VIJAYAWADA: The Polavaram project will bring under water significant archaeological sites and temples of great heritage value. A.P. Heritage officials and advisers have embarked on a mission to safeguard this wealth.
There are many Megalithic Dolmenoid cist burials dating from 300 years ago to the recent past. Over 50 burials are in good state of preservation on the left bank near Rayanipet and similarly 30 on the right bank near Rudramakota. They have evidence of the birth of early Andhra cultures in the lower Godavari hinterland.
There are around 20 medieval temples that face submersion threat and efforts are on to save at least four important ones by relocating them on a higher ground. These are in Vaddegudem on the left bank and Virivendi, Motigadda and Bapanna Gudem on the right bank. The remaining will be rehabilitated as far as possible in partnership with members of civil society.
Plans are also being drawn to protect highly endangered tangible and intangible heritage of the tribal people living in the area.
Emergency meetings
In keeping with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s keenness to salvage the maximum possible heritage assets, Director of Tourism and Heritage Himanshu Shukla has been convening a series of emergency meetings. Technical staff has been deployed to update documentation of the heritage assets, the existing one being over 12 years old.
“Updating of documentation and the action plan will be done on a war-footing and select excavations will form part of the preliminary phase,” said Mr. Shukla.
Amareswar Galla, International Heritage Adviser to the A.P. Government, providing critical guidance and capacity building for the Polavaram project, has emphasised that the project team must harness and use latest technologies and methods of salvage heritage management. “This project is a rare opportunity to modernise the department and develop human resource development strategies for Tourism and Heritage,” he said.
An updated heritage asset profile along with a detailed scoping document based on international standards in salvage heritage management will be submitted to the Chief Minister by January-end.
This documentation will include profile of all the sites and remains of archaeological and historical importance. It will also include places of significance to tribal people such as sacred groves and biodiversity habitats embedded with indigenous knowledge.
GIS profiles of the entire area from the Irrigation Department will be used to map the heritage assets by mid-February. The project is one of the first demonstrations in India of digital planning of salvage of significant heritage assets. Latest digital technologies will be used for 3D imaging of the remains of all the structures, especially temples, megaliths and sacred groves.
Mr. Shukla said documentary mapping of the project will be of the National Geographic standard and a series of short documentaries will be released over the next two years to share with the world progress on the project.
“A Polavaram Museum and Cultural Centre is also proposed; a state-of-the-art facility and heritage tourism destination with relevant digital technologies. The museum campus will include open air displays and gardens illustrating the bio-diversity of the submergible area.” says Professor Galla, who is also a former Vice President of the International Council of Museums, Paris.
