Rajamahendravaram: Pandavula Metta seeks tourism development

Rajamahendravaram: There is no place or cave in the South India, if not in the entire country, where the warrior brothers Pandavas did not stay or not a pond where Sita, spouse of Sri Rama, did not take bath. East Godavari district is no exception.

The district has so many temples, tanks and hillocks and others linked to the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata.

One among them is Pandavula Metta relating to the epic Mahabharatha, where Pandavas, the five heroes of valour, lived on the hillock for some time during their exile before moving to the court of King Virata.

An ancient mound or hillock, which has links to the Mahabharatha folklore, lies in neglected condition at the entrance of the ancient town of Peddapuram.

On the top of the hillock there are many things that related to Pandavas. The Pandavas lived on the hillock located in the middle of the forest for one year and Bhima Sena the second brother of Pandavas used to protect them. There is a tunnel connected to River Godavari near Chitrangi guest house in Rajamahendravaram. People believe that the Pandavas used to go to the river to take bath through the tunnel and return to the hillock which is at least 40 km in length. The visitors could step into the tunnel and walk up to at least 50 ft. But they could not venture deep into the dark tunnel fearing that there might be snakes, scorpions and other dangerous creatures.

In addition to this, there was a spot on the historical hillock which is believed to possess powers to quicken the onset of puberty among girls as the wife of Pandavas, Draupadi, is believed to have menstruated.

There is a rudimentary kitchen in a round shape where the Pandavas believed to have cooked food. Nowadays, some local farmers perform here a ritual called Varada Payasam to appease the Rain God before the beginning of the harvest season with a belief that the God gives them a bountiful harvest. There are also two footprints each with 15 inches in length believed to be the footprints of Bhima Sena.

A number of people visit the hillock everyday from various places throughout the State and even neighbouring States. But there are no facilities for the visiting tourists.

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation miserably failed to develop it as a tourist spot. If the tunnel is opened for the tourists it would attract sizable number of people and become a tourist attraction. A glance at it suggests that anyone can go into tunnel up to 50 ft. However, the remaining part of the tunnel was closed and people fear to wander in the dark fearing snakes, scorpions and other creatures might harm them.

The State government has allocated some part of the hillock to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and even constructed a park. It is pathetic to note that some of the land was encroached by the local people. The local people demand the government to hand over the Pandavula Metta to the Archeological Society of India or Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation which can develop it into a good tourist spot.

The notable point here is that this part of the district has good road connectivity which allows people to reach the tourist spot easily.