GUNTUR: The 150-ft deep well cut in sheetrock near Amaravathi needs preservation as it can be developed as a tourist attraction in the district. Representatives of the Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCVA), as part of the ‘Preserve Heritage for Posterity’ campaign, inspected the well located at Malladi village in
Amaravathi mandal on Saturday.
Explaining the uniqueness of the well in many a way, they said the well measuring 40 feet in length and 25 feet in width with a stepped pathway of 8 feet wide is said to have been built by one Ramaiah, a landlord of Battina (neni) family of Malladi, a village situated on the right bank of the Krishna river. Hence, the well is called Battinavari Baavi.
According to the date incised on the right side wall of the stepped well at the entrance, it was dug and encased with granite stone in 1863 AD when there was acute shortage of water in spite of the fact that the perennial Krishna river is flowing at a distance of 3 km from the village. The well built on the plan of a ‘Key’ reflects the engineering skills of the people one and a half centuries ago.
Malladi village has drinking water scheme now. People are not dependent on the well for their water needs. The villagers appealed to the government to declare the well a protected monument for its uniqueness and develop it as a tourist spot. The well can also be made an attraction for tourists visiting Amaravathi, a temple town and a famous Buddhist site, by providing minimum amenities such as motorable road and signage with all its historical significance, the villagers said.
The Cultural Centre representatives also urged the Guntur district administration to develop the well as a tourist spot.