Telangana: Archaic fort turns into dumping yard

Hyderabad: A fort that was once seized by Krishnadevaraya in Tangeda, Gurjala, in Guntur district, is just a garbage dumping site. The fort was a significant part of several kingdoms.

Archaeologist E Sivanagi Reddy, chief executive officer of The Cultural Centre for Vijayawada and Amaravati, “Tangeda known as Tangeda Sthala in historic inscriptions was an administrative military, business and religious centre. It was a stronghold of the Kakatiya, Reddy, Gajapati and Vijayanagara kingdoms.There are seven inscriptions from the 14th and 15th centuries that record Tangeda as an administrative headquarters and market place.”

Many inscriptions say that the fort was seized by Krishnadevaraya during his eastern campaign launched in 1516 AD, along with those at Kondaveedu, Kondapalli, Bellamkonda Kethavaram and Nagarjuni Konda

“It is painful to see the fort wall in a dilapidated condition and the villagers using the place as a  dumping yard. The same is the case with the Siva temple which is misused to park a damaged tractor. The temple which once attracted devotees has now become a dustbin,” he said.

He said the temple was being used to park water tankers and to store fodder. Mr Sivanagi Reddy, while sensitising villagers to the heritage value of the structures, appealed to the AP department of archaeology to look into the matter.