So here goes the top 5 places to visit near Aswapuram(in my opinion) within a range of 20km
1-Check dam at Dummagudem (10km)
This dam was constructed by the great British Irrigation Engineer, Sir Arthur Cotton at around 1800s.It is located near Amagarpelli village,about 10km from HWPM colony.The dam spans the whole width of the river,providing some beautiful views.It is divided into three stages,the first stage is about 1.5 metres in width upto 3/4th of its total length from where it narrows down to a metre in width,which comprises the second stage.In the third stage the height of the dam reduces allowing some water to flow over it providing a gentle cascade of water.The whole dam can be crossed on foot,when the level of the water is not much.During rainy seasons the water flows over the dam providing some breathtaking views downstream.The downstream area is rocky and provides perfect place to sit and take pictures of the dam.Also it has some shallow areas where one can get down into the water without any fear of depth or flow.Perfect for enjoying the thrill of waterfalls!
Video of the checkdam
2-Chintriyal (9km)
This one is an old favorite of the colony people.It is around 9km from colony approached from Gollagudem village.The Godavari river provides the best spot here for some casual playing in the water.The depth of the river is low most of the times.Its gets a bit risky in the monsoon months when the level of the river rises and coming here is not advisable.Earlier there used to be a kacha (mud) road and coming here used to require quite a bit of a determination.Recently a tar road has been laid making the place more accessible.I learnt swimming here,with my dad teaching me.Back in our time it was a big task coming to this spot on our cycles and we thought reaching here was an achievement in itself.
3-Tummalacheruvu Lake (10km)
Tummalacheruvu as the name suggests(in Telugu) is a lake near the village of Muntikunta.It is a scenic lake nestled in between three hills.Though it looks beautiful all round the year , it is the monsoons which bring out the best.The whole place gets transformed into a sea of different shades of green.As one approaches the lake from the Muntikunta village,one can see a small dam on the right side made to channel the water to the fields for irrigation purposes.One can walk over it to the other side and stroll around for better view points of the lake or maybe just sit somewhere and take in the beauty.The area downstream of the dam also provides some beautiful views.There is a swamp like feel around here albeit with fresh water.This place reminds one of the discovery channel show,Crocodile hunters or some scenes from the movie"anaconda'.Some of my friends and me came here one time to catch a glimpse of a crocodile, someone told us was spotted here.link-
Video of my trip with my friends
16km from Aswapuram lies this serene and picturesque lake near PV Colony near manuguru. Often visited by the locals for some relaxation,this lake is also visited by the them to perform some rituals.There is a quaint village around it ,which only adds to the beauty this place already has.There are small streams of water flowing out of the lake at one of the sides and one can splash around in this shallow streams.If one comes prepared one can spend the whole day exploring the area around it.A must visit!
5-Aswapuram Railway Station(and the area surrounding it) (5km)
This is the rarely used railway station of Aswapuram.Yes we got one! The area around here is scenic and as with most places around here,the best time is the monsoon season.After the rains theis place is an absolute beauty.The station itself is a single building with no platform.Trains and with which I mean two, usually stop here for 2 mins.This place is purely for the nature lovers.
Some links
Green...and then some more
Scenes from around manuguru
In and around Manuguru(Guitar theme: Melodium)
Green...and then some more
6-Pump house(near Muntikunta Village)
This is a pump house located on the banks of river Godavari and is between Muntikunta village and Bhadrachalam.It belongs to ITC bhadrachalam.This place is on a higher altitude than the rest of the area.One can sit and enjoy the mighty Godavari here as the width of the river is very large here.Swimming here is not advisable though.