KHAMMAM: An-almost forgotten relic of the bygone Kakatiya era, the Jaffer Well, is set to acquire a new look. The district administration is giving a facelift to the heritage site hoping to attract tourists in droves.
The stepwell was constructed during the Kakatiyan period and a few additions were made later under the rule of the Qutub Shahis and Asaf Jahis. The Kakatiya rulers built the well for use by soldiers and the people who lived nearby.
The Jaffer Well fills up when there is rain and with run-off water from hills. Khammam Municipal Corporation has allocated Rs 50 lakh for restoration works which include the removal of garbage, repairing damaged steps, erecting some structures, and providing lighting to enhance its aesthetic look. Over the years, the well became a garbage dump because no one took any interest in protecting it. Stench used to emanate from it so much so that people in the nearby villages could not even sleep well at night.
District collector VP Gowtham and Khammam municipal commissioner Adarsh Surabhi understood the importance of the well and began the restoration works. Archaeology department officials visited the place and recommended what should be done to restore the well.
Recently two cannons were mounted on a pedestal on either side of the main gate. The fortification walls of the fort were protected by the Hyderabad Ancient Monuments Preservation Act. The 60-foot stepwell has a knee-length lime mortar and brick parapet wall. Municipal corporation engineering section deputy engineer (DE) T Navya Jyothi says restoration works were going on well and soon it would be inaugurated.
Gowtham and Surabhi said: “The heritage structure is being restored for posterity. The Archaeology department is giving technical support and the Rainwater Group of Khammam is also involved in the restoration works.”