News Excerpt:

Pandavula Gutta has been officially recognised as the sole Geo-heritage site in Telangana.

About Pandavula Gutta:

• The Pandavula Konda (Pandavula Gutta) site was first discovered in 1990. It is a geological marvel older than the Himalayas.
• It is located in the Bhupalpally district of Telangana, home to many prehistoric habitation sites.
• Pandavula Gutta is rich in terms of the number of paintings, rock shelters, and habitation, right from the Mesolithic to Medieval times.
• Palaeolithic cave paintings have been found at Pandavula Gutta (Regonda mandal).
• These cave paintings offer a rare glimpse into the prehistoric man’s rock art identified on walls and ceilings of caves, rock shelters and isolated boulders.
• The rock art paintings depict wildlife like Bison, Antelope, Tiger, Leopard, etc.
• These paintings also include other shapes, such as the swastika symbol, circles and squares, and weapons, such as bows, arrows, swords and lancers in green, red, yellow, and white pigment colours.
• During commemorating the ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Telangana State Unit, Southern Region, organised a Geo-heritage walk at Pandavula Gutta and recognised it as a Geo-heritage site.

Geo-heritage site:

• “Geoheritage” is a generic but descriptive term applied to sites or areas of geologic features with significant scientific, educational, cultural, or aesthetic value.
• Scientifically and educationally significant geoheritage sites include those with textbook geologic features and landscapes, distinctive rock or mineral types, unique or unusual fossils, or other geologic characteristics that are significant to education and research.
• Culturally significant geoheritage sites are places where geologic features or landscapes play a role in cultural or historical events.
• Aesthetically significant geoheritage sites include visually appealing landscapes because of their geologic features or processes.