Amaravati: Buddha statue gets new paint

Amaravati: The tallest Dhyana Buddha statue at old Amaravati is being spruced up for Krishna Pushkaralu.

The 125-feet-tall Dhyana Buddha on the banks of the Krishna river can be seen from various areas of Krishna and Guntur districts. The old Amaravati is one of the five holy aramas which are sacred places in the Hindu religion.

Already the construction works of the new gali gopuram of ancient Amaralingeswara temple on the banks of Krishna river at old Amaravati is under progress and now the tallest 125-feet Buddha statue of South India is being decorated for Krishna Pushkaralu. The officials are making Dhyana Buddha as the main attraction of the Krishna Pushkaralu andhence started painting the tall statue.

The government has sanctioned Rs 75 crore under Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (Hriday) and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (Prasad) scheme to develop the old Amaravati into Heritage City.

The ancient Amaralingeswara temple is worshipped as Amaramam for centuries and the devotees are expected to visit the temple. As the Dhyana Buddha is situated besides the ancient temple, the officials are decorating it for Krishna Pushkaralu.

The tourism department installed scaffolding and cleaning the Buddha statue to colour it. Special officer for Amaravati Heritage city project, R. Mallikarjuna Rao said that gray or sandstone colour would be painted to the Buddha statue.

He said that panchayat raj, R & B, irrigation and Hriday project are working together to turn the old Amravati into Heritage city for Krishna Puskaralu. He said that the Amaravati main road would be widened to 12 km extent and the road widening works were started. He said the works of uncomplete guesthouse of APTDC besides Dhyana Buddha were restarted.  

Mr Mallikarjuna Rao said that Prasad funds would be used for the development of infrastructure and Hriday funds will be used for riverfront development, ghats and garden development.

He said that a big Buddha Park was proposed in front of Dhyana Buddha statue but the farmers refused to give their lands and went to the court. He said that recently they conducted a meeting with the farmers offering alternative lands. Hence, the farmers agreed to give 15 acre of land for Buddha Park and the works of the park would be started soon.