Kondaveedu fort likely to get UNESCO heritage status

The Kondaveedu fort which once flourished as the capital of Reddy kings, has found a place in the tentative list of word heritage sites of UNESCO.
An ancient Shiva temple at Kondaveedu fort in Guntur district | Express
An ancient Shiva temple at Kondaveedu fort in Guntur district | Express

GUNTUR : The Kondaveedu fort which once flourished as the capital of Reddy kings, has found a place in the tentative list of word heritage sites of UNESCO.

Amaravati Development Authority Chairman J Veeranjaneyulu received a copy in this regard from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) World Heritage Director K Lourdusamy.  

Out of the total 35 historical monuments which figured in the tentative list from all over the country, five are located in Andhra Pradesh.

They include Kondaveedu fort and Amaravati Maha Stupa in Guntur, Chandragiri fort in Chittoor, Gandikota fort in Kadapa and Guntupalli Buddhist caves in West Godavari district.

The mountain ranges of Kondaveedu are very near to capital city Amaravati. Vennamuddhala Venugopala Swamy temple is situated at Chengiz Khan Peta on the west side of Kondaveedu fort. ISKCON plans to construct a temple at the place at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore as the idol in the temple is the rarest one of lord Krishna in the world.  After finalisation of the tentative list of heritage sites, the Central Government has set up a special committee to pursue the matter.

The State Government sanctioned  Rs 35 crore in 2014 to lay a 5.1 km road to the top of Kondaveedu mountain range. Only seven of the 23 burjs of the fort constructed in the 14th century are intact now. The fort housed seven temples in the past.

The temples of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha, Lord Shiva and Lord Narasimha are in good shape. The Tourism Department sanctioned `80 lakh for renovation of some of the ancient structures in Kondaveedu fort to attract tourists. Once the Kondaveedu fort gets the status of UNESCO world heritage sites, it is poised to become a major tourist attraction in the State.

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