Major facelift for Mettugutta temples with Rs 30 crore
Located on a picturesque hillock called Mettugutta, the temples attract thousands of devotees during the jatara on Maha Shivaratri and Sri Rama Navami festivals.
Hanamkonda: The temples of Rama Lingeshwara Swamy as well as Seetharamachandra Swamy at Madikonda village near here are all set to get a facelift soon with the State government’s decision to allot funds worth Rs.30 crore.
Located on a picturesque hillock called Mettugutta, the temples attract thousands of devotees during the jatara on Maha Shivaratri and Sri Rama Navami festivals.
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According to Endowments officials, Raja Gopurams and Prakara Mandapam will be constructed at a cost of Rs 6.98 crore. Temple committee chairman Duvva Naveen said Wardhannapet MLA Aroori Ramesh had laid the foundation for the renovation of the temples on February 10, and the works were scheduled to be completed in one-and-a-half years.
On the other hand, the MLA asked the temple authorities to prepare a detailed project report with Rs.23 crore for the development of the temples. “As a part of the proposed development works, a road on the north side, compound wall, sathram (lodge kind of facility) with 100 rooms for the common pilgrims visiting the temple and 10 cottages for the VIPs will be constructed on the hillock,” the chairman said.
It is said that the temple authorities are also trying to see that a communication tower set up by the police would be relocated to some other place to develop the area on the hillock.
People traveling by train via the Kazipet railway station can have a glimpse of the twin rocks and temples on the hillock about two kilometres from Kazipet railway station on the highway to Hyderabad from Warangal. The temples are just a half a kilometre from the main road in the village of Madikonda.
According to local lore, in this beautiful place love blossomed in the hearts of Hidimbi (a demon) and Bheemasena of the Pandava brothers. The area between the twin rocks was the abode of Hidimbi and people believe that Bheemasena had fallen in love with Hidimba during their exile into the forest.
Another legend says that Lord Rama during his forest stay along with Sita had lived in this area. It said that the Rama Lingeshwara temple was built by the Kakatiya kings.