The Tank Bund Road is a road in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India. The Tank Bund dams Hussain Sagar lake on the eastern side and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It has become an attraction with 33 statues of famous people from the region.

Origin (16th Century)

• The lake was built in 1562 during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali of the Qutb Shahi dynasty.

• It was constructed to meet the water needs of the growing city.

• The engineer behind it was Hussain Shah Wali, after whom the lake is named.

The Pakistan Patton tank, now an attraction for visitors to the Tank Bund Road, is a war trophy given to the 54th Infantry Division, and is one that the Indian Army had disabled during the Battle of Basantar in Pakistan, between 15 and 17 December 1971.

Parallel to the Tank Bund Road, the Lower Tank Bund road was intended to reduce traffic congestion. Lumbini Park is the nearest park to this road. The road is also a major point for street photography.

Statues of Icons along Tank Bund Road

34 bronze statues, are installed on high platforms, of people who played iconic role in the development of Hyderabad and Telugu culture along the Tank Bund road. The statues were installed by the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao. A committee with members from various regions of then Undivided Andhra Pradesh shortlisted the personalities whose statues were to be installed.

The following 34 personalities are commemorated in the order of appearance from Secunderabad.

• Komaram BheemTribal leader from Telangana who openly fought against Nizam of Hyderabad with slogan Jal, jungal, zameen

• Rudrama DeviThe 13th century Queen of the Kakatiya Dynasty which ruled over most parts of present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

• Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VISixth Nizam of Hyderabad

• Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanFirst Vice President of India and second President of India

• C. R. ReddyEducationist, political thinker, essayist, poet and literary critic

• Gurajada ApparaoTelugu playwright, dramatist, poet, writer and humanist

• Ballari Raghava Telugu playwright, thespian and film actor

• Alluri Sita Rama Raju Indian Telugu revolutionary who fought against the British Raj

• Sir Arthur CottonBritish irrigation engineer instrumental in building the Prakasam Barrage, the Dowleswaram Barrage and the Kurnool Cuddappah Canal (K. C. Canal)

• Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chowdary Telugu lawyer, poet, playwright, reformer, rationalist and humanist

• Pingali VenkayyaIndian freedom fighter and the designer of the flag on which the Indian national flag was based

• Kandukuri VeeresalingamSocial reformer and Telugu writer

• Makhdoom MohiuddinUrdu poet, Marxist political activist and a forerunner of Telangana Rebellion against the Nizam of Hyderabad

• Suravaram PratapareddySocial historian from Telangana

• Gurram JashuvaTelugu poet and Dalit activist

• Mutnuri Krishna RaoIndian freedom fighter, editor, scholar and literary critic

• Sri Sri Telugu poet and lyricist

• Raghupathi Venkataratnam NaiduIndian social reformer

• ThyagarajaRenowned composer of Carnatic music

• Ramadasu17th-century Indian devotee of Lord Rama and a composer of Carnatic music

• Sri KrishnadevarayaThe Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire who reigned from 1509 to 1529

• KshetrayyaTelugu poet and composer of Carnatic music

• Potuluri Virabrahmendra Swami Hindu saint, who lived in Andhra Pradesh

• Bramha NaiduMinister in a Medieval Andhra kingdom of Palnadu

• Molla Telugu poet who authored the Telugu-language Ramayana

• Tana Shah Last ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty

• Siddhendra YogiInventor of Modern form of Classical dance Kuchipudi

• Yogi VemanaTelugu poet and philosopher

• Potana Telugu poet best known for his translation of the Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit to Telugu

• Annamacharya15th-century Hindu saint and the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankirtanas in praise of the Lord Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu

• Yerrapragada Medieval Telugu poet

• TikkanaSecond poet of the "Trinity of Poets (Kavi Trayam)" that translated Mahabharata into Telugu

• Nannayya Telugu poet and the first in Trinity of poets (Kavitrayam), who authored Andhra mahabharatam, a Telugu retelling of the Mahabharata

• Gautamiputra Satakarni (Shalivahanudu)Ruler of the Satavahana Empire in present-day Deccan region of India

References