Portion of Qila Shahpur collapses

The Qila belonged to legend Sardar Sarvai Paparayudu, who resisted the Mughals

The rains which pounded the State claimed its first casualty in the form of its heritage on Thursday morning. A large portion of Qila Shahpur in Jangaon district cracked and collapsed.

The Qila belonged to local legend Sardar Sarvai Paparayudu, a leader who lived in the early 18th century, who according to historian Bhangya Bhukya, Head of the Department of History, University of Hyderabad, was celebrated for his resistance to the Mughals after the decline of the Qutb Shahi dynasty.

Jangaon police and district administration confirmed the development to

The Hindu . “The incident took place around 7.30 a.m. There are no casualties,” police said.

The district administration said that the debris from the fort came crashing down on three houses. Locals were shifted to safe places. A video clip of the collapse was captured on camera and shared widely on social media.

Department of Heritage Telangana was apprised of the situation.

A senior department official Narayana B. told

The Hindu , “I am going to Jangaon now and will be able to tell the exact situation once I reach.”

In the recent past, the department had taken up conservation work at the fort and a CR wall was constructed. A ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of this conservation work is available on the website.

Tracing Sarvai Paparayudu’s history, Prof. Bhukya explained, “He was a local chief and bandit who resisted Mughul expansion in Telangana. He formed a bond with locals in Bhongir - Warangal to do this.”