There are many villages and rural small towns across India, where locals worship local deities or forest gods in temples dedicated to them. In several villages of the southern state of Karnataka, a deceased man is revered above gods and deities. He even has temples dedicated to him. The man is the late Indian Forest Service Officer Pandillapalli Srinivas, who is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding figures in Indian forest conservation. P Srinivas was a martyr, killed on duty by the dreaded forest bandit Veerappan in 1991. P Srinivas was known to build roads and connect villages to benefit Karnataka’s rural residents. He developed a mobile dispensary unit to help the underprivileged receive medical care, and he even delivered drinking water channels to tribal areas. With his own money, he built more than 40 homes for the homeless, winning the admiration of the community in the process.
Initially born and brought up in Andhra Pradesh, P Srinivas came to Karnataka as an IFS officer at a time when rural parts of the state were terrorised by the infamous outlaw Veerappan. During the time, when Srinivas was having frequent skirmishes with Veerappan, he was an officer in Gopinatham village of Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar. He was a messiah to the villagers for whom he was always available during trying times. At Gopinatham, Srinivas constructed a temple, honouring the goddess Mariamman. The temple was made on a budget of Rs 3 lakh, which was funded by donations. To pay for both the temple’s upkeep and the employees’ salaries, a fixed deposit programme was established. This put him at loggerheads with Veerappan, who saw his power over Gopinatham waning.
P Srinivas was brutally murdered on November 11, 1991, by Veerappan and his accomplices near Yarkyam Hall, Anati, Gopinatham village. On November 9, 1991, he received a wireless communication from MM Hills, informing him that Veerappan was prepared to give himself up, provided Srinivas encountered him alone and unarmed. The same night, Srinivas left without hesitation. The last message received from him said, “We are hoping for the best. God will help us.” Srinivas was shot from behind on November 10, while crossing a creek 6 miles from Gopinatham village. Later, Veerappan decapitated Srinivas, took his head with him, and set the body on fire. He was 37 at the time of his death.
P Srinivas’ statue is erected at the entrance of the same temple in Gopinatham that he helped build. On his birthday every year, on September 12, pujas and offerings are held for him and he is worshipped as a deity. This ritual is followed by some other villages as well who also revere the slain hero as a deity.
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