Youth-Led Clean-Up Revives Ancient Temple Pond in Kadapa’s Idamadaka Village:

Suspense crime, Digital Desk : In a commendable act of civic duty and heritage preservation, Pippalla Balanagireddy, a 30 year old adventure traveler from Gollapalli village, single handedly organized a clean up drive at Jalashiva Rama Temple pond (Koneru) in Idamadaka village, Kadapa district.

The pond was left neglected and vandalized in the sacred temple for years. On Sunday, the temple was transformed through the relentless efforts of 80 volunteers from Visakhapatnam, Kadapa, Mydukur, Proddatur, and other localities.

Social Media Call Sparks Community
Response

The drive started when Balanagireddy shared a video appealing to people to do something about the temple. In the video he further stated, “Let us stop waiting for people to clean it for us, let us clean it ourselves.”

These words were shared across social media and greatly encouraged residents to take part alongside aid from the Badi-Gudi group.

Five Hours of Restoration Work

The volunteers spent five hours of the drive cleaning the pond of plastic, liquor bottles, mud, and waste. The volunteers also scrubbed the idols of Lord Rama, Lord Shiva and Lord Chennakeshava and performed some traditional rituals to them by applying turmeric and vermillion.

Favorable discrepancies, alongside modern-day ‘issues’ of neglect, build onto the existing problems this cultural site suffers from. The ancient Jalashiva Rama Temple, believed to have been constructed in the 7th or 10th century, boasts striking architectural features. Those include intricate sculptural reliefs associated with the Ramayana, shrine artifacts depicting Samudra Manthan and the legend of Lord Rama’s marksmanship.

Preservation Boundaries Deteriorating Due to Abandonment

Achuth Balanagireddy surveyed the region and stated, "this sacred site suffered tremendous damage over the years. The ruins were hidden as it was located next to a frequently-used highway, suffering from vandalism, structural damage, odor, and in my eyes, neglect".

Balanagireddy urges strangers and outsiders to look closer at their own communities:

“It is our responsibility locals. We shouldn’t wait for strangers to come and protect our heritage for us. Villagers need to take it upon themselves to safeguard and preserve this place for future generations”.

An Inspiration For Conservation Programs Focused On Youth

It showcases a change led by the younger generation through self-driven social media activity focused on the region's sacred spaces that were previously forgotten. This was encouraged by the appearance of grassroots shifts where men and women from the region participated in communal conservation activities, leading to increased awareness.