VISAKHAPATNAM/VIZIANAGARAM: Kicking up a controversy, the Vizianagaram civic body on Friday night dismantled ‘Three Lanterns Pillar’, a popular landmark in the town, drawing criticism from various quarters, including TDP and other opposition parties. While former Union minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the demolition hurt sentiments of people, MANSAS Trust chairperson Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju observed that it was not correct to politicise the issue as the pillar was only removed as part of the restoration works.
Historical Three Lanterns Pillar razed
Kicking up a controversy, Vizianagaram civic body on Friday night dismantled ‘Three Lanterns Pillar’, a popular landmark in the town, drawing criticism from various quarters, including TDP and other opposition parties. While former Union minister and scion of royal family P Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the demolition was unethical and hurt sentiments of the locals, MANSAS Trust chairperson Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju observed that it was not correct to politicise the issue as the pillar was not demolished, but removed as part of the restoration works.
The TDP cried foul saying it was an effort to erase the contribution of former Union minister and party leader Ashok to the region. The pillar, constructed by the Pusapati dynasty, had on its top an emblem with three lions on each side and Ashoka Chakra; it was set up at the junction of three major roads about 290 years ago. According to locals, lanterns used to be lit up on the three sides of the pillar to give directions to bullock carts in the night in those days.
Though the lanterns were not used with the advent of street lights, the Three Lanterns Pillar had become a landmark in the town. Legendary writer and dramatist Gurajada Apparao, a native of Vizianagaram, used to sit under the lighting of three lanterns daily and even Harikatha Pitamaha Adibhatla Narayana Dasu gave several performances at the pillar. Ashok said the pillar was not just a cultural emblem but it has a historical link with the pre-Independence era. The pillar was demolished during lockdown curfew, he said and added that they would fight against the action of the civic authorities in a court of law. He appealed to the people of the Fort City to raise their voice against the demolition of the structure.
In a sharp reaction, Sanchaita said the pillar was not destroyed and it would be restored as part of the beautification of the junction. “It is very sad that people who razed down Moti Mahal, a historical building, with bulldozers, are now speaking about the protection of a heritage structure,” she told TNIE and added that the rubble of Moti Mahal is still there as a testimony. She said orders were issued for demolition of Moti Mahal, a symbol of the family legacy, by the MANSAS Trust when her uncle Ashok was at the helm of affairs. “Unlike them, we are not destroying the heritage structure but restoring it to preserve the posterity. Let people decide who is wrong,” she added.
Sanchaita said at her first meeting of the MANSAS Trust, she decided to develop heritage structure Rani Mahal in the fort as a museum. Vizianagaram Municipal Commissioner SS Varma said as the Three Lanterns Pillar was in a dilapidated condition, they decided to construct a new pillar without changing its basic structure. “We decided to beautify several junctions in the town, including the Three Lanterns Junction. The pillar along with the emblem will be reinstalled in the same place where it existed. It will be given a facelift with `5 lakh,” he said, clarifying that there was no political pressure on them in this regard.
Meanwhile, activists of the BJP and the Left parties, and the locals staged a protest at the junction on Saturday against the demolition of the structure. They described the demolition as a historical blunder committed by the civic authorities. Condemning the demolition of the pillar, TDP chief and Opposition Leader N Chandrababu Naidu tweeted, “Shocked to see @ysjagan demolish the historic ‘Three Lanterns Pillar’ in the heart of Vizianagaram. This is one of the many deliberate efforts to erase the contributions of Sri @Ashok_Gajapathi’s family to the region. Petty politics must never take precedence over history!”