Kanthapura

The narrator of Kanthapura, Achakka is an elderly Brahmin woman who chronicles the rise of Gandhian resistance in her village. She weaves legends and Hindu traditions into her tale and is learned and open-minded as she follows the changes in her village. A grandmother, she nonetheless participates in Moorthy’s activism and engages in protests. Much like the other activists, she faces violence from police. Her house is burned in the final confrontation with British authorities, and she then goes to live in the nearby village of Kashipura.

The primary female character in Kanthapura, Rangamma is a wealthy young Brahmin widow who is friendly to Moorthy. As she grows closer to him, especially in the aftermath of his mother’s death, she becomes converted to Gandhi’s views. Although she is widely respected by the village, she is lonely and has an extensive rivalry with Venkamma. As Moorthy’s influence grows in the village, Rangamma becomes a leader among the women. When Moorthy is imprisoned after a protest, Rangamma is left to become the leader of the village. She eventually takes her father’s place as both the political leader and spiritual leader after the death of her father. By the end of the novel, she is the leader of the Volunteers, a group of female-led protesters that bring Gandhian philosophy to the village in Moorthy’s absence. 

The Patel, or primary executive officer of Kanthapura, he oversees the day to day political affairs of the village. A kind, wealthy, and charitable man, he is deeply suspicious of British influence in his town and is one of Moorthy’s staunchest allies as the battle for the town’s future. As the conflict in the town ramps up, Range Gowda is stripped of his power by the British authorities as punishment for siding with the Gandhians. He takes part in protests and is beaten and imprisoned for his efforts. He eventually returns to Kanthapura to reclaim his treasured Jewels before leaving the village with most of the others.

A Muslim policeman sent by British authorities to oversee Kanthapura, he is a rude and ill-tempered man. Unable to find a house in Kanthapura due to the village’s strictly structured living arrangement, he takes refuge in the Skeffington Coffee Estate. Although he is a ruthless man, fending off protests with brutal force and investigating the rise of Gandhian philosophy in the village, his role decreases over the course of the story. As more police and military activity takes place in Kanthapura and the situation grows out of control, Bade Khan becomes just one face in the crowd representing British colonial authority.

The First Brahmin of Kanthapura, Bhatta styles himself as the financial and cultural leader of Kanthapura. The primary antagonist of the novel, Bhatta is a strict traditionalist who believes in firm separation of the castes and is unafraid to use his connections to exert his will over the village. His ties to the outside financial and housing sectors allow him to deal out rewards and broker marriages, while his friendship with the local Swami gives him the power to excommunicate those who defy him. Believing himself to be a holy man and wearing a false face of piousness, he becomes an agent of the colonial government and sides with them rather than Moorthy’s revolutionaries. His house is eventually burned by the pariahs in retaliation for his poor treatment of them, and he flees the village with his land deeds and moves to Kashi.

A cruel, judgmental gossip who is one of the social leaders of Kanthapura, Venkamma has many grudges and rivalries. Her greatest enmity is saved for her former sister-in-law Rangamma, who she resents for the wealth she inherited. Always seeking to enhance her social status or find an ideal husband for one of her daughters, Venkamma is easy to flatter and manipulate, a trait Bhatta takes advantage of. A strict traditionalist, Venkamma uses her hold on people’s loyalty and their respect for tradition to turn them away from Moorthy, at least temporary. Despite relishing her social circle in Kanthapura, she leaves when the village is burned and starts over elsewhere.