Hyderabad: Team finds huge Satavahana fort wall in forest

Hyderabad: A sprawling ancient fort, stunning rock formations, virgin caves, rock paintings, a rare eight-foot tall Sigamudi Hanuman, mingle with  nature’s gifts and manmade structures in the thick jungles of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district in the state, all uncovered by a team of explorers.

The most notable finding in the region is the massive 8 km-radius fort wall with seven entry points dating back to the Satavahana period. Locally known as Mallur Fort, located 4 km inside the forests near Mallur village of Mangapet mandal, Jayashankar district, the fort is on the banks of the river Godavari adjacent to the Eturunagaram-Bhadrachalam highway.

“Normally, forts are two to four km in radius. But this fort wall has a radius of about 8 km, much bigger than Warangal and Golconda forts. Some places are absolutely breathtaking and can be developed into adventure spots and trekking resorts,” Mr Arvind, a team member of Telangana Social Media Forum, and head of a 40-member team, told media here on Wednesday.

The four-day exploration, led by coordinator Kompelli Venkat Goud, Phani Kumar, was sponsored by Telangana Tou-rism Development Corpo-ration Chairman Perav-aram Ramulu and managing director Christina Z. Chonghtu.

Explorers found an ancient temple of Laxmi Narsimha Swamy dating back 4,500 years also called Hemachalam. They also visited the Pandava Guhalu, Mylaram caves, Ghanpur group of temples and the Damarwai dolmens.

Situated on the highway of Mahadevpur and Ravu-lapally of Regonda Mandal, 50 km from Warangal, the Pandavulag-utta, has archeologically important rock paintings of animals, human figures, triangles, and trisulas besides undeciphered inscriptions.

Prominent places include: the Gonthemma cave, Pancha pandavas, Mekala banda, Mungisa banda, Thupakula gundu and Yandula caves. The virgin Mylaram caves in Mylaram village of Ghanpur mandal are spread over 3.5 km. These are formed of quartos felisphat and carbonate rocks. Inside the caves, deposits of limestone have formed into stalagmites in the shape of a Shiva Linga, flying birds, lions, eagles etc.

“We have such formations in Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar islands. These are the only ones of its kind in Telangana state,” Mr Arvind said.

They also unearthed three kinds of prehistoric megalithic structures in Suragonndayya hills, Dhamerwai village of Thadwai mandal, which are intact. “Probably they believed in rebirth, hence they protected the dead to the best of their ability,” Mr Arvind added.

City heritage circuit gets Rs 99 crore
Four heritage structures in Hyderabad will soon get a facelift and better tourist amenities. As part of development of Heritage circuit in Hyderabad, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 99.58 crore for the development of Qutb Shahi heritage park, Paigah tombs, Hayat Bakshi mosque and Raymond’s Tomb in the city
Located at the foot of Golconda Fort, the heritage park is spread over 106 acres.

This necropolis of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, that ruled the region for 169 years in the 16th and 17th centuries, includes 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, six  baolis (step-wells), a hamam (mortuary bath), pavilions and gardens.

The state department of archaeology and museums, the GHMC and the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority, the Aga Khan Foundation and Aga Khan Trust for Culture have signed memoranda of understanding to conserve all monuments and restore the park.

“The amount has been earmarked under under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Union tourism ministry. The amount will be utilised for tourist amenities, landscaping, interpretation centres, restoration and beautification among others,” Ms Christina Z. Chonghtu, managing director, Tourism Development Corporation said.