Putting Telangana's hidden history on the map

New Indian Express

a day ago

HYDERABAD: Where history meets mythology and ancient trees stand as silent witnesses to past tragedies, Hyderabad-based heritage enthusiast Kavali Chandrakanth has found his calling. Since 2017, he has travelled across Telangana, documenting crumbling forts, forgotten temples and heritage trees — sites often overlooked but rich in cultural significance. Through over 23,000 photographs and nearly 3,900 videos uploaded to Google Maps, his mission is to preserve these fading traces of the past and push local authorities to recognise and protect them.
Speaking to TNIE, Chandrakanth says his aim is not only to showcase forgotten monuments but also ancient trees that have played significant roles in local history. One example is the tamarind tree at Osmania General Hospital, which saved around 150 people during the 1908 Musi River floods in Hyderabad. These stories, he says, deserve a place in public memory.
Through his initiative Mapography, Chandrakanth recently exhibited his work at the State Art Gallery in Madhapur, including his latest find, a medieval rock art site in Mahbubnagar. He continues to upload photos to Google Maps and Wikimedia so that more people can discover these sites.
Speaking about how it all began, the 31-year-old photographer and Google Local Guide says, 'My interest in heritage goes back to school days in Addakal mandal, Mahbubnagar, where we went on heritage tours every year. As I grew up, I began fieldwork and came across incredible structures and stories that few knew about. That's when I decided to document and share them on one platform.'
One of his most memorable experiences was documenting the dilapidated condition of a school building in Peddamunagalachedu, Addakal mandal. After he shared the images with local leaders, the Addakal ZPTC stepped in, funding a new seven-classroom building at Rs 35 lakh. During the inauguration, Chandrakanth hosted his first photo exhibition, Pragathi Pathamlo Peddamunagalachedu, showcasing the village's development journey.
Since then, he has geo-tagged all 14 villages in Addakal mandal and documented temples, monuments and historical landmarks across Telangana that previously had no online presence. His work has reached a wide audience, with more than 409 million views online.
The idea for Mapography exhibitions, he says, took shape after a meeting with Dr Mamidi Harikrishna, director of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana, who encouraged him to exhibit his work. Chandrakanth now hopes to formally approach the government to preserve both old monuments and historically significant trees and initiate regular maintenance to protect them.