2019 had an extended rainy season in Telangana, even if it didn’t rain heavily, for days on, we had cloudy weather, the kind of beautiful weather that will want you to go one a long drive. On one such day in September, after winding up some work in the morning, we headed on the Sangareddy road, there was no plan in mind, just a long drive.

Singur Dam

Our ride took us to Sangareddy town, we were quite surprised to see how much the town has developed over the years. Way back in 2001, when this writer had newly moved to Hyderabad, one of the first work assignments was at the District Industrial Centre, Sangareddy, we couldn’t find a place to even have lunch or use a washroom. Today, you will find restaurants at every corner, shopping malls and so on. On the flipside, there used to acres of vineyards enroute to Sangareddy, now everything seems to have been lost to real estate.

Wondering where we could head to, we checked Google Maps and found we could make a trip to Singur Dam.

It took us an hour to reach Singur Dam from Sangareddy, we passed by some very scenic landscapes, brushed green thanks to the monsoons.

Singur Dam has been built over the Manjeera River and is one of the major sources of drinking water to Hyderabad city.

We parked our car near the dam and went for a walk on the bund road. It was mid afternoon but the weather was pleasant with a nice cool breeze. We also found a vantage point for a view of the Manjeera River bed.

On the other side, is the Singur reservoir.

Hyderabadis have to thank this river for its life-giving waters !

After our visit to the Dam site, we drove to Telangana Tourism’s Haritha Resort for lunch. The resort is close to the dam and picturesque. The resort provides accommodation for those looking to stay near Singur Dam.

We were famished after our visit to Singur Dam. Our lunch at Haritha Restaurant was simple with rotis, rice, tomato curry and dal but the local flavour and spice was lip smacking, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Singur Dam and our lunch were a hit !

Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy Temple, Jharasangam

Done with lunch and with our energies back, we started our drive to Hyderabad. We still had half a day and wanting to drive around some more, we checked other places of interest around Singur Dam and decided on visiting the Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy Temple at Jharasangam.

The 31 kms drive from Singur Dam to Jharasangam was like driving in a magical green world. The monsoons had turned the entire area green, hills, meadows, fields, the fresh shade of green that no camera can ever capture !

The greenery stretched for miles, cows grazed here and there, the scenes looked straight from a computer screen wall paper !

Of course, our pictures are badly shot, we did not actually stop to click a good one, when the sights are that beautiful you just watch, photography is only for the record.

Post monsoon season meant farmers were active cultivating their fields, in this part of Telangana, small farmers still seem to be tilling their land using oxen, it was heartening to watch their hard work.

The rural scenes will fill your heart with pure joy, it feels like time has stood still and one wouldn’t realise, the most happening metropolis is just 2 hours’ drive away !

We reached Jharasangam around tea time. The Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Please ignore the bad lighting in this picture, there were dogs around and this writer had just a few seconds to click the picture and run back to the car. Anyway, photography is not allowed inside the temple.

This small temple is unique as being the only temple where Ketaki flowers or Mogalipuvvu in Telugu, are used for the worship of Lord Shiva. According to mythology, this flower was cursed from being used for worship of Lord Shiva. The reason this practice is followed only in this temple, we were told by the temple priest, was because the ancient Shiva Linga was found under a Ketaki tree and the temple was built around it. There are several legends associated with the temple but the actual history is not known with certainty.

There is also a pond inside the temple called the “Amrutha Gundam” whose waters are believed to have healing powers.

We went round the temple, taking in the blissful feeling that can only be found in temples. There are so many temples with ancient pasts, stories, legends and history, all of them have shaped our culture and our ethos, that we think, is the beauty of a temple, no matter how small or little known.

Content with our visit to Jharasangam and Singur Dam, we returned to Hyderabad with the satisfaction of a Sunday well spent !

Info tidbits

• Singur Dam is about 104 kms from Hyderabad. Accommodation can be found at the Telangana Tourism’s resort, one can book accommodation online.
• Jharasangam Temple is 31 kms from Singur Dam and only 18 kms from Zaheerabad. Both these places can be visited in a day.
• Both these places are slightly remote with limited transport connectivity, it is a good idea to take your own vehicle.
• There are a few food stalls outside the Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy Temple, nearest good food options can be found at Zaheerabad.
• Bidar, the popular tourist spot in Karnataka also nearby. One can combine a weekend trip to Bidar with Singur Dam and Jharasangam.

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