Chityala Ilamma ( – 10 September 1985), better known as Chakali Ilamma, was an Indian revolutionary leader during the

Telangana Rebellion The Telangana Rebellion of 1946–1951 was a communist-led insurrection of peasants against the princely state of Hyderabad in the region of Telangana that escalated out of agitations in 1944–1946. Hyderabad was a feudal monarchy where mo ...

. Her act of defiance against

Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

Ramachandra Reddy, known as Visnoor Deshmukh, to cultivate her land, became an inspiration for many during the rebellion against the feudal lords of the

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

region.

Early and personal life

Chityala Ilamma was born in 1895 as the fourth child of Oruganti Mallamma and Sailu in Kistapuram of

Warangal district Warangal district (formerly Warangal Rural district) is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The district shares boundaries with Mahabubabad, Jangaon, Hanamkonda, Mulugu and Bhupalpally districts. As of June 2021, Hanamkonda tenta ...

, of present-day

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. She belongs to Rajaka caste. Ilamma was married to Chityala Narasimah at the age of 11. The couple had four sons and a daughter.

Career

Ilamma took the red flag against the anarchy of Deshmukh and Razakar in Visnur between 1940 and 1944. She joined the Andhra Mahasabha as well as the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

. She worked actively against the

Nizam Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I ...

government and her house was the center for activities conducted against the feudal land lords who collaborated with the Nizam.

Death

Ilamma died on 10 September 1985 at

Palakurthi Palakurthi is a census town in Jangaon district in the Indian state of Telangana. Demographics India census, Palakurthi had a population of 6964. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Palakurthi has an average literacy rate ...

due to illness.

References

Participants in the Telangana Rebellion Telangana Rebellion People from Nalgonda 1890s births 1985 deaths Year of birth uncertain Indian independence activists from Telangana Communist Party of India politicians from Telangana Female politicians of the Communist Party of India {{CPIndia-politician-stub Telugu people