The long-cherished dream of introducing sound and light shows at the Elgandal fort on the outskirts of Karimnagar town is set to be realised on January 25, the day of its inauguration.
In order to encourage tourism at the historical fort, the then Congress government had proposed to introduce the shows similar to that of the Golkonda fort in 2014 at a cost of ₹4.61 crore. The then Union Tourism Minister, K. Chiranjeevi, along with State Ministers D. Sridhar Babu and C. Ramachandraiah, laid the foundation stone for the project in February, 2014.
Due to delay in allocation of funds, the work progressed at snail’s pace. The authorities could only provide basic infrastructure such as internal roads, toilets, visitors’ gallery, shops, benches, and street lights. Eminent historian Jaishetty Ramanaiah was entrusted the job of writing the script of the history of the fort to be narrated during the shows.
Official sources said the 45-minute sound and light show would captivate visitors after its inauguration. The officials were planning to conduct one show daily after 6.30 p.m. at a fixed price of ₹50 per adult and ₹25 for children.
The Elgandal fort is located on the picturesque shores of river Manair, about 10 kilometres from Karimnagar town. Originally known as Veligundula, Elgandal was a hill fort built during the Kakatiya dynasty (1083-1323 AD) and served as a stronghold for the warrior kings Musunuri Nayaks and Recharla Padmanayaka.
The Qutb Shahi dynasty occupied the fort in the 16th century. It was under the control of Qutb Shahis, Mughals, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. The fort was surrounded by crocodile-filled moat of around five metres width and four mt. depth to prevent intrusion of enemies.
The fort is believed to have a secret tunnel that connects to Manakondur village.
