Warangal, the second largest city in Telangana State, has been identified as a 'spiritual' and religious destination based tourism circuits

HYDERABAD: After fervently spearheading the campaign to put Hyderabad on Unesco's heritage list, albeit without success, the Telangana government has now redirected its focus on the districts surrounding the twin cities, which they agree have been a neglected lot.

Warangal, the second largest city in Telangana, has been identified as a 'spiritual' and religious destination and several theme-based tourism circuits will soon be developed to promote the Kakatiya style of architecture and sculpture, distinguished by rock-cut elephants and structures made of black basalt, found in many parts of the district. Brochures recently released by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (TSTDC) feature pictures and brief descriptions of the stunning temples and lakes of a city steeped in a wealth of architecture.

Sources in the state tourism department ascertain that the government, which has until now restricted its efforts to the Qutub Shahi monuments of Hyderabad, will now aggressively push for World Heritage Site tag for the 'keerthi thoranas' of Warangal fort, the Rudreswara temple (Thousand Pillar temple) at Hanamkonda and Rudreswara (Ramappa) temple at Palampet, all of which have already made it to the tentative list of the Unesco's World Heritage sites.


"In the race to make Hyderabad a tourist destination, the other districts have been overlooked. In fact, we have found that every district in Telangana has something unique to offer tourists. Medaram, a small village in Warangal, for instance, is the site of one of the largest tribal religious confluences in the country - the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara," said TSTDC managing director Christina Z Chongthu.

Telangana tourism has hence chalked out plans to develop a tribal circuit at a cost of more than Rs 90 crore, which promises tourists a journey through the dense forests of Mulugu, Laknavaram, Medaram, Tadvai and Eturnagaram. However, the state government's grandiose schemes to develop these spots into prime tourist attractions have faced a lot of flak.

"The tourism department's ambitious plans have no long-term perspective. Culture shouldn't be used as merely a merchandise. Plans to develop a tribal circuit around Medaram do not offer tourists any real insights into the local sentiments or give them a feel of the tranquil charm of the village," said GSV Suryanarayana Moorthy, conservation architect and tourism consultant, adding, "All they get are a few printed brochures and pamphlets promising luxury hotels and the best of comforts."

If the tourism department's data on the number of tourists visiting Hyderabad and Warangal is any indication, the decision to tap into the tourist appeal of Warangal could not have come at a better time. The year 2014 recorded 2,32,27,277 tourists in Warangal, more than double that of Hyderabad which managed to draw only 92,97,426 tourists. Until June this year, Warangal has again left Hyderabad lagging far behind by 5,80,867 tourists.

The tourism department, in addition to introducing a new two-day package tour, the itinerary of which includes visits to the Narasimhaswamy temple at Yadagirigutta, Jain temple at Kolanupaka, and the Thousand Pillar temple and Bhadrakali temple at Warangal, is keen on developing a `spiritual tourism circuit' along the Kolanupaka, Palakurthi, Bhadrakali and Padmakshi temples in Warangal.

The restoration works, of the Natya Mandapam (dance hall) at Thousand Pillars temple, which began six years ago is still underway.

Several arrangements have also been for the 10-day Navratri festival at Bhadrakali temple this year, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 pilgrims each day.

D Vinay Bhaskar, legislator of Warangal (West), earlier this week, announced that the state government has already released Rs 10 lakh for laying a concrete approach road to the temple and Rs 15 crore has been sanctioned for strengthening the Bhadrakali lake bund under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana ( HRIDAY) scheme.

The 600-year-old Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple and the Kanakadurga temple at Medak and the Anjaneya Swamy, Shiva temples and the run-down remains of the Main Trikutalaya temple in Kondagattu are among the other temples in the state that will be promoted as `tourist friendly' destinations.

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