Task force formed to promote tourism, heritage circuits

Anantapur:District Collector Dr Vinod Kumar who is the chairman of the District Tourism Council as well as committees working on preservation of both archeological and heritage sites has constituted a task force involving officials of both tourism and archeology to develop tourism and heritage circuits in the district.

Talking to The Hans India, Dr Vinod revealed that two circuits will be formed, one for temple tourism and the other for heritage tourism. The heritage circuit consists of Gooty Fort,

Rayadurg Fort, Rasasiddulagutta, Konakondla, Kundurpi Fort, Peace Memorial Hall and Tower Clock, Anantapur.

The Gooty Fort, also known as Gutti Kota, is one of the protected monuments of national importance. Early inscriptions refer this fort to the reign of the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI (r. c. 1076-1126 CE) and to the late Chalukya period. Rayadurgam Fort was orginally a stronghold of Boya Palegars during the Vijayanagara rule. It was also called as Bhupatirayuni Konda during Vijayanagara period. After the battle of Rakshatangadi (1565 AD), the Boyas regained the fort and the Palegar of Chitradurga strengthened the fortifications.

Later, Tippu Sultan captured the fort and made it a part of Gooty Province.

The ruins of elephant’s staples, houses and arches of the Palegars and a Jain temple without any image still remain.

Rasasiddula Gutta is an important place of Jainism located in Konakondla village, near Uravakonda town in Anantapur district. It is an important Jain centre and said to be the birthplace of the famous Jain teacher Konda Kunda Charya (Konda Kunda Neeya) of the 1st Century C.E.

A mystic circle engraved on a rock on the hillock was interpreted by recent experts as a Jambu Dweepa (Ancient Geographical part of the earth). As this place has many traces of many Jain images and carvings it is also called as Rasasiddula Gutta. Peace Memorial Hall in Anantapur town is existing on a high ground just opposite to the district court building complex in new town area. It is a grand structure covered nearly in 2-acre, area.

The elegant structure constructed in the British period by Indian engineer VSS Raghavan and its foundation stone was laid on December 13,1919 by C C Todhunter, ICS and senior Member of Council of St George Fort of Madras.

The main intention and motto behind of this grand structure was to commemorate the termination of the 1st World War (1914-1918).

AnantapurClock tower is a structure located at the centre of the town. It was built in memory of martyrs of the Indian freedom movement. In 1945, M Ramachandra Naidu, the District Judge and other individuals took the initiative to construct the structure.