“Humble tribute to freedom fighter & #Odisha’s first martyr Jayee Rajguru on birth anniversary. His valour & sacrifice is inspiration for all,” tweets CM Naveen Patnaik.
Earlier, Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted, “My tribute to great freedom fighter and man of the age, Shaheed Jayee Rajguru (1739-1805) on his birth anniversary”.
A princely-priest by profession at the court of the raja of Khurda, Rajaguru was the first person to revolt against the British Raj in the province. He collaborated with the Marathas, but got exposed later due to betrayal of a messenger. The British attacked the fort of Khurda and captured him. He was later sentenced to death by tying his legs to branches of a banyan tree in “Baghitota”, Midnapore.