The services rendered to the Telugu people by the immortal soul Potti Sreeramulu—who has secured a permanent place in the hearts of all Telugu people—are truly extraordinary.
RAJA PENTAPATI
AP Bureau Chief
March 16 | Bharat News
(Five-Star Rated News Service by Google)
” BHARAT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT”
AMARAVATI: A newly built 58-foot bronze statue of Potti Sriramulu was unveiled today in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated it at Shakhamuru Park as part of the freedom fighter’s 125th birth anniversary celebrations.
The statue, made with 26 tonnes of bronze and 42 tonnes of iron, was completed in just six months as the first phase of a ₹150 crore memorial project on 6.80 acres.It honors Potti Sriramulu’s 58-day hunger strike that led to Andhra State’s formation in 1953.
Located at Shakhamuru Park, Amaravati, the site will expand with a museum, photo gallery, auditorium, and skill center in future phases.The unveiling occurred at 11:15 a.m. today, March 16, 2026.Recent videos show the statue ready for the event, depicting Potti Sriramulu in a dignified pose.
History of Potti Sriramulu
Potti Sriramulu was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and Gandhian activist renowned for his sacrifice in the push for a separate Telugu-speaking state.
Early LifeBorn on March 16, 1901, in Nellore district of Madras Presidency (now Andhra Pradesh), Sriramulu initially worked as an auditor in the Indian Audit Service before dedicating his life to public service.
He trained as a Gandhian at the Komaravolu ashram and embraced a life of austerity, spinning his own khadi clothes.
Freedom Struggle Role Sriramulu actively joined the independence movement, participating in the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, which led to his imprisonment, and later in the Quit India Movement of 1942.
As a devoted Gandhi follower, he championed social causes like Harijan upliftment, including a hunger strike for Dalit entry into the Venu Gopala Swamy Temple in Nellore.
Demand for Andhra State Post-independence, he advocated carving out a Telugu state from Madras Presidency to honor linguistic identity.
On October 19, 1952, he began a fast-unto-death in Madras, which lasted 56-58 days despite pleas from leaders like Nehru.
Death and Legacy Sriramulu died on December 15, 1952, sparking massive riots across Telugu regions that forced Prime Minister Nehru to announce Andhra State on December 19, 1952; it formed on October 1, 1953, with Kurnool as capital.
His sacrifice catalyzed the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, creating linguistic states nationwide, earning him the title “Amarajeevi” (immortal being).
Andhra Pradesh
