‘Amaradhamam’ will get facelift soon, says Parkal MLA

MLA Challa Dharma Reddy says proposals for the renovation of the martyrs’ memorial in Parkal will soon be sent to the government

Warangal Rural: Parkal MLA Challa Dharma Reddy announced that the government will soon renovate and redesign Amaradhamam, located in Parkal town.

He along with officials of the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) including its Managing Director B Manohar Rao visited the memorial on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that they would soon make proposals for the re-construction of the Amaradhamam so that everyone would know about the reasons for setting up the Amaradhamam. It may be recalled here that Telangana Today had carried a story stressing the need for the renovation of the Amardhamam in these columns on March 29.

On September 2, 1947, a patriotic desire to hoist the national flag in Parkal resulted in a brutal massacre by the Razakars. A total of 22 people were killed in the bloodbath which was referred to as the ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ of the south by former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

According to archives, decrying the orders of the Nizam government, the residents of Parkal and surrounding villages planned to hoist the Indian national flag on September 2 to celebrate the independence and gathered near a ground in Parkal. An official of Nizam’s government Ziauallah Khan warned the public to disperse. But the public went ahead with the programme. Incensed by the defiance, police opened fire against the unarmed public leading to the death of 22 persons.

In memory of the martyrs, former Governor and BJP senior leader Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao built a memorial called ‘Amaradhamam’ at Parkal through Chennamaneni Chandramma Trust of Karimnagar, and it was opened on September 17, 2003. Though it is one of the major tourist attractions of Parkal town, the memorial lost its sheen over the years. While some statues built at the memorial were damaged, the paint of the walls also faded.

Renovation of Kakatiya temples

Meanwhile, the MLA along with the officials of the State Archaeology and Museums Department, visited the Kakatiya temples (Ramalingeshwara Alayam) located just 33 km from Warangal city on National Highway 163 in Atmakur mandal in the district. Believed to have been built during the 12th century AD by one Kataya Senani, a general of the Kakatiyas, the temples are situated just a half-a-kilometre from NH 163. Though the shrines were declared as ancient monuments and notified as protected structures under the State Archaeological and Remains Act 1960 by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, there have been no efforts either to protect or renovate these ancient monuments. Dharma Reddy asked the officials to prepare proposals for the renovation of the temples.

Also read:

‘Amaradhamam’ memorial in Warangal cries for attention

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