Hyderabad: The word Nallamala has almost been synonymous with the Chenchus and the tigers, who have been living in harmony deep inside the forest for ages. Danger lurks for this umbilical connection as the forest department is trying to open the Amrabad Tiger Reserve for ‘eco-tourism’. Ever since the annual Chenchu jatharas (festivals) at Saileshwaram and Bourapur started witnessing a massive influx of devotees in recent years, the administrative administration has been doing very little to prevent the exploitation of the tourism potential of the temples in the deep forest.
During the BRS government, an ecotourism initiative was introduced, where cottages were built at Mannanur for tourists. Under the package, tourists are being ferried in and out of the core forest area. Now, the forest department is planning to tap the tourism potential of Saileshwaram (pronounced Saleshwaram locally), the gigantic cave, which is Lingamaiah’s (Lord Shiva) abode.
There is a 6 km treacherous trek from Rampur Chenchu penta, the nearest hamlet to reach Saileshwaram. The temple is a nature wonder preserved for ages. Every year, during the Sri Rama Navami festival, the forest is open for devotees who come from various states.
The annual jathara hosted by Chenchus is held between three to five days, depending on the forest department’s permission. The forest department wants to open the temple for tourists for nine months a year, barring the mating season of wild animals. One of the reason.