Temples, monuments shut down in Kurnool district

KURNOOL: Monuments that are under the control of the archeological department like Konda Reddy Burj, and Yaganti Uma Maheshwar temple have been closed with immediate effect and will remain so till May 15.

Ironically, endowment officials maintain that they have not received any instructions to shut down temples in view of the spread of coronavirus.  There are 3800 temples in the district out of which 400 are medium-scale in terms of revenue generation.

The monuments and temples closed in Kurnool district include Abdul Wahab Khan tomb, Kurnool, Kondareddy buruju, Uma Maheshwara Swamy Temple, Yaganti., Nandavaram temples, including Subramanya sculpture, Nandavaram, Adoni fort, Adoni and Andra and Asoka inscriptions at Jonnagiri, Rajulamandagiri.

Yaganti temple, located in Banaganapalle mandal, is one of the oldest temples and is under the control of the Union Government. Archaeological evidence stated that the pilgrim centre was built during the reign of Vijayanagara’s Harihara Bukka Rayulu. The archeology department has maintained a few monuments and museums like Kondareddy buruju, Vahab tombs, Yaganti temple, and others in the district.

ASI official Dhaka Reddy said that in view of coronavirus visitors will not be allowed into any ASI-maintained sites, temples, and museums. The endowment department has made it mandatory that devotees should wear face masks and maintain physical distance during temple visits.

When contacted, the assistant commissioner of endowment K Adisesha Naidu said they do not have any proposal to close temples under their control. Major temples like Srisailam, Mahanandi and Ahobilam are functioning, he said. There are about 400 temples with executive officers and 3,400 small and medium temples across the district, he added.