Simhachalam Temple Land Dispute Remains Unresolved

The long-pending land dispute involving the pancha gramalu, or quintet of villages attached to the Simhachalam temple, remains unresolved, with the matter still pending before the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Despite the State government’s proposal to allot alternative land in place of temple lands that have been encroached upon, the case has seen little progress over the past year.

The dispute concerns lands in Adivivaram, Purushottapuram, Cheemalapalli, Venkatapuram, and Vepagunta villages, which were donated to the Simhachalam temple by the rulers of Vizianagaram after the abolition of the Zamindari system. Over the decades, farmers cultivated orchards on the land, and as Visakhapatnam city expanded, parts of the land were either sold or encroached upon for residential use.

Efforts to regularise the encroachments date back several decades, with a survey conducted in 2008 identifying 12,149 structures spread across about 420 acres of temple land. The then Telugu Desam Party government issued Government Order No. 578 to regularise the encroachments, but the issue was stalled due to litigation.

The State government has offered 610.89 acres of alternative land across Gajuwaka, Malkapuram, Pedagantyada, and Gullapalem, with a total market value of about Rs 5,231 crore. However, concerns have been raised over the contents of the report submitted to the court, which allegedly states that the number of structures on the temple land has increased from about 12,000 to nearly 50,000.

The delay in resolving the issue has been attributed to various factors, including a separate case filed questioning the government’s authority to utilise Simhachalam temple lands. Public representatives and officials are awaiting clarity from the High Court on the way forward.