Treasure Hunters Create Panic among Villagers in Warangal

 Warangal: Incidents of digging and performing pujas near historical sites and famous temples to find hidden treasures is going on unabated, causing panic among villagers in erstwhile Warangal district.

The villagers are not only facing nuisance from the treasure hunters but also from poachers of wild animals.

Unidentified persons on Monday dug up a site at the Pandavulagutta looking for hidden treasure in Thirumalagiri of Regonda mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.

The village houses a famous Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple, near Bugulonigutta. Every year during Karthik month, temple priests conduct a jatara on a grand scale.

Pandavulagutta is surrounded by 2,000 acres of dense forests. There are traces that the Pandavas spent a few days in the area during their Aranyavasam, hence the name.

The villagers said some people believe that Maoists had hidden their loot near Pandavulagutta several years back, when they were active in the region.

In the past, several people had dug up the spot near the Anjaneya Swamy statue on Bugulonigutta and also on the hill at Lacca House that was believed to date back to the time of the Pandavas.

They alleged that on several occasions, they took the issue to the notice of police, but due to lack of protection and negligence of officials, treasure hunters roam in the region to find hidden treasures.

Recently, a 10-member gang dug the surroundings of Rathikota near the Sri Hemachala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Mallur of Mulugu district.

The treasure hunters create panic among villagers in surrounding villages by digging at various places and performing black magic-like prayers in the dead of night.

After noticing pits, coconuts, lemons, red cloth with turmeric and other materials, the villagers informed police and appealed to them to provide security to not only historical structures but also to wild animals.