HANAMKONDA: Though the Union government has announced that it would take up rejuvenation of the precincts of the Padmakshi temple as part of its National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), the fact is that there is no development work taken up over the past few years.
This historical temple is located in the heart of the tri-cities but lags behind in terms of development. The sacred Padmakshi Gundam welcomes visitors with garbage, litter and discarded liquor bottles, indicating that it has become a spot for antisocial activities during the nights.
Speaking to Express, NGO Sulakshya Seva Samithi founder Danthosh Manduva said that the authorities concerned should beef up security and ensure the protection of the sanctity of such historical shrines. Padmakshi temple (1117 CE), originally called ‘Kadalalaya basadi’, is situated on top of the Padmakshi hillock in Hanamkonda. ‘Kadalalaya’ is the Kannada name for Goddess Ambika or Parvati.
Goddess Padmakshi, the presiding deity of the temple, is also believed to be the ‘Kakati’ or the tutelary deity of the Kakatiyas. Despite Warangal having many tourist attractions, it fails to tap such tourists. When contacted, Warangal Mayor Gundu Sudha Rani said that development works under the Smart City project are going on at the Padmakshi temple. She said that she would very soon inspect the temple and review the measures being taken to develop it as a tourism spot.