the government and its contractors for activities such as road construction.<!----> His mausoleum housing his final remains lies in Krishnadevipeta near Visakhapatnam.
Raju's lieutenant, Ghantamdora, was killed on 6 June 1924, and his brother Malludora was caught and imprisoned, who later after Indian independence became an elected member of the Lok Sabha in 1952 from Visakhapatnam constituency.
Raju had waged a prolonged armed conflict against the British government, which acknowledged him as a strong tactician of the guerrilla warfare and spent over to capture him.
In 1929, during a tour of the Andhra region, Mahatma Gandhi was presented a portrait of Rama Raju. Responding to it on a later date, Gandhi wrote:
<blockquote>
"Though I have no sympathy with and cannot admire armed rebellion, I cannot withhold my homage from a youth so brave, so sacrificing, so simple and so noble in character as young Shri Rama Raju . . . Raju was (if he is really dead) not a fituri but a great hero. Would that the youth of the country cultivated Shri Rama Raju’s daring, courage, devotion and resourcefulness and dedicated them for the attainment of swaraj through strictly non-violent means. To me it is daily growing clearer that if the teeming millions whom we the articulate middle classes have hitherto suppressed for our selfish purpose are to be raised and roused, there is no other way save through non-violence and truth. A nation numbering millions needs no other means." — Mahatma Gandhi</blockquote>
Jawaharlal Nehru commented that, "Rama Raju was one of those few heroes that could be counted on fingers." Subhas Chandra Bose noted that Rama Raju was fierce in his determination, and his unparalleled courage and sacrifice for people will ensure him a place in history. Historian David Arnold in his book The Rebellious Hillmen: The Gudem-Rampa rising 1839–1924, noted that because of his name, the tribals used to evoke the image of the Hindu deity "Rama" in Rama Raju, an honorary which despite being a religious man he never asked for. His birthday, 4 July, is celebrated as a state festival annually in Andhra Pradesh. The Alluri Sitarama Raju Cricket Stadium in Eluru is named after him. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has built several memorials at places associated with his life, and granted a political pension to his surviving brother. On 9 October 2017, the Government of India approved the installation of a statue of Rama Raju at the precincts of the Indian Parliament in recognition of his work. In 2022, the Government of Andhra Pradesh carved out a new district named after him from the erstwhile Visakhapatnam district with Paderu as its headquarters. In 2024, an upcoming airport in Bhogapuram was named after him.
In popular culture
- In the 1974 Telugu movie Alluri Seetarama Raju, actor Krishna plays the role of Rama Raju.
- The seventh episode of the Hindi series Swarajnama, directed by Girish Karnad, features a brief of Rama Raju.
- RRR (2022), a Telugu film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, featured a fictional story based on the lives of Rama Raju and Komaram Bheem, with Ram Charan portraying the character based on Rama Raju.
- In 2023, the 61st episode of the television series Swaraj focused on Rama Raju. The title role of Raju was played by Shresth Kumar and the series aired on DD National and Prime Video.
- The 2024 Telugu movie Manyam Dheerudu is based on his life.