43 and counting: Statues around Hussainsagar mark shift from Telugu pride to social icons
Hyderabad has seen a significant increase in the number of statues around the Hussainsagar lake, shifting from a focus on 'Telugu pride' to honoring social icons. The city now hosts 43 statues, reflecting changing political and social priorities in the region.
Why it matters
Public monuments serve as indicators of how political leadership chooses to define cultural identity and historical memory.
One of the first acts of A. Revanth Reddy after becoming Chief Minister was to unveil the statue of Telangana Thalli in the forecourt of the Secretariat. Weeks later, on May 29, 2026, he inaugurated a statue of film star and former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao at a busy junction in Ameerpet. On August 14, the Chief Minister paid tribute to reformist couple Savitribai and Jyotiba Phule with a statue at the beginning of the Khairatabad flyover on Necklace Road. It stands within sight of the statues of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao and B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution.
The newest addition to Tank Bund is the statue of Sarvai Papanna, or Papadu, a Robin Hood-like figure revered by the BC community.
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