With the onset of picnic season, a family of five from Nellore were looking for tourist spots for a weekend trip. While 19-year-old Madan suggested names of famous temples, beaches and waterfalls around the city, his father Gopalakrishna rejected all the places and decided to go to Puducherry.
Gopalakrishna, like many residents of Nellore, decided not to visit tourist attractions around the city mainly due to the lack of infrastructure there. Garbage, lack of relevant information boards, irregular fares, cumbersome procedures and lack of infrastructure and hotels and homestays make visiting these areas tiresome and tiring.
The combined Nellore district is known for Somasila Dam, Kandaleru Dam, Penchalakona Falls, Shiva Kona Falls, Ubbalamadugu Falls, Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary and numerous beaches, all unmatched tourism gems. But piles of garbage and empty liquor bottles scattered around take away their attractiveness for family trips.
As Bala Murugan, a visitor to Chennai, observed, lack of regulations and standardization of fees and fares is another major problem. “Recently, we went to explore Venadu and Irukkam islands near Tada. A local fisherman charged us ₹5,000 for a boat ride to the island. Empty liquor bottles and plastic bags spoil the beautiful islands, making them unsuitable for families and outsiders to visit,” he says.
Historical places like Udayagiri Fort and Venkatagiri Fort in the district are also losing their lustre. The Pinakini Satyagraha Ashram on the banks of the Penna River in Pallipadu, which was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1921, making it his second ashram after the Sabarmati Ashram, is currently in a state of neglect.
Bhairavkona Falls is near CS Puram in Prakasam district. , Photo Courtesy: Kommuri Srinivas
For Prakasam, the district is full of natural attractions including beaches, hills, forests and waterfalls. In the heart of the Nallamala Hills, the Bhairavakon Cave Temple at Ambavaram village in Giddaluru mandal as well as the Ishtakameshwari Devi Cave Temple at Nekkanti village in Yerragondapalem mandal offer a mix of entertainment, adventure, cultural, heritage and spiritual tourism.
However, going to Ishtakameshwari Devi Temple is a maze in itself. Many restrictions have been imposed by the forest department. Only 120 people are allowed into the temple in a day; It consists of 16 tickets which can be booked online. As per Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) rules, people are not allowed during the tiger breeding season from July 1 to September 30.
“I wanted to visit the Ishtakameshwari Devi temple, but due to the tedious registration process I could not do so. Instead, I went for a tiger safari at Thummalbailu in Dornala mandal,” says Hari Babu, a resident of Visakhapatnam, who wanted to make full use of his two consecutive holidays after visiting Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy at the Srisailam temple town in Nandyal district.
Nemaligundla Falls, also known as Rangaswamy Gundam, is located in the middle of the Nallamala forest near Giddaluru town, also near the Sri Nemaligundla Ranganayaka Swamy Temple. Recent landslides occurred due to heavy rains this season.A young man who was making a video of some picturesque views on the way to the waterfall had a narrow escape. His video capturing the landslide went viral on social media. “It was sheer good fortune that the landslide occurred on a weekday when there was less traffic. If it had happened on a Saturday or Sunday, the situation could have been disastrous,” says Chaudhary. Balakrishna, a local youth.
The Buddhist Stupa situated on the banks of river Gundlakamma near Chandavaram village in Donakonda mandal, is a major tourist attraction in the district. However, due to lack of information board tourists are unable to understand its importance.
Will the instructions be followed?
Chairperson of the 20-point program Lanka Dinakar recently visited Cumbum (Gundlakamma) Lake, the second largest irrigation tank in Asia and directed the officials to improve the infrastructure required for tourism development. He also asked them to establish memorials for great personalities like Tyagaraja and Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya who hail from this place.
Cumbum Lake in Prakasam district. , Photo Courtesy: Kommuri Srinivas
To develop West Prakasam, he suggested showcasing the uniqueness and heritage of the region to the world by starting a tourist circuit covering these areas and the temples around Cumbum Lake. He also presented a report to the authorities for the development of existing temples.
talking to The HinduAndhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Chairman Nukasani Balaji says that the previous government did not show any interest towards the tourism sector during its five-year tenure. He says, till 2019, development work of Pakala Beach was going on and ₹2 crore was spent, but later the work stopped.
“After the formation of the coalition government, we have launched a special drive to develop three places in Prakasam district – Pakala Beach, Cumbum Lake and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple for ₹20 crore. We are trying to renovate Pakala Beach for ₹5-7 crore. This long beach has many features that can attract tourists,” he says.
The sunset over Cumbum Lake amidst the surrounding hills is worth watching. “We are planning to start boating and resort facilities here. The Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, called South Simhachalam, will very soon be developed under a tourism circuit along with other famous places in the state,” he says.
Tripurantakeswara Swamy Temple in Prakasam district. , Photo Courtesy: Kommuri Srinivas
He has proposed a spiritual tourism circuit connecting Kothapatnam Beach, Pakala Beach, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Singarayakonda, Sri Malayadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Malakonda, Bhairavkona Cave Temple, Sri Nemaligundla Ranganayaka Swamy Temple, Tripurantakam Bala Tripurasundari Devi Temple and Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple at Srisailam.
Temple development on cards
Endowments Minister Anam Ramanaraya Reddy says the government is working on the temple tourism circuit with ₹350-400 crore of central funds under various schemes. Apart from this, it is also renovating ancient temples and conserving the temples inside the hills and forests.
He recently laid the foundation stone for the development of Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy Temple near Bitragunta in Nellore district at a cost of ₹5.38 crore. This historic temple is known for its unique ‘Kalah Nivaran Puja’, which devotees believe resolves disputes. Reconstruction work of Sri Venugopal Swamy Temple at Moolapet in the district has also been started.
Last month, the minister launched the construction of Sita Ramanjaneya Swamy temple at Gundemadakala village in Vinjamuru mandal with the help of ₹1 crore from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Srivani Trust. He also announced that the historic temple of Sri Nageswara Swamy, which was discovered at Perumallapdu after being buried for a long time, would soon be developed.
Former Nellore District Collector O. Anand had earlier revealed several ambitious plans to develop the tourism circuit in the district, especially for people coming from Tirupati and Chennai cities. The new district collector, Himanshu Shukla, who previously served as managing director of APTDC, also has some plans in mind.
“Mayapadu, Koduru, Tupilipalyam and Katepally are some of the most beautiful beaches of Nellore, visited by thousands of people. We are planning to organize a ‘Mayapadu Beach Festival’ similar to the Masula Beach Festival at Manginapudi beach. Later, we will organize such festivals at other famous beaches in the district,” says Mr Shukla.
Private players are also coming up with new ventures and innovative concepts. V. Harsha, an event manager, took over a property of APTDC near Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy temple and close to Ramatheertham beach in Varini village of Vidavalur mandal in Nellore district and developed it as a grand resort with 25 rooms in a pollution-free environment.
He says, “The APTDC property had only a compound wall and a dilapidated building. But, we were very interested in the beach, which is amazingly bright. We wanted to arrange destination weddings here… We have invested heavily in the resort and are planning to launch more such properties in the state.”
In Prakasam district, Carlton Wellness Group will soon launch a luxury wellness resort with 40 premium villas in Ongole in collaboration with spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his brand Sri Sri Tattva to offer Ayurveda, Panchakarma and holistic treatments.
