Right hand of Rani Channamma statue in Kittur falls off

The right arm of the statue of Rani Channamma in Kittur fell off accidentally on October 19 night.

This led to demands by pro-Kannada groups that the government of Karnataka should install a new statue. They are demanding that the statue be repaired in three days, before the inauguration of Kittur Utsav on October 23.

The actual reason why the bronze statue’s arm broke is not known. Officers say it is possible that it was rusted and broke due to rain and wind. Officers, including the Tahsildar, taluk panchayat officials, and police inspected the spot. The arm and the sword have been taken away and kept in the office of the tahsildar.

The equestrian statue stands at the entrance of the historic town, off the Pune-Bengaluru national highway. The statue is 50 feet high above the ground. The metal statue is around 10 feet tall. It is estimated to weigh over a tonne.

It was unveiled in 1997. It was relocated a few feet away from the main road during the widening of the national highway as part of the Golden Quadrangle project in 1999. It was cleaned and painted during the 200^th anniversary of the War of Kittur, in 2024.

Rudragouda Patil, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike taluk unit president, demanded that the 29-year-old statue be replaced forthwith. He claimed to have submitted a memorandum for replacement of the statue four years ago, but the officers ignored it. “We can understand that the new statue cannot be installed in three days, before the Kittur Utsav. However, the government can at least repair it before the event. Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, who will come for the valedictory, should announce that the State Government will not only replace the statue, but also unveil a larger one in its place,” he said.

Sri Madiwala Rajayogindra swami of Kittur Kalmath also demanded the installation of a new statue.