Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday renamed the Bengaluru city station after Karnataka's 19th century revolutionary freedom fighter and warrior Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the people across the state.Born on August 15, 1798, Rayanna, then ruler of Kittur in Belagavi fought against the British East India Company till he was killed in 1832.The 33-year-old Rayanna participated in the 1824 rebellion and was captured and hanged to death from a banyan tree at Nandagad in Belagavi district on January 26, 1832.
The South Western Railway (SWR) has installed Rayanna's bust at the main station entrance, with a plaque having his picture and a brief biographical account.On the request of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and central minister Ananth Kumar, who represents the Bengaluru South seat in Lok Sabha, Prabhu agreed to consider installing a tall statute of Rayanna in front of the station and ensure the warrior's full name would be printed on tickets in place of "KSR" currently."We will also publish an article on Rayanna in our on-board magazine 'Railway Bandhu' and bring out a booklet for passengers on him, recounting his patriotism, nationalism and sacrifice for the country' freedom," Prabhu said.