Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao who spent four days at Nagarjuna Sagar in connection with the training programmes for TRS legislators and MPs, has showered major sops on the hill top township.
The town will be developed as a major tourist hub and as a destination for Buddhists by bringing several improvements to the 12-year old ‘Buddha Vanam’ on the Hyderabad-Nagarjuna Sagar Hill Colony Road.
The names Nagarjunasagar and Nagarjuna Konda (hill) are derived from ‘Acharya Nagarjuna,’ one of the disciples of Gautam Buddha, and this township and surroundings are key constituents of the country’s Buddhist Circuit.
However, due to bifurcation, important Buddhist attractions like ‘Anupu’ and Nagarjuna Konda Museum went to AP. The AP government has already decided to develop these places along with Amaravati where the Buddha Stupam and a giant size Gyan Buddha statue is located in Guntur district and make it a must see for Buddhists.
However, on the left bank of the Krishna River that went to Telangana, there exists a 12-year-old ‘Buddha Vanam’ for Buddhists to pray. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti on Monday, visited the Buddha Vanam on over 274 acres and promised to allot more land on the banks of the river and develop the area into a destination for Buddhists.
He visited the area and planted a sapling Monday and promised to convert the area on the lines of ‘Bodhgaya’ in Bihar. He said a special authority would be constituted soon to take up development and a special officer would be appointed exclusively for this purpose.
He said the 27-feet tall Buddha statue donated by the Lankan government recently to Telangana would be installed at the Vanam on a high pedestal.
The CM announced that Nagarjunasagar hill colony, dam and surroundings (on the Left bank of Krishna River) will be developed as a major tourism centre. He said a high level meeting would be convened in the capital to finalise the plan and project.
