In the village of Itikayala, Peappulli Mandal, Nandyal district, a centuries-old temple well was found buried under mountains of plastic waste, food wrappers, and offerings, having been forgotten by the very community it served daily.
Content creator Abbayi Kanth, known online as Telugu Abbayi Kanth, spent several months documenting abandoned historical sites across the Nandyal district, capturing the conditions to show residents and officials what had happened due to years of neglect.
When Kanth reached the well in Itikayala, he filmed it in its state: garbage was accumulating around it, the water was hidden, and there were no signs or fences warning visitors that history spanning centuries lay beneath the everyday clutter.
He published the video online without any advertising campaign. Within days, over 300 volunteers—students, residents, and assistants who helped for the first time—went to Itikayala, bringing gloves and bags to begin clearing decades of trash.
No government department organized this cleanup. Volunteers worked side-by-side under the sun for hours, removing plastic bags, coconut shells, turmeric packets, and flower garlands until the stone steps of the well reappeared after many years.
After restoring the well in Itikayala, the volunteers did not simply leave. They agreed to continue raising local awareness, urging everyone to respect the historical site and stop littering.
Historically, wells functioned as systems for artificial water collection and community gathering places in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and the Deccan region long before the advent of pumps or pipelines; thus, their abandonment signifies the loss of both water and collective history.
Footage of the restored well spread online when actor R Madhavan shared it on his Instagram story, thereby presenting the story of one village in Andhra Pradesh far beyond its district and state across India.
Kanth's team has already moved on to other forgotten wells and temples in the Nandyal district after Itikayala. Thus, the question remains: how many more ancient structures nearby await, unseen, for someone to look at?
Kanth's story is part of The Better India's campaign under the hashtag #CivicSenseRevolution, which recognizes citizens who turn civic consciousness into action across the country.