Kagodu movement is the movement of people who fought to claim their rights over land. It was first of its kind in the post independent India. Kagodu movement, or Kagodu Satyagraha as it is popularly called, took place in the Kagodu and neighbouring villages of Sagar taluk in the district of Shimoga.

In Kagodu, feudal system was prevalent during the time of the British rule. Jodidars, Inamdaars, Jahagirdars and the Desais were the local landlords. Tenants had to pay the landlords a fixed measure of the agricultural produce. Although this measure was fixed as sixty measures (60 kolaga). Kolaga is a traditional measure) in other places, the landlords of Kagodu had fixed the measure at sixty three.

During 1950-1951, the tenants agitated against the feudal lords to claim their rights over the land, and also to protest against fixing of excess of agricultural produce to be given by them to the landlords. This agitation began in the surrounding villages of Kagodu and was aimed at a single slogan ‘land to the tiller’. Villagers of Sooraguppe, Valakundli, Chikkanellooru, Maasooru, Kaanle, Tadegalale and keladi joined the agitation under the leadership of H. Ganapatiyappa, Shantaveri Gopalagowda, Sadashivaraya and many others. This agitation had the support of the great thinker and socialist.

Dr. Rammanohar Lohia. With his entry, the movement took a new turn. The ‘Kagodu Satyagraha’, which began immediately after independence, had drawn the attention of entire nation. The tenants involved themselves in the movement so deeply that, the government was forced to announce its decision to allot the land to the tiller. About two and a half decades later, ‘Land to the tiller’ was legalized and was introduced in the 20 point programme of the Government. The seeds of such a move were sown in the ‘Kagodu Satyagraha’.