Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the reconstruction and development of ancient temples of Lord Shiva at Manchirivula on the outskirts of Hyderabad and pledged to transform the area into ‘Dakshin Kasi’.
The temple is being redeveloped within the Veerabhadra Swamy temple complex located along the bank of Musi river in Gandipet-Manchirevula district. The complex contains the 1,400-year-old temples of Machileshwara Swamy and Omkareshwara Swamy and associated Shiva temples in an area spread over 8 acres.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the ancient temple complex will be redeveloped at an estimated cost $700 crore, under the Musi River Front Development Project, as part of a larger effort to preserve Telangana’s cultural and spiritual heritage while simultaneously rejuvenating the Musi River ecosystem.
“Hyderabad is a platform for religious harmony. In order to restore 1,400 years of history, our government has implemented this program with the blessings of Lord Shiva,” the Prime Minister said.
Emphasizing his government’s commitment to the Musi Riverfront Development Project, Revanth Reddy said that several governments in the past had tried to revive the Musi project but had failed for various reasons. He said his government considered it a matter of responsibility and “good luck” to get the opportunity to undertake the long-awaited project.
“Civilization flourished on the river basins, while trade and economic development took place on the maritime coasts. Telangana is the only landlocked state in the country. Our goal is to revive the Musi and Isa rivers, which have turned into polluted canals due to human error,” he said.
He also announced that as part of the broader development in the Musi catchment area, the government also planned to build a mosque near the Charminar and a church in Nagoli.
