Govts urged to allot more funds for tourist places in Warangal

Seva Tourism and Cultural Society chief urges KUDA to speed up development works at Warangal Fort

Warangal Urban: Stating that there is a lot of scope for promotion of the eco, adventure and temple tourism in the combined Warangal district, Seva Tourism and Cultural Society founder president Dr Kusuma Surya Kiran urged the State and central governments to allot more funds to improve the facilities at tourist places like Ramappa temple, Panaduvula Gutta, Bogatha and Mutyaladahara waterfalls in the erstwhile Warangal district.

He also urged the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA), which is implementing the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana, to speed up the development works at the Fort Warangal, which is an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) property. The Seva Tourism and Cultural Society conducted a heritage walk at the Fort Warangal, promotional activities at Ramappa temple and Laknavaram Lake on Monday to mark the ‘National tourism day’. Surya Kiran said there was a lot of scope for creating employment in the tourism sector.

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“People are showing interest to visit tourist places as the pandemic cases are on the decline. We have architectural marvels like Ramappa temple, Thousand Pillar temple and Fort Warangal. There are ancient rock art paintings at Pandavula Gutta and megalithic burials in Tadwai mandal besides bewitching waterfalls like Bogatha and Mutyaladhara. Lakes like Pakhal and Laknavaram,” he said. The members of the society felicitated tourists at Ramappa temple and Laknavaram lakes. Society volunteers Ganesh, Kranthi, Vijay, local youths, members of the Fort Warangal Walkers Association participated in the vent.

Rock art at Pandavula Gutta

Former Director, Andhra Pradesh Archaeology and Museums Emani Sivanagi Reddy appealed to the Telangana government to preserve the rock paintings of the Pandula Gutta in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.

Sivanagi Reddy, chief executive officer at The Cultural Centre of Vijayawada & Amaravati, along with Dr Tejaswini, chairperson, Cultural Center of Vijayawada & Amravati, and archaeology and history enthusiast Arvind Arya Pakide visited the Pandavula Gutta on Monday.
“The government can develop the Pandavula Gutta as the archaeological, tourism and adventure sports centre. It is known as Telangana’s ‘Bhimbetka’. There is a need to arrange guides to inform the tourists about the historical significance of the place.
“The frescoes were badly damaged due human vandalism as there were no steps to protect them,” Sivanagi Reddy lamented.

Aravind Arya said there were seven rock shelters (caves) in which the paintings had been found. “The figures depicted in the paintings are those of peacocks, lizards, tigers, frogs, fish, deer, etc, and geometrical designs and impressions in green, red, yellow and white pigment colours. Besides these rock paintings, inscriptions of the Rashtrakuta period and fresco paintings of the late medieval period have also been reported from these hillocks. Some of the paintings were superimposed, depicting highly developed anatomical features and curves,” he said.

The rock shelters at the foot of the hill contain only faint traces of red paintings, and shelter locally called ‘Vongudu Gundu’ (bending rock) and along with traces of paintings, microlithic scatters can also be seen. While there are 17 known rock art sites in Telangana, ‘Pandavula Gutta’ is an exclusive mesolithic rock art site in the State as mesolithic rock paintings were noticed at four shelters and historical frescoes datable to the late medieval period were noticed in two more rock shelters.

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