Century-old Town Hall in Shikaripur representing anti-British fight of Issur villagers is a picture of neglect

Sahukar Virappa of Issur built the Town Hall in Shikaripur in lieu of a penalty imposed on him by the British.

A century-old structure, called Shikaripur Town Hall in Shikaripur, stands testimony to the anti-colonial stance of the residents of Issur, a village in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, that has a significant contribution to the Indian freedom movement.

Sahukar Virappa, a landlord of Issur, constructed a building in Shikaripur as a gift to the people of Shikaripur. A stone plaque on the front wall of the structure says the building was a gift from Sahukar Virappa in 1917. For decades, the building served as a centre for public programmes in the town.

Until recently, the Town Municipal Council of Shikaripur functioned from the building. After the TMC got a new building, it became a public library. However, at present, the 107-year-old structure is neglected despite being located in the centre of Shikaripur, which was represented by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in the Assembly of Karnataka.

Despite repeated appeals from the family members of Sahukar Virappa, the building has not been renovated.

Issur caught the attention of the nation as it was the first place to declare ‘freedom’ against British rule in 1942. However, decades before the incident, somewhere around 1915–16, Sahukar Virappa attracted the wrath of the British rulers because of his anti-colonial stance.

The British imposed a penalty on Virappaz, which he refused to pay. Instead, with that money and at huge additional cost, he chose to build a town hall for Shikaripur.

“My great-grandfather built the Town Hall voluntarily in lieu of the penalty,” said Mruthyunjaya, who runs a rice mill, besides looking after ancestral agricultural land in Issur.