Explore the Untouched Beauty of Kanakagiri: Telangana’s Hidden Eco-Tourism Gem

On a forest trail, imagine catching a fleck of yellow or a spot of blue in the midst of dense foliage. In an ancient landscape, the chattering of birds sounds like music to the ears. At some distance away, the Puligundam waterfall cascading down makes a divine rhythm. The tale goes that once an old tiger accidentally fell in the water here and died.

Welcome to Kanakagiri, a reserve forest in Khammam district of Telangana, surrounded by hills and steeped in lore. A trail inside this paradise spread over almost 30,000 hectares ensures the chance sighting of a leopard or the viewing of the diminutive blue-eared kingfisher.

Realising the natural attractions of this place, Khammam divisional forest officer Siddharth Vikram Singh set about to work. The aim was to start eco-tourism. In this, he received assistance from district collector Muzammil Khan.  

Over a phone call, the collector explained in detail his vision of turning around the place for tourists. “By developing eco-tourism in Kanakagiri, the district administration has ensured an intimate emotional bond with a forest site which many travellers look towards these days. This will put Khammam on the tourism map.”

The plan sounds grand, but things were not always smooth. Khan pointed out that during the past decade, considerable encroachment had occurred on the forest land. In the past few years, efforts were also made to reclaim it. This was not easy, given the demand for land mainly to carry out farming. Currently, nearly 350 acres (141.64 hectares) of land is under encroachment in Kanakagiri. About 942 acres (381.2 hecatres) have been recognised under the Forest Rights Act.

As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, Telangana’s forest cover is 24.69 per cent of its geographical area.

Today, efforts to start tourism amidst nature have paid off. An urban park started at Velugumatla is attracting city dwellers, especially those who want to enjoy an undisturbed morning walk close to nature. At the same time, the Puligundala eco-tourism site in the Kanakagiri forest is nearing completion. 

While Velugumatla offers respite to the urban crowd, the Puligundala project is a haven for bird watchers, adventurers and wildlife enthusiasts. Its advantage is that it lies close to Hyderabad, the state capital of Telangana, and Vijayawada, a major city in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

A forest escape

Over a phone call, Azam Ali, a beat officer from the Tallada range of the Khamman forest division, described the beauty of Kanakagiri. The prime attraction is the Puligundala water body. According to Ali, at one point of time water flowed down from the hills during the monsoon and collected here. Later, the tank spread over approximately 45 acres (18.2 hectares) was made. The spot attracts birds and is an ideal boating spot.

For those who love to spot trees, the flora in Kanakagiri is diverse. The forest is full of bamboo. A forest department depot near Julurupadu village is the place where bamboo, often referred to as ‘green gold’ because of its versatility, is auctioned.

Apart from its flora and fauna, Kanakagiri is a great place for history buffs. “The hills all around contain relics from the Kakatiya dynasty. The major attractions are a fort and an ancient temple which goes by the name of Veerabhadraswamy. An annual fair is organised on the occasion of Shivratri at the temple,” Ali said. The Kakatiya-era ruins date back to the time of ruler Prataparudra.