Mar 27, 2008 10:03 PM
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It is the largest masonry dam in the world. It has 9 gates for irrigation, 11 for power, and 26 gates for the reservoir. (the number of gates info was provided by our parisal man…………parisal is a coracle boat) .It is about 150 kms and takes just over 2 hours to reach this place from Hyderabad.
We left home at about 6 am . We were staying at the jubilee hills, so the route map is from here.Cross the Punjagutta circle, Secunderabad and take the straight road to Uppal cross roads. Cross the Kamineni hospital which is on the ring road and if u have a doubt ask for the road to Srisailam. From the ring road u have to take a left turn so watch out . Once u have taken the left turn its one straight road.The road from the ring road is flat and the drive is pleasurable. You will pass through mustard farms and sunflower fields , it also depends on the season of these crops.
As u come closer to Nagarjuna sagar you will find the Krishna river to your left, and if u have time u may take a detour and go to the river.. after this is the small hillock that u will have to cross the distance being about 2 kms.Once you reach up, it seems as a sleepy town with very little population!!!!
For all lovers of some activity on a holiday… this place is a complete no-no. Other than the coracle ride there is no activity. Children will hate this place because u cannot allow them to play in the hot sun. Try to come when the gates of the dam are open. Theres nothing much to do here… and we love holidays where there is nothing much to do.
WHERE TO STAY:
The best place for accommodation is available at APTDC’s Vijay Vihar Complex (Tel 08680-277362 / 277363) near the boat jetty at Vijaypuram.It is always hot here I guess as there is little vegetation around this place…we were out in summers so obviously it was burning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But the room offers a great view of the Nagarjuna sagar lake.
Imagine sitting in your cozy, temperature controlled room and watching the blue water glisten in the (harsh) sunlight with a book which u wanted to read from ages!!!!!!!!!!!!. I picked up a stack of new books and magazines and then I augmented my reading list with some others, which I d soon go and buy for my next break!!!!!!!! While having a glimpse of the water body far away………………
My husband was peacefully watching the cricket match… with no one to disturb!!!!!!!!!!! And that was a happy sight!!!! Time passed at its own pace and we were loving it. At about 4 pm we left to see the dam and the Ethipothala waterfall. We were not tired at all and felt all rejuvenated. In the evening we went down to the lake and sat there for few hours. Guys keep a mosquito repellent cream to spend some the quiet moments. After dinner Mukesh (my husband) and I got together for a marathon session of cards. ……. We had no clue what time we slept……as if we cared???????
IMPORTANT
· This place if full on weekends so book in advance from Hyderabad at the APTDC counter. U can check the current tariff at this website: https://tourisminap.com/nagarjunasagardivision.htm
· It was really hot when we visited, so whenever you go, make sure you do not wear anything thicker than cotton!!
· Keep a mosquito repellent cream, u will need it when staying out late in the evening.
· The rooms are clean and the service is just average , but this looked like the best option for stay here .There are others which I wouldn’t want to waste time writing about.
· The food is best here (north indian is satisfactory) and I suggest one to stick to the southindian fare. Its unfare to ask a cook at the punjabi dhabha to cook dosa for you and the reverse is also applicable.
PLACES TO VISIT
About 10 kms from Nagarjuna Sagar you can see the ’’Ethipothala’’ Water Falls on the Chadravanka River, a tributary of the Krishna………... The tourism department have crated a viewing point but instead of listening to the gushing water, you will hear very very loud cheap film music on the lawns which oversee the Ethipothala. ……and they call it landscaping????????? But you can marvel at the shimmering water as it cascades down 70 feet into a lagoon. Also do visit A.P Tourism Souvenir Shop Gnapika at Ethipothala where you can get great gifts & mementos crafted by artisans of Andhra Pradesh. But these are also available in Hyderabad so its nothing that u ll miss!!!!!!!!!! There’s a crocodile-breeding center but we were not really interested. There is a buddhist monastery and a museum on an island near the dam. Anupa
A short distance away at Anupa, the Buddhist University and Stadium, which were excavated at Nagarjunasagar, have been reconstructed. The stadium boasts of the most amazing acoustics that are truly remarkable considering the time and age when it was built. A place that qualifies as a 'must-see' for everybody, interested in history, culture and architecture. One may also visit the famous temple town of Srisailam and the wildlife sanctuary there , which is about 1 ½ hour of drive from here.…….. we decided to go there some other time as we had promised Mom and Dad (my inlaws) a visit there…… when they come to Hyderabad .And any way just the weekend before we had gone to Warangal and seen so many temples on the way and in the city that we were still basking in the blessings earned. You can club Srisailam with Nagarjunasagar dam visit but I guess it would a packed weekend!!!!
……….We both are happy to be staying busy, but we both needed a break from our schedule. My husband needed a time off from his travel for work, with no Internet access. No cooking for me, easy laundry options and time together itself was welcome. It was a much-needed breather from the normal routine.
All things come to an end and so did our lazy, carefree weekend…. It is said and I strongly believe……… that taking time off and to just not think anything allows one to think 200000000000000 times faster. ………But ……………………….Too much thinking can be just as bad as not enough, after all…ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!
