Kondapalli Fort to be developed akin to Golconda Fort

The fort was built in 1360 and is a treat for adventurists

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to develop the historical Kondapalli fort even better and greater than the Golconda fort of Hyderabad. With the capital coming up around Vijayawada and the proposal to construct a bridge near Ibrahimpatnam across River Krishna, the government wants to develop this fort and make it one of the major tourist spots of the capital region.

The Andhra Pradesh Archeological Department has already started sprucing up the fort and has repaired several portions of the fort including the walls and roads at a cost of Rs 56 lakh. The officials have re-laid the internal roads, completed the patch works to the damaged walls of the structures in the last two years. The remodelling work is nearing completion on the prison, prince’s hall and the elephant stable besides the dance hall.

Built in 1360 by the Reddy kings of Kondaveedu, the fort changed hands from Reddy kings to the Gajapathis of Odisha, then to Sri Krishnadevaraya of Vizianagaram and later to the Muslim rulers of the Qutubshahi dynasty, before being handed over to the British in the 16th century. The fort was constructed on the central hill which is surrounded by several other hills which ranges over 25 kilometres. Interestingly, the other hills have separate towers from which the armed forces used to keep an eye on the fort and ensure safety of the king inside.

The special attraction for the visitors now is the Princess Pond where the wives of successive kings used to bathe. The hill has a water pond, which has now dried up and is occupied by huge trees. It is said that this pond located on the top of the hill used to have water all through the year and water used to be too cold for anyone to step in.

The fort houses both a royal prison and an ordinary prison which remain intact but need some renovation. The market place where vendors used to sell vegetables and other provisions both for the king’s kitchen, the armed forces, the servants and the professional dancers needs to be renovated. Interestingly, this has become an important place now for the tourists who have their lunch.

The fort gives an opportunity for the visitors to have a picturesque look of Kondapalli village and its surroundings. The fort now has one road from Ibrahimpatnam through which one can drive a two wheeler and a four wheeler straight to the top. The pathway begins at Kondapalli which is damaged and needs to be restored for the adventurous tourists, who love trekking.