Undavalli Caves

Gunadala Mary Matha Church

Mother Mary is said to have appeared on this hill as on 11 Feb, 1858. In 1925, the Rector of St. Joseph's Orphanage at Gunadala installed a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and in 1971 a church was built there.

The holy mass marking the conclusion of the three-day festival  was celebrated by Bishop Telagathoti Joseph Rajarao of Vijayawadaand concelebrated by Bishop Govinda Joji of Nalgonda, former Bishop of Kurnool Mathew Cheriankunnel, Gunadala shrine rector Fr. M Chinnappa, Chancellor Fr. J. John Raj and several other priests.

Gandhi Hill,

Gandhi Hill, which has been neglected over the years, might get an aesthetic look soon, with Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao promising to revive its past glory.

He made this assurance while participating in the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations organised atop the hill here on Friday by the Gandhi Hill Foundation.

“We will invite Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to visit the historic place to take stock of the amenities required at the hill,” he said. He also advised teachers to take necessary steps to propagate the ideology of Gandhi among students.

The first Gandhi Memorial with seven Stupas in the country was constructed on this hill at a height of 500 ft. The project was unveiled by then President Zakir Hussain on October 6 in 1968.

Regardless of its great significance that is reflected in the Gandhi Memorial library, it remained neglected. The planetarium, a toy train atop the hill and some other facilities remain the objects of neglect. Gandhi Hill Foundation Chairman and MP Gokaraju Gangaraju deplored the apathetic attitude of successive governments to the development of the historic place.

Students, who took part in the programme, wanted officials to conduct similar events regularly to spread Gandhian principles. Krishna District Collector Babu A. said a survey would be conducted from October 9 to 31 to identify houses and areas that lacked personal toilets and make them open defecation-free.

Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas, Joint Collector G. Chandrudu and other senior officials attended. Meanwhile, M. J. Naidu Super Specialty Hospital organised 3K run from BRTS Road to Meesala Rajeswara Rao Bridge in connection with its anniversary coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti celebrations.

Bhavani Island

The State government is contemplating introducing floating restaurants and cottages as part of tourist attractions at the Bhavani Island in Vijayawada.

The government is also proposing to develop a fountain and multimedia show on the banks of the Island to act as a catalyst to increase the tourist footfall.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has asked the officials to explore the possibilities of setting up the floating restaurant and cottages.

He also wanted them to study the experiences in other States.

Mr. Naidu called for a review meeting on tourism with officials at the Secretariat near here on Tuesday.

The officials told him that plans were being prepared to set up musical fountain with provision for water screen of suitable size for the purpose of displaying laser and high lumens projections on water screen.

The proposed fountain would be 75 metre wide and 25 metre tall with world class features on the lines of Bellagio fountain at Las Vegas and the Burj Khalifa Lake fountain in Dubai. The laser show content would be highlighting themes relevant to Andhra Pradesh culture, they said.

Grandiose plans

Mr. Naidu said the government had grandiose plans to develop the tourism industry in the State in a big way. Floating restaurants and cottages were a step in that direction. The government also has plans to conduct water sports in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry. The officials should prepare proposals for the water sports to attract the tourists, he said.

The State should offer a unique experience to the tourists who visit the capital. The objective of tourism development was to give visitors an authentic, high-quality experience that they remember for a long time. The sector would not make rapid strides unless there were new and innovative attractions.

The government objective was to stand in the first three places in the country as far as the tourism sector was concerned, he said.

The government set a target of reaching the 12th position by 2020 in attracting the foreign tourists. AP should be in the first three slots by 2029. It should be in the first position in attracting domestic tourists by 2029. The State witnessed 3.24 lakh foreign tourists’ footfall up to March 2017. As many as 15.80 crore domestic tourists visited the State up to March 2017, he said. Mr. Naidu said the government intended to impart training to 2,370 cab drivers and guides and hotel operators

Prakasam Barrage

Machilipatnam-based Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University Professor K.S. Krishna Prasad has unearthed a rare photo album of ‘Bhumi Puja of Prakasam Barrage Project’. The album was found from the personal archives of his grandfather Kattoji Satyachari, an Executive Engineer served in the Prakasam Barrage works.

“We were told that my grandfather had an opportunity to perform Bhumi Puja of the Prakasam Barrage works on March 1, 1954. It was believed that then Chief Minister Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, who was scheduled to perform puja was then absent on the site”, Mr. Krishna Prasad claimed. “Mr. Satyachari was one of the senior officials present on the site on the auspicious time fixed to perform Bhumi Puja,” he added displaying the photo album.

Among the 12 yellowed photos by time, a photograph in which Mr. Satyachari was seen performing Bhumi Puja along with a priest is a rare photo own by the professor’s family till date. Mr. Satyachari had served as an Executive Engineer in the Prakasam Barrage works between June 18, 1953 and January 10, 1955, according to incumbency chart displayed at Krishna River Conservator’s office, Vijayawada. According to the family members of the engineer, he also worked in Dowleswaram Project as an Engineer.

Speaking to The Hindu, officials, including Krishna River Conservator, Prakasam Barrage Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent Engineer of Irrigation Department, have confirmed that they do not have the collection of photos of ‘Bhumi Puja of Prakasam Barrage’ with them. However, office of the Prakasam Barrage Superintendent has a few pictures of barrage construction works. “We are willing to share the album with the government officials concerned for preservation and to collect more information about the historical event. We are proud to own the memorabilia of my grandfather,” said Mr. Krishna Prasad.