Restoring heritage through temple care in Andhra Pradesh

Guvvalakunta village awakens to volunteers cleaning ancient stepwell, preserving heritage through community initiative in Nandyal district.

Guvvalakunta, a sleepy village with a population of over 4,000 in the Nandyal district, woke up to a buzz on the morning of December 15, 2024, when over 100 people clad in traditional attire entered and unassumingly began cleaning its centuries-old stepwell.

Located 60 km away from the district headquarters, the journey to the village is nearly two hours long, and one has to drive through the dense Nallamala forest ranges of the Atmakur division

Not many in Guvvalakunta, especially the youth, knew about the historical significance of the dilapidated stepwell in their village or were aware of the treasure trove of art and heritage it quietly safeguarded over the years.

The volunteers of the ‘Mana Ooru - Mana Gudi - Mana Badhyatha’ (Our Village - Our Temple - Our Responsibility) community initiative became aware of the neglected stepwell when a history enthusiast’s social media post about it received a response from Minister Nara Lokesh.

“It’s our collective responsibility to safeguard our cultural legacy and historical treasures. We’re committed to restoring this magnificent well to its former glory and ensuring its preservation for future generations,’’ Lokesh said.

“When our team visited the village, the stepwell was in a poor condition. Garbage, empty liquor bottles and plastic waste were discarded there. We understood that it was not an easy task to clean it,’’ Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Nandyal chapter convenor M.V. Shivakumar Reddy recalls.

Shivakumar, the Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories by profession, is the brain behind the community initiative, which has made its mission to restore and revive old and neglected temples in the State since its inception on May 12, 2022.