National Movement
Andhra's participation in India's freedom struggle — Moderate, Extremist, Gandhian and Revolutionary phases (1885–1947).
Why this topic is a scoring goldmine
Andhra questions cluster around 5 events: Bipin Pal at Rajahmundry (1907), Chirala-Perala (1921), Pedanandipadu No-Tax (1922), Rampa Rebellion (1922–24), and Prakasam at Marina (1928). Master these five and you cover ~80% of MCQs.
Bezwada Session (31 Mar – 1 Apr 1921)
The INC session at Vijayawada launched the Tilak Swaraj Fund (₹1 crore target). Andhra alone contributed ₹1.3 lakh — Gandhi called it the 'nerve centre of the Non-Cooperation movement'.
Palnadu Forest Satyagraha (1921–22)
Kanneganti Hanumanthu led villagers of Mincherla (Palnadu) against Madras Forest Act restrictions on grazing. He was shot dead on 22 Feb 1922 — Andhra's first Gandhian-era martyr.
Prakasam at Madras Marina — 3 Feb 1928
During the Simon Commission boycott, police shot dead youth Partha Sarathi. T. Prakasam walked up to the police cordon, bared his chest and challenged them to fire — earning the title 'Andhra Kesari' (Lion of Andhra).
1885 – 1947 (62 years)
Moderate (1885–1905) · Extremist (1905–1919) · Gandhian (1919–1947) · Revolutionary (parallel)
Ananda Charlu (INC founder-member); Prakasam (Andhra Kesari)
Krishna–Guntur belt, Godavari agency, Rayalaseema, Palnadu
P. Ananda Charlu — Bombay 1885
31 Mar – 1 Apr 1921 (Tilak Swaraj Fund launched)
Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya
Tanguturi Prakasam
Alluri Sitarama Raju
Kanneganti Hanumanthu (22 Feb 1922)
Madras Forest Act 1882
1885
INC founded — Ananda Charlu attends first session
1887
3rd INC session at Madras — Telugu delegates prominent
1905
Partition of Bengal → Swadeshi wave in Andhra ports
1907
Bipin Chandra Pal's Rajahmundry lectures (April) — Extremist turn
1908
Andhra Patrika launched by Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao
1913
First Andhra Mahasabha, Bapatla — linguistic demand
1916
Home Rule League branches at Madras, Guntur — Annie Besant tours Andhra
1919
Rowlatt Satyagraha & Jallianwala protest meetings in Vijayawada, Guntur
1920
Non-Cooperation launched at Bezwada (Vijayawada) INC session — 31 Mar–1 Apr 1921
1921
Chirala–Perala Satyagraha — Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya
1922
Pedanandipadu No-Tax; Palnadu Forest Satyagraha (Kanneganti Hanumanthu)
1922–24
Rampa Rebellion — Alluri Sitarama Raju
1927
Simon Commission announced — boycott meetings across Andhra
1928
Prakasam bares his chest at Madras Marina, 3 Feb — earns 'Andhra Kesari'
1930
Salt Satyagraha — Chirala, Kakinada, Bheemunipatnam, Ongole
1932
Civil Disobedience continues; Prakasam & Kaleswara Rao jailed
1937
Congress ministry in Madras — Rajaji as Premier; Andhra ministers hold key portfolios
1942
Quit India — Palnadu, Rayavaram, Tenali, Chirala; police firing at Madhira, Tenali
1946
Andhra Congress prepares for freedom & linguistic state
1947
Independence — Prakasam becomes Premier of Madras
- 1885
INC founded; Ananda Charlu attends
- 1907
Bipin Pal at Rajahmundry (April)
- 1908
Andhra Patrika launched
- 31 Mar 1921
Bezwada INC Session — Tilak Swaraj Fund
- 1921
Chirala-Perala Satyagraha
- 22 Feb 1922
Kanneganti Hanumanthu martyred, Palnadu
- 22 Aug 1922
Alluri raids Chintapalli police station
- 7 May 1924
Alluri Sitarama Raju shot dead
- 3 Feb 1928
Prakasam at Madras Marina beach
- 1930
Salt Satyagraha in coastal Andhra
- 1942
Quit India — Palnadu & Tenali flashpoints
P. Ananda Charlu
INC founder-member; President 8th session (Nagpur 1891)
Nyapathi Subba Rao
Founder of 'The Hindu' (1878); Moderate leader
Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao
Andhra Patrika (1908); Andhra Jana Sangham (1921)
Tanguturi Prakasam
Andhra Kesari — Madras Marina 1928; first CM of Madras (1946) & Andhra (1953)
Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya
Andhra Ratna — Chirala-Perala 1921
Kanneganti Hanumanthu
Palnadu forest martyr, 22 Feb 1922
Alluri Sitarama Raju
Manyam Veerudu — Rampa Rebellion 1922–24
Parvataneni Veerayya Chowdary
Pedanandipadu No-Tax 1922
Kaleswara Rao
Krishna District Congress; Salt Satyagraha
Bulusu Sambamurthy
Kakinada Salt March; Speaker Madras Legislative Assembly
Pattabhi Sitaramayya
Historian of INC; contested Bose at Tripuri 1939
Tenneti Viswanadham
Vizag Salt Satyagraha; later cabinet minister
Sarojini Naidu
'Nightingale of India' — born Hyderabad; INC President 1925
Municipal upgrade
Madras Govt merges Chirala & Perala into a municipality, hiking house-tax.
Refusal to pay
Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya calls on residents to refuse tax.
Exodus
13,000 residents abandon the town and camp in 'Ramnagar' outside limits.
11-month stand
The empty town becomes a national symbol; Gandhi endorses the campaign.
Duggirala arrested
Movement wanes after his arrest; but sets template for later No-Tax struggles.
Choice of village
Pedanandipadu (Guntur) picked as model no-tax village under Parvataneni Veerayya Chowdary.
Karnam boycott
Village karnam (revenue officer) socially boycotted.
Land revenue refused
Ryots collectively refuse land tax; over ₹80,000 withheld.
Government retaliation
Cattle & land auctioned; but no local buyer comes forward.
Bardoli parallel
Becomes South India's Bardoli precursor; called off with Chauri-Chaura withdrawal.
Trigger
1882 Madras Forest Act blocks Podu cultivation; 1920s road-labour extortion by Muttadars.
Mobilisation
Alluri unites Koya & Konda Dora tribes across Godavari agency.
First strike
22 Aug 1922 — raid on Chintapalli police station; loots arms.
Guerrilla war
Two-year hit-and-run campaign against Krishnadevipeta, Rajavommangi, Addateegala outposts.
Assam Rifles deployed
Major Goodall killed; Rutherford commands manhunt.
Betrayal & capture
Alluri captured near Koyyuru, tied to a tree at Chintapalle and shot dead on 7 May 1924.
- Palnadu, Chirala, Tenali, Rayavaram — parallel governments briefly established.
- Madhira (Khammam) — 22 Aug 1942 police firing.
- Tenali — student-led hartals; railway line torn up.
- Rajahmundry & Kakinada — press blackout defied.
- Nellore & Guntur — underground Congress radio.
Telugu leaders were charter members of the INC from its first session (28 Dec 1885, Bombay) — P. Ananda Charlu and Nyapathi Subba Rao attended. The Moderate phase (1885–1905) worked through petitions, press and prayer.
The Partition of Bengal (1905) and Bipin Chandra Pal's Rajahmundry lectures (April 1907) ignited Swadeshi and Extremist ideas in Andhra. From 1919, every Gandhian phase — Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India — produced iconic Andhra episodes.
Parallelly, a revolutionary stream (Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kanneganti Hanumanthu) pursued armed resistance against colonial land-revenue and forest laws.
| Phase | Years | Method | Andhra Face |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 1885–1905 | Petitions, press, INC sessions | P. Ananda Charlu, Nyapathi Subba Rao, Viresalingam |
| Extremist / Swadeshi | 1905–1919 | Boycott, Swadeshi, national education | Bipin Pal (visitor), Kopalle Hanumantha Rao, Mutnuri Krishna Rao |
| Gandhian | 1919–1947 | Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation, Salt, Quit India | T. Prakasam, Duggirala, Kaleswara Rao, Bulusu Sambamurthy |
| Revolutionary | 1907–1924 | Armed resistance, tribal uprisings | Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kanneganti Hanumanthu |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
| Site | Leader | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chirala | Duggirala Balaramakrishnayya | Salt boiled publicly; hundreds arrested |
| Kakinada | Bulusu Sambamurthy | Coastal salt march inspired by Dandi |
| Bheemunipatnam (Vizag) | Tenneti Viswanadham | Salt Law defied at the seashore |
| Ongole / Nizampatnam | K. Kaleswara Rao | Guntur–Krishna belt centre |
| Vetapalem | Local Congress unit | Simultaneous mass action |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
| Year | Episode | Leader | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | Rajahmundry Lectures | Bipin Chandra Pal | Kindled Extremist Swadeshi in Andhra |
| 1921 | Chirala–Perala Satyagraha | Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya | 11-month town-boycott of municipal tax |
| 1922 | Palnadu Forest Satyagraha | Kanneganti Hanumanthu | Martyred defying grazing ban |
| 1922 | Pedanandipadu No-Tax | Parvataneni Veerayya Chowdary | Refused land revenue |
| 1922–24 | Rampa Rebellion | Alluri Sitarama Raju | Armed tribal uprising against Forest Act |
| 1928 | Madras Marina defiance | T. Prakasam | Bared chest to police guns |
| 1930 | Salt Satyagraha | Prakasam, Kaleswara Rao, Bulusu | Salt made at Chirala, Kakinada, Bheemunipatnam |
| 1942 | Quit India | Various | Palnadu, Chirala, Tenali, Rayavaram, Madhira firing |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
Chirala = municipal-tax boycott + town exodus. Pedanandipadu = land-revenue no-tax.
Alluri = armed tribal rebellion, Godavari agency 1922–24. Hanumanthu = non-violent grazing protest, Palnadu, martyred 1922.
Andhra Kesari = T. Prakasam (Marina 1928). Andhra Ratna = Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya (Chirala 1921).
Bezwada 1921 = Tilak Swaraj Fund. Kakinada 1923 = INC session presided by Maulana Mohammad Ali.
PC-PRSPQ
Pal → Chirala → Pedanandipadu → Rampa → Salt → Prakasam → Quit India — seven Andhra headline moments in order.
- Ananda Charlu — INC founder-member (1885) & President 1891 Nagpur session.
- Bipin Pal's Rajahmundry lectures — April 1907 — birth of Andhra Extremism.
- Bezwada Session — 31 Mar 1921 — Tilak Swaraj Fund launched.
- Chirala-Perala 1921 — Duggirala; 13,000 residents abandoned town for 11 months.
- Pedanandipadu 1922 — Parvataneni Veerayya Chowdary — no-tax model village.
- Palnadu 22 Feb 1922 — Kanneganti Hanumanthu martyred.
- Rampa Rebellion 1922–24 — Alluri; captured & shot 7 May 1924 at Koyyuru.
- Prakasam bared chest at Madras Marina, 3 Feb 1928 → 'Andhra Kesari'.
- Salt Satyagraha 1930 — Chirala, Kakinada, Bheemunipatnam, Ongole.
- Quit India 1942 — Palnadu, Tenali, Rayavaram, Madhira firing.
Year → Episode → Leader triples
MCQBezwada Session date & significance
MCQAlluri: dates of Chintapalli raid & death
FactNicknames: Andhra Kesari / Ratna / Manyam Veerudu
FactAndhra's role in Non-Cooperation & Quit India
Mains