The meditative silence surrounding the Thotlakonda Buddhist site is interrupted with intermittent spurts of laughter, hurried selfies and shouts of tourists. Dressed in his blue uniform, Konda Appa Rao gives annoyed some angry looks to at a bunch of youngsters who’ve climbed on to the maha stupa situated in the middle of this hilltop heritage site which houses a Hinayana Buddhist complex. In a few minutes, He he rushes towards them, instructinginstructs them to step down. “This is a place of worship, so please step down and observe it from a distance,” says the 53-year-old security guard who and goes on to explain the significance of the Buddhist site that flourished from the 2nd Century BC to the 2nd Century AD.
A resident of the Mangamaripeta village, Rao has been around from the days of the excavation of the site conducted by the Andhra Pradesh State Archaeology Department during the late 1980s.
Rich heritage Konda Appa Rao explaining about the history of the Thotlakonda Buddhist site | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK
He has seen the stones come alive with a hundred tales to share in the seven acres of the core area where the stupas are located. “I used to work as an unskilled labourer during the excavation. days. At that time, I had no idea what these structures meant. But over the years when I saw many researchers, officials and visitors coming to see the stupas, I realised there must be something special about these,” he recalls.
A new world
The excavations brought to light a monastic complex with a maha stupa, Roman and Satavahana silver coins indicating foreign trade, Brahmi inscriptions, votive and miniature stupas. “Those days to reach the Buddhist site, one had to trek uphill for three kilometres. The place was out of reach of for any vehicle,” says Rao, who worked as a supervisor of the site from 1988 to 1993.
The intriguing stones cut into the rocks of the hillocks piqued the interest of Rao and he soon found a world waiting to be discovered and spoken about. Under the training of the Archaeology Department, Rao learnt about the history of this ancient Buddhist site which was an important source of dissemination of Buddhism to Sri Lanka and various parts of Southeast Asia.
From dawn to dusk, Rao has been guarding this heritage site for the past three decades. He has changed roles from being an unskilled labour to a tourist guide and now is employed as a security guard.
Rich heritage Konda Appa Rao explaining about the history of the Thotlakonda Buddhist site | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK
Earning a paltry ₹ 30 per day as a tourist guide for many years, it’s only recently that he started getting a monthly salary of ₹ 9,000. “Many people come here. But a majority of them don’t show interest the eagerness in to know about its history and sadly don’t realise that each stone here is a clue to the past,” he rues.
Safeguarding a heritage
The site that has been declared as a protected monument under the State Archaeology Department sees a flood of visitors especially in the Kartika Masam period when picnickers throng the site.
Rich heritage Konda Appa Rao explaining about the history of the Thotlakonda Buddhist site | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK
“Thousands of visitors come here per day during that time and it is very difficult to control them or to educate them to stop littering the place,” says Rao, who is one of the two security guards stationed at the place.
But Rao is alert all round the year. Visit the site on any day and one will find him keeping a keen watch on tourists and giving them extra bits of information to make their trip an enlightening one.
The Tourism Department has set up a park here, at the site with landscaping and viewpoints on the hillside overlooking the Bay of Bengal for tourists.
But littering has been a by-product of increased tourism activity here. Mounds Heaps of plastics and cans strewn close to the fenced area of the Buddhist site have become an eyesore.
Cans of beverages stuck on bare branches to sensitise public against littering on the heritage site | Photo Credit: K_R_DEEPAK
“These ancient monuments are our legacy and it’s our duty to protect them. My job is to tell tourists and visitors about the significance of this heritage site and why it needs to be safeguarded. This place has become a home for me and I cannot allow anyone to break the sanctity of my home,” says Rao.