End of summer, Ghumakkad resumes the joy of exploration.
A close getaway from Hyderabad with just an overnight stay. Destination- Nagarjunasagar 175 kms away, a cool 3 hours drive.
The route we took by road.
Who were the co-travellers with Ghumakkad?
Did you know that 'Mall' is the name of a village in Chintapally mandal of Nalgonda district-- even before Malls came up for shopping and entertainment? See the picture below where we halted for breakfast.
The real pleasure of cross country driving in India comes from the agricultural fields all over.
With two breaks in between, we reached Nagarjunasagar after four hours. We had booked our accommodation on-line in Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation's Haritha resort at Vijay Vihar. Deluxe AC room on weekends costs Rs 3400/- including all taxes. B/F is complimentary. Other veg meals in the region of Rs 175/- per head. Pictures:
Here is a short video showing the Buddha Park in Vijay Vihar resort.
The view from Vijay Vihar resort is simply breathtaking. Even though the water level was 80 feet lower than the full tank level (FTL) of 590 feet, the reservoir looked enormous.
Here is a short 40 second video view of the reservoir from Vijay Vihar resort.
Nagarjunasagar is a dam on river Krishna. Some interesting facts about the dam:
A close getaway from Hyderabad with just an overnight stay. Destination- Nagarjunasagar 175 kms away, a cool 3 hours drive.
Who were the co-travellers with Ghumakkad?
With two breaks in between, we reached Nagarjunasagar after four hours. We had booked our accommodation on-line in Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation's Haritha resort at Vijay Vihar. Deluxe AC room on weekends costs Rs 3400/- including all taxes. B/F is complimentary. Other veg meals in the region of Rs 175/- per head. Pictures:
The view from Vijay Vihar resort is simply breathtaking. Even though the water level was 80 feet lower than the full tank level (FTL) of 590 feet, the reservoir looked enormous.
Nagarjunasagar is a dam on river Krishna. Some interesting facts about the dam:
· . Khosla Committee to decide on dam site, refused to
visit as there was no motorable road
· Local ruler at his own cost and with volunteer villagers from 25 villages help built a road in one week
· It took 12 years to construct the dam: 1955-67.
· 150 meters tall and 1.6 kms wide, it is the tallest masonry dam in the world. 5 km total length.
· 26 crest gates each 13 meters (W) x 14 meters (H)
· Cost 104 lakh rupees (1955 prices) out of which the Raja gave 50% along with several thousand acres of ancestral land
· Originally an irrigation-cum-hydropower project
· Later 200km long water supply scheme to Hyderabad city implemented which lifts the water 1600 ft
· Boundary between Telangana (Nalgonda district) and Andhra Pradesh (Guntur district) passes through the dam.
Here are a few pictures depicting various stages of the construction of the dam. These are displayed in Vijay Vihar reception lobby.
The Dam as it looks now downstream.
There have been many issues concerning the environmental impact of the project. Readers may browse Wikipedia for a summary.
On Day-1 as we drove past the dam, the setting sun cast a different picture.
Ancient Buddhist sites were located and excavated in 1923 near Vijay Nagar East. Artefacts were thereafter dug up and shifted to Nagarjunakonda- an island now in Nagarjunasagar reservoir. Few pieces dating back to 3rd century AD were relocated to nearby village Anupu. Ghumakkad will take you to Nagarjunakonda in the next story. Preview shot:
Thanks for browsing.
-Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 26th June 2017
· Local ruler at his own cost and with volunteer villagers from 25 villages help built a road in one week
· It took 12 years to construct the dam: 1955-67.
· 150 meters tall and 1.6 kms wide, it is the tallest masonry dam in the world. 5 km total length.
· 26 crest gates each 13 meters (W) x 14 meters (H)
· Cost 104 lakh rupees (1955 prices) out of which the Raja gave 50% along with several thousand acres of ancestral land
· Originally an irrigation-cum-hydropower project
· Later 200km long water supply scheme to Hyderabad city implemented which lifts the water 1600 ft
· Boundary between Telangana (Nalgonda district) and Andhra Pradesh (Guntur district) passes through the dam.
Here are a few pictures depicting various stages of the construction of the dam. These are displayed in Vijay Vihar reception lobby.
On Day-1 as we drove past the dam, the setting sun cast a different picture.
Ancient Buddhist sites were located and excavated in 1923 near Vijay Nagar East. Artefacts were thereafter dug up and shifted to Nagarjunakonda- an island now in Nagarjunasagar reservoir. Few pieces dating back to 3rd century AD were relocated to nearby village Anupu. Ghumakkad will take you to Nagarjunakonda in the next story. Preview shot:
Thanks for browsing.
-Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 26th June 2017
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