KADAPA: The district administration has made all necessary arrangements for the conduct of the fifth edition of annual Gandikota festival with pomp and gaiety on January 11 and 12. Speaking to the media, district tourism officer P Rajasekhar Reddy said the festival would help develop Gandikota into a tourist centre and generate livelihood to local people. He appealed to the people to participate in the event and make it a grand success.
The Gandikota festival was organised for the first time on September 26, 2015. Since then the event is being organised every year. The Gandikota fort was constructed in 1123 AD by King Kakaraju. The Vijayanagara kings renovated the fort in 1336 AD. The Gandikota fort is situated on the top of a hill, 1,670 feet above the sea. It is located about 105 km away from Kadapa and 20 km from Jammalamadugu.
The tourism department had set up an adventure academy at a cost of Rs 3 crore on the fort premises and the first batch will pass out on Saturday. The government also had taken up ropeway project at a cost of Rs 7 crore to reach Agastheswara Kona temple from the Gandikota fort, the works of which are moving at a brisk pace.
Joint collector M Gauthami said that the festival reflects the cultural legacy of the region. "We have given a facelift to the fort ahead of the festival. Barricades have been set up at the fort complex," she added. Deputy Chief Minister SB Amzath Basha, ministers Adimulapu Suresh and Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, Chief Whip G Srikanth Reddy, MPs and MLAs will attend the inaugural programme on January 11.
A hotspot for nature lovers: Adventure, leisure, archaeological, historical, nature and eco-tourism rolled into one is Gandikota
Sobha Yatra: Sobha yatra rallies with cultural troupes were taken out in Proddatur on Friday as a prelude to the Gandikota festival
Joint collector B Shiva Reddy, DWMA project director P Yadubhushan Reddy and municipal commissioner Radha flagged off the yatra
The sobha yatra began at municipal office and culminated at Annie Besant Municipal High School
The officials have arranged a few buses to ferry visitors from Kadapa to Jammalamadugu mandal, where the magnificent fort is located