Hyderabad: Visitors who went to the historic Khajaguda rocks on Sunday, December 8, were left surprised after they were denied entry into the historic place. A photo shared by one of them shows that the security present at the gate locked the place. Others who Siasat.com also spoke to said that they were told entry was barred.
However, this is not the first time that something like this has happened, as the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple trust, which manages a large temple at the base of the monument, along with the management of the Fakhruddingutta dargah on the Khajaguda rocks have both restricted entry in the past. The site is under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Board (HMDA), but it has seldom taken action against both for such unauthorised actions.
Earlier, this year, two unauthorised sanctums were built at the Khajaguda rocks in March. The site has been facing severe threats of encroachments over the last few years, which include drilling and destruction of ancient rock structures by different parties. The Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple trust, in the past built two new gates enclosing the site without reportedly. However, the unauthorised constructions were demolished by the HMDA in March itself thanks to activists.
“In between they were closing the Khajaguda rocks for the public and we had to complain again to the authorities. The dargah and the temple guys have become friends, and they erected the gate. The HMDA started fencing the monument but they could not complete it as there were issues with the boundary. Both the religious sites want to restrict entry, and they say that people consume alcohol in the nights,” said an activist who has been fighting to protect the rock site.
HMDA was supposed take control of Khajaguda rocks
The Khajaguda rock site is an ancient site and important part of Hyderabad’s terrain. It was earlier a protected side and was in the state government’s list of protected sites. It cannot be altered, and any work there has to be done by seeking permission from the HMDA. The rock formations here reportedly date back to millions of years ago.
Fakhruddin Gutta, popularly known as Khajaguda Hills, is a protected heritage site in Hyderabad. It is immensely loved and visited by trekkers, rock climbers, walkers, and others. However, for more than a decade, the place has been witnessing destruction due to encroachment. The site with rocks dating to several million years is located in Nanakramguda in Hyderabad. It is just a 20-minute drive from the Amazon Hyderabad campus and the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Gachibowli. Khajaguda rocks also provide a green lung space amidst the hectic, concrete-filled IT corridor.
It is also the location of the Hyderabad Climbing Championship that is gaining recognition across the country. The rock formations at Khajaguda, dating to several million years, are unique in several ways. Several caves systems in Telangana are not formed by the movement of water, but by the gradual weathering and breaking away of granite in hillocks.
The activist, who did not want to be named, also told Siasat.com that the HMDA is supposed to make sure that all entry is not restricted by private parties. “The government appointed security does nothing but take money from visitors to let them in (in the nights). Hence the temple and dargah folks are using all these things as excuses to take over the Khajaguda rock site. Even the policemen who had come there were not allowed. All this happened a couple of months ago,” he added.
