Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday laid the foundation stones for the reconstruction and development of ancient temples of Lord Shiva at Manchirevula on the outskirts of Hyderabad and vowed to transform the region into “Dakshin Kasi.”
The temple redevelopment is being taken up within the Veerabhadra Swamy temple complex located along the Musi riverbank in the Gandipet–Manchirevula area. The complex contains 1400-year-old temples of Machileshwara Swamy, Omkareshwara Swamy and associated Shiva temples in an area spanning 8 acres.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the ancient temple cluster, would be redeveloped at an estimated cost of ₹700 crore, under the Musi riverfront development project, as part of a larger effort to preserve Telangana’s civilisational and spiritual heritage while simultaneously rejuvenating the Musi River ecosystem.
“Hyderabad city is a platform for religious harmony. To restore 1,400 years of history, our government has undertaken this programme with the blessings of Lord Shiva,” said the chief minister.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to the Musi riverfront development project, Revanth Reddy said several governments in the past had attempted to revive the Musi but failed for various reasons. He said his government considered it a matter of responsibility and “good fortune” to have received the opportunity to undertake the long-pending project.
“Civilisation flourished on river basins, while trade and economic development took place on sea coasts. Telangana is the only landlocked state in the country. Our objective is to revive the Musi and Esa rivers, which have been reduced to polluted channels because of human error,” he said.
He also announced that, as part of the broader development in the Musi catchment area, the government also planned to construct a mosque near Charminar and a church at Nagole.
