An alluring beauty

Rachakonda hills are indeed a sight to savour. The beauty of this picture postcard setting is further enhanced by quaint tribal hamlets, herds of cattle taking to the lone curvy road, stone walled boundaries and entrances of the Rachakonda fort and ancient temples spread along the route.

This unspoilt stretch of land with its natural foliage, water bodies, architectural beauty and historical importance is about 70 kms from Hyderabad, on the Ibrahimpatnam-Tippaigudem stretch.

Along with little shrines for the village goddesses are 20 odd temples, nestled amidst the rocky terrain but mostly in a state of neglect. The walls of the famous Ramalayam in Tippaigudem are covered with moss and there are cracks in several places.

As one peers into the sanctum sanctorum through the grilled door that is locked, one can see exquisite statues of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana under a cave akin to the one seen at Yadagirigutta.

Barely two kilometres from Tippaigudem stands an eight foot Shivalingam, recovered from a well in Rachakonda, some three years ago and kept under a shed near the fields belonging to Bharatamma a lady tending to the God here.

A priest comes from the neighbouring village of Arutla to perform everyday pujas she informs us. A number of devotees apparently throng the area in the belief that their wishes are granted.

The endowments department lost no time in placing a hundi here, the offerings of which are collected every three months despite not spelling out any plans for temple construction.

The Recherla Padmanayakas were the Velama kings, who ruled over this area with the Rachakonda fort being constructed by the king Anapothanayaka in the 14th century.

The Padmanayakas are said to have served as army chiefs under the Kakatiyas in the 12th century AD serving all their kings beginning from Rudra deva till the reign of their last ruler Pratapa Rudra.

Singamanayaka was the first Rachakonda ruler who seemed to have emerged as independent King after the decline of the Kakatiyas in the 14th century.

The remnants of the stone walls that one sees in parts are said to be an engineering marvel constructed in the Cyclopean masonry style but are sadly in ruins, neglected by both the State government and the Archaeological Survey of India.

While historical and religious structures and monuments have been left to the elements, the more worrying aspect is the threat to its ecology. The Rachakonda forests that accounted for the best tamarind, honey and Custard apples in the region slowly find these products dwindling.

Mining leases given for 20 hills in the region for granite quarrying spell disaster to its ecology. Many tribal families have already been displaced from these hills by those who have secured these licenses and they have been cruelly deprived of their livelihood.

The villages that were under the communist influence and gripped by Naxalite movements have several pylons and memorials that speak of times past. Sadly acres of land have come under the occupation of land sharks, politicians and powerful businessmen who have no thought about the bio-diversity and beautiful ecosystem that exists here.

M Subhash of the Fluorosis Vimochana Samithi, an NGO, fighting for prevention of the disease and rehabilitation of victims warns of an impending threat to the beautiful hills that dot the region’ Mining licenses to powerful individuals with political clout, proposals like setting up Chitranagari on 2300 acres, talks of locating a firing range on the hills and encroachment of acres of land by middlemen are going to destroy the area.

It is time for environmentalists, voluntary organisations and the people at large to prevent this disaster’ he cautions.

It is sad to see the neglect of this beautiful natural ecosystem, the utter disregard of historical monuments and the attempts to destroy nature for monetary gains. Rachakonda is a disaster waiting to happen.

Only enlightened citizens and organisations can prevent this by pre-empting the suicidal moves of the powers that be. The hills and monuments are too beautiful to be destroyed by human callousness and error.