Bapatla: District Collector J Venkata Murali announced plans to highlight the ancient prominence of the Motupalli village, and to develop the area as a tourist destination. The Collector held a meeting with the officials and members of various organisations on the development of the Motupalli Village, construction of the Museum, and Veerabhadra Swamy Temple Development Committee at his chambers on Friday.

Speaking at the meeting, the Collector revealed that efforts are underway to translate Kakatiyaera inscriptions into Telugu, and the archaeological researchers and in-scription specialists have already begun this process. He said that the inscriptions are being carved onto stones in simple Telugu language to make their meaning accessible to the general public. He said that the initiative aims to showcase information about the ancient port, maritime trade and other historical details.

Murali discussed plans for temple development including allocation of 5.8 acres of land near the Kodandarama Temple. He instructed officials to report details of this land to the CCLA and clear any encroachments. Additionally, he said that authorities would examine 4.5 acres of vacant land opposite the storm shelter in Chinaganjam mandal and consider allocating 10.9 acres to the Kodandarama Swamy temple. He said that the officials are also review-ing approximately 100 acres of biodiversity land in the ar-ea.

The Collector emphasised the need to construct a museum in Chinaganjam to preserve Kakatiya and Chola-era inscriptions and alloy artifacts. He has directed officials to prepare a comprehensive report for the Archaeological Department regarding the museum construction.

Currently, he said that the ancient treasures from the re-gion were housed in museums in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Vijayawada, and he announced that steps will be taken to retrieve these artifacts and bring valuable idols from neighbouring States back to the region, including an ancient Buddha statue.

The meeting was attended by District Revenue Officer G Gangadhar Goud, Chirala RDO Chandrasekhar, Assistant Commissioner of Endowments Department Suryaprakash Rao, inscription researcher Dr B Ramesh Chandrababu, Forum for Better Bapatla president

Dr PC Saibaba and other

officials.