02/10/2025
The Story of the Sand Fort
Long ago, in our village called Sundarapeta, there was a place to the northeast known as Kota Dibba, which means “the mound of the fort.”
When I was a child, around the 1980s, we often went there to eat palm fruits. The area was full of tall palm trees. After finishing our breakfast, we would walk across the hot sandy fields, pluck the fruits, and spend the whole afternoon enjoying them.
While wandering around, we often found strange things in the soil — broken clay pots, pieces of colorful tiles, and other small remains. Curious, I told my father about it.
He explained that a long time ago, there had been a mud fort in that very place. It was said that during the days of the kings, a noblewoman once lived there, and with her lived a small community protected by strong walls. The king himself used to visit the place on horseback.
Even more fascinating — there was once an old pathway that led all the way from another village called Natavalsa to this fort. I still remember seeing part of that pathway: about five feet wide, stretching a short distance, though now much of it has disappeared into people’s farmlands.
The records of this ancient fort are still preserved in the revenue documents, but the land itself hides most of the story.
For me, this is not just history — it’s a memory of my childhood, a place where play and mystery came together. And as a teacher, I believe storytelling is one of the most powerful skills we can share with children. Through stories like this, they don’t just learn language, they also step into the world of history and imagination.
Kota Bhogapuram, in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh, is a village with a name but no people. Once the secret meeting place of the Rajah of Vizianagar...