The historic fort built by the great freedom fighter Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud in the 17th Century at Qila Shahpur village in Jangaon district is being renovated at an estimated cost of ₹1.26 crore to revive its past glory and treasure its heritage for posterity, said Minister for Tourism, Excise, Culture and Archaeology V. Srinivas Goud.
Speaking to the media after visiting the fort in Qila Shahpur on Wednesday, the Minister said some British historians studied the life history of the valiant fighter and preserved his photograph in Cambridge University.
Noted literary personality and academician Pervaram Jagannadham helped install the photograph of Sardar Sarvai Papanna here, he added.
Extolling Sarvai Papanna as a valiant Bahujan leader, the Minister said the historic fort built by Papanna suffered a crack and a portion of it collapsed due to heavy rains last year.
The renovation work on the historic fort is progressing at a brisk pace and efforts are on to revive its past glory, he noted.
He said the birth anniversary of Sardar Sarvai Papanna is being celebrated every year at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad on a grand scale as per the directions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
He asked the district authorities to allot house sites and construct double bedroom houses for the local dwellers, whose houses got damaged in the rain last year.
