Kondiba (Ananthagiri) :

The tribal village of Kondiba located in Ananthagiri mandal of Visakhapatnam district is distinguished by two features — the village houses a unique banyan tree or rather a one-tree forest and the inhabitants who were tribes of the warrior and landholder class still retains many weapons such as swords and knives given to them in the colonial era by the rajas of Vizianagaram.

Kondiba Panchayat has around 180 households and a population of approximately 1,200 people, most of whom are engaged in cultivation of rice, ragi, millets and lentils. Adivasi Odia is spoken by these tribes of Bagata caste. In the pre-independence era, the village had landlords and zamindars who were given the authority to collect taxes and were entrusted with administrative works. For safety of the villagers, the Vizianagaram rajas had given them weapons including swords, knives and guns.

What is interesting is that the villagers have preserved most of these weapons and consider it a matter of pride to get these from the royal family.

Guru Gujjala, an AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) employee at Tyda and resident of this village, said, “These weapons which are around 50 in number and around 100 years old has been with the Gujjala family since generations. Even though the family has split into different households, they still retain the weapons. Once a year, during Dussera, these are exhibited in the village. I have also heard that guns, copper plates and inscriptions were buried in the ground in the village few decades ago so as to prevent outsiders from taking these away.”

“Despite offers of purchase from outsiders, the villagers never parted with these weapons and keep them as treasures within the village as these were given to us by the maharajas of Vizianagram more than a century ago,” added old Bangari Gujjela, who is a descendant of the erstwhile landowners’ family.

Though a considerable big panchayat, the place suffers from water problem. Interestingly, Gujjala Ramanaidu, the first MLA from S Kota constituency post India’s independence belonged to Kondiba.

Besides, weapons, the forest-tree is another interesting feature of this village. Secluded from the village at one end stands this banyan tree and offers a picturesque view of the surroundings. Nobody knows the age of the tree but it’s surmised that the tree is at least 150 years old. The branches and aerial prop roots have spread out on around an acre of land, thus giving the impression of a forest. The temperature of the area surrounding the tree is also cooler by a few notches from outside.

Guru Gujjala said, “The tree is respected and no picnics or gatherings are encouraged near it to keep the sanctity of the place intact. However, every year, at the end of summer, some pujas are held in the hope of good rainfall in the monsoons. The tree covers nearly an acre of land and looks like a forest. During Cyclone Hudhud, there were some damage to the branches but thankfully, the tree was not uprooted and stood tall.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> CityNews> Visakhapatnam News / by Sulogna Mehta / TNN  / December 18th, 2016