Lightning damages Raja Mahal in Chandragiri fort

Archaeology officials swing into action to repair the damage

Nature’s fury: A part of the debris that fell to the ground from the damaged tower.

The historic Chandragiri fort, situated on the outskirts of Tirupati, suffered partial damage from a lightning strike, owing to the havoc created by a brief thunderstorm, on Friday evening.

The fort's upper portion i.e., the pyramid tower of “Raja Mahal”, reportedly sustained large cracks with several pieces of stucco crumbling to the ground. The damage, quite evident from the exterior of the structure, was also found inside the tower's ceiling, travelling all the way to its base.

Speaking to

The Hindu , an archaeology official, on the condition of anonymity, said they are investigating the cause of the incident and have taken up restoration works to cover the damage to the fort. He said they would install lighting conductors/ arresters to prevent such incidents in the future.

However, local people argue that the officials have been lackadaisical towards the conservation measures of the fort, including setting up lightning conductors as a part of the safety protocols. “Instead of acting now, preventive measures could have been initiated, on the existing lapses at the fort, long before the occurrence of the incident. It has also been learnt that proposals to set up lightning conductors have been pending for a long time and timely action could have prevented the quantum of damage caused,” they opined.

Tourism plans

On the other hand, the Tourism Department, in a bid to revive the tourism potential of the place, had charted out plans to develop amenities and attract visitors, especially the devotees who visit the hill shrine at Tirumala.

While initial steps to develop the amenities at Chandragiri fort via central funding remained a non-starter, the Tourism Department have submitted proposals to the authorities concerned, seeking their permission for commencing development such as modernisation of trekking steps (to the upper part of the fort), cafeteria, Durbar hall, restaurant etc., to name a few. Nonetheless, few officials remarked that the archaeology department, reportedly, will be taking up the development activities at the fort and improve the amenities for the visitors.