Tourism potential of rock-cut caves in city left untapped

The city of Vijayawada has grown by leaps and bounds. It is set to witness further growth after being designated as the capital of residual Andhra Pradesh. Vijayawada also has a rich history which is evident with the presence of several rock-cut caves in the city.

The caves at Moghalrajapuram, Pushpa Hotel centre and on the slopes of Indrakeeladri, the abode of Goddess Kanaka Durga, dated back to centuries. The in depth study of the rock-cut constructions will reveal its rich past. Though dilapidated, the caves make their presence felt.

There is a huge sculpture of Nataraja in the cave at Moghalrajapuram. The sculptures of Lord Vinayaka and other deities sculpted on the walls got almost defaced now with the passage of time. According to archaeologists, the sculpture of Lord Nataraja is one of the ancient ones in the entire country.

The cave in the One Town was named after Akkanna and Madanna, officials of the Golkonda Sultanate, because it was the place from where they oversaw the collection of taxes from people in the region. A British archaeologist is of the view that these caves were part of the Buddhist monasteries visited by the famous Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang.

Despite the promise of the new government that it would give a big boost to the tourism sector in Andhra Pradesh, no concrete efforts have been made to restore the glory of the caves and rock cut structures in Krishna district which were connected to Hinduism and Buddhism in the past. They attract very few visitors when compared to any other park, river front and lakes in the city due to lack of proper notice boards at the structures depicting their rich history.

The caves remain closed most of the time much to the disappointment of history lovers. Though there is lush greenery on the compound of caves, the rock cut structures have failed to attract more visitors as their opening and closing timings are not maintained properly.