Telangana: Kakatiya kings lauded for sound irrigation

Hyderabad: The Kakatiya kings constructed a network of tanks for irrigation purposes and supply of drinking water and thereby gave a big boost to the overall development trajectory, said B Vinod Kumar, the Vice Chairman of Telangana State Planning Board.

"Our Chief Minister drew inspiration from this initiative and the first item on his agenda, after the formation of Government in 2014, was restoration of 46,000 water bodies and conceptualization and execution of mega irrigation and drinking water projects," said Vinod Kumar. He was releasing a book, 'Kakatiya Heritage,' at Dr Marri Channa Reddy HRD Institute. "These initiatives were greatly instrumental in irrigating lakhs of acres of land and supply of drinking water," he stated and added that the resources of MGNREGA were being utilised for the restoration of water channels for providing better irrigation facilities to villages, across the length and breadth of the State.

The book is based on papers presented at two national seminars on "Cultural Heritage of Kakatiyas" and "Irrigation Structures and Technological Marvels during Kakatiya Period."

M Gopalakrishna, Covenor of INTACH Chapters for Telangana State & AP, observed that the four large empires of South India, namely, Shatavahanas, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, and Vijayanagaram, were deeply committed to a sound system of irrigation for all-round development. B V Papa Rao, Trustee, Kakatiya Heritage Trust, pointed out that the Kakatiya monuments, especially small ones, were under the threat of degeneration due to vagaries of nature and underlined the need for their restoration. Dr M Pandu Raga Rao, Editor, 'Kakatiya Heritage,' said that the Kakatiya Kings followed the model of creating a network of tanks, construction of temples, and creating townships around them for their sustainable development.

B P Acharya, DG of the Institute, said the significant feature of welfarism guided the ruling elite during the Kakatiya period. On the occasion, a booklet, 'Telangana Success Stories-Janaganamana Telangana,' authored by Shyammohan, was also released. Dr Gautam Pingle, Dean of Studies, P Anuradha Reddy, Nagender Swamy and M Veda Kumar, office-bearers of INTACH also spoke. Dr Usha Rani of Centre for Telangana Studies of the Institute conducted proceedings of the function.

Pathal lake

Ramappalake