Cherla Daggara Cheruvu
The Lake Near Cherla
Setting: Adilabad forest lake (Adilabad).
In English: The Lake Near Cherla. A Lighted Tales original Telugu horror story, written in Romanized Telugu (Tenglish) with Telangana dialect.
The Lake Near Cherla
Ee katha maa Adilabad side 2020 lo jarigindi, nijam ga nijam. Cherla village (name slightly altered in this telling — aa specific village ooru real, kaani protected local sensitivity kosam), Adilabad district, Kerameri mandal area lo oka remote tribal belt. Gond community majority ooru. Aayana ooru side 4 km distance lo oka forest lake — local tribal name "Gangama Chintala Cheruvu" — approx 3 acre, surrounded by dense Adilabad mixed-deciduous forest. Aa lake ki oka 200-year-old local spiritual significance — Gond community's ancestral "Persapen" (clan deity) ki associated. Outsiders access ki strict restriction.
Protagonist — Sakku, 38 years, Gond tribal, local forest guide and small-scale honey collector. Aayana aa village lo 8th generation resident. Wife Mangli, 34, rendu pillalu — a son 12, a daughter 9. Sakku English ki basic ga matladevaru (State's Integrated Tribal Development Agency dwara 10th class complete), so urban NGO teams ki occasional guide services icchevaaru translation ga. Aayana caste ethics strict — "pilgrimage ga respectful outsiders OK, commercial ga or research photography ga kadu."
Second key character — Deepthi, 27, Hyderabad-based NGO worker, an environmental education not-for-profit "Green Meadow Foundation" (fictional) lo field coordinator. Aayana team — 4 mandhi, wildlife biologist Dr. Vamsi (31), social anthropology researcher Madhavi (29), documentary photographer Rithu (26), Deepthi team lead. Vaallu 2020 March lo Adilabad forest lake mapping project ki sanctioned — funder a UK-based environmental grant. Scope: 7 specific water bodies document cheyyadam, biodiversity surveys, local tribal interviews. Cherla side aa forest lake vaallaki priority target.
Deepthi Sakku ni local contact dwara connect chesindhi April 2020 first week ki. Initial phone. Sakku reluctant — "Madam, aa lake deep interior. Mamuluga local ga mandhi kuda velli rare. Ippudu Covid peak time kuda, outsiders minimize cheyyaali. Plus aa lake community ki sacred , research ki accessible kaadu."
Deepthi persistent. "Sakku gaaru, maaku Telangana Forest Department permission undi , Cherla Range Officer signed. Minimum 7-day survey necessary kaavali funder requirement. Mee community ki oka compensation oka Rs 25,000 goodwill fund direct ga village council ki. Mee personal guide fee Rs 12,000 7 days ki."
Sakku village council ki discuss chesaaru. Council — village elder 4 members — initially rejected. Deepthi follow-up visit 2020 April 8 ki. Ooru sarpanch (tribal representative Laxman Rao, age 55) ki personal meeting. Deepthi's explanation — Adilabad Forest Department priority to map water bodies for climate change adaptation planning; Gond community's ecological knowledge would be documented respectfully; no photography of sacred spots, interview only with consent; aa 25k goodwill compulsory non-negotiable.
Laxman Rao aa 25,000 ki tempted — village lo primary school roof repair needed, amount exactly matches. Pressured council. Council oka conditional agreement: "4-day survey, Sakku guide, no night stay within 500 meter of lake, pre-visit puja by village priest, no commercial use of footage beyond academic report."
Sakku ki ee compromise unstable ga anipinchindi. Aayana wife Mangli tho argument oka roju —
Sakku: "Mangli, naaku ee NGO visit lo oka bad feeling. Aa lake's Persapen specifically outsiders ki respond cheyyadu. Ancestors cheppevaaru , '7 nights pass chesthey outsiders ki problem vasthundi.' Kaani team 4 days plan chesthunnaaru , maybe safe distance."
Mangli: "Sakku, nuvvu council decision accept chesaav. Ippudu back out chesthey next time ooru ki grant opportunities ivvaru. Proper ga guide cheyyi. 4 days strict ga."
Sakku: "Haa. Nenu 4 days lo tightly management cheyyaali. Permissions clear ga, protocols strict ga."
2020 April 15. Deepthi team 4 members + Sakku arrived at a forest rest house 2 km from lake. Day 1 orientation. Day 2 surface-level water sampling, Dr. Vamsi biodiversity scans. Day 3 tribal interviews (Sakku facilitated, consent-based). Day 4 — planned final-day — summary notes, village courtesy departure.
Day 3 evening ki Deepthi team lo oka internal discussion — "4 days kadu, 7 days kavali kanni lake's nocturnal species observation ki. Ippudu plan 4 days, but if we extend to 7, Dr. Vamsi's bird-call survey complete avuthundi."
Dr. Vamsi push chesaadu — "Deepthi, oka-saari-once chance ee funding ki. Nenu academic publication ki aa 7-day bird dataset critical. Extension justify cheyyadamani."
Deepthi Sakku ki Day 3 night ki oka private request — "Sakku gaaru, 3 extra days 7 total ki extend cheyyadaaniki possible a? Compensation increase , another Rs 10,000 goodwill + your fee Rs 5,000 extra."
Sakku firm ga refused — "Madam, council's condition 4 days. 7 days outsiders ki forbidden ga memory undi. Nenu violate cheyyaleku."
→ Idey theme lo inka oka katha: Nirati Kalasham
Deepthi team pressure — Dr. Vamsi direct ga Laxman Rao ki velli 3-day extension negotiate. Additional Rs 15,000 offered. Laxman Rao school-repair project budget lo inka shortfall undi aayana intlo specific expense (daughter's engineering college fees Rs 10,000 immediate) — tempted. Council re-convened, some members opposed kaani Laxman Rao majority arrange chesaaru. Approval icchaaru 7-day total.
Sakku aa decision ki uncomfortable, kaani contractor ga obligated. Mangli konchem worry chesindhi — Sakku ki direct cautionary statements ivvadaaniki village priest Boddu Chandraiah (68, tribal priest) ni consult chesindhi.
Chandraiah: "Sakku, 7 nights pass chesthey 'Persapen' direct ga outsiders tho communicate chesthundhe. Outsiders ki preparation ledu. Naaku aa specific seventh-night ritual ki oka extended family puja cheyyadaaniki oka chinna setup. Mee guide days final ga safe ga manage cheyyadam aa ritual ki ekkadi ga back ivvaali."
Day 4-7 extended. Team routine: bird observations, water sampling, tribal stories recording. Sakku strict boundaries — lake close approach only dawn/dusk daylight, nighttime rest house confined, consistent briefings.
Day 6 night (April 20). Dr. Vamsi enthusiast ga solo ga lake ki moved 10 PM ki — a noctural owl species aayana ki detected ayinadhi audio recording lo, aayana visual ID ki personally kaavalani ambitious. Sakku ki cheppaledu. Deepthi and Madhavi sleeping. Rithu camera setup lo busy.
Dr. Vamsi lake's northeast corner vaipu 2 km walk ki velli, silent ga moved. 10:45 PM ki aayana returned — shaking, pale, aayana torch dropped somewhere. Rithu first noticed.
[DR. VAMSI] "Rithu, I saw something. A figure , tall, woman maybe, in water. She walked out onto the bank, looked at me, then walked back into the lake without any ripple. I watched for... 30 seconds? Maybe longer. No ripple. She disappeared into the lake's center. I backed away. I couldn't run. My legs were stiff."
Rithu aa observation ni urgent ga Deepthi ni wake chesi cheppindhi. Sakku ni pilachaaru. Sakku face ippudu serious, silent ga.
Sakku: "Sir, meeru nightfall lake ki solo ga velladaaniki agreement kaadu. Madam Deepthi, nenu ee risk ni mundhu cheppaanu. Persapen manifested. Next 24 hours critical."
Deepthi: "Sakku gaaru, ippudu em cheyyali? Evacuate?"
Sakku: "Immediate evacuation kaadu , mee abrupt departure ki Persapen's attention directly draw cheyyadam inka dangerous. Nenu village priest Chandraiah gaarini call chesthaanu. Aayana oka protective ritual cheyyadu morning. Mee team aa ritual participate ayyaaliki. Day 7 (April 21) morning ritual, day 7 noon departure."
Day 7 morning 5 AM. Chandraiah vacchaaru. Lake's boundary — community pilgrim path edge — oka small open clearing. Team + Sakku + Chandraiah present. Priest oka 40-minute tribal ritual — specific Persapen invocation, extended turmeric-neem paste application to each outsider's forehead, sacred red thread wristbands, small rice offering at lake edge, silent prayer.
Chandraiah: Post-ritual, Chandraiah warned direct ga to Dr. Vamsi: "Sir, meeru direct ga Persapen's face chusaaru. Aa encounter spiritual connection create chesindhi. 40 days ki oka strict observance , no meat, no alcohol, daily water offering ki local temple or any amma shrine. 40th day ki a formal puja. Skip chesthey aa connection health-impact ga manifest avuthundi."
[DR. VAMSI] Dr. Vamsi pale but focused. "Yes. I understand. I'll follow."
Team departure Day 7 noon. Adilabad forest line exit. Hyderabad return evening. Covid times so minimal stops, straight return.
Post-trip week 1. Dr. Vamsi Hyderabad intlo. Aayana 40-day observance start. Day 3 ki aayana chinna fever — COVID test negative. Day 7 ki stomach upset. Day 12 ki severe insomnia. Day 15 ki aayana weight loss 6 kg.
Deepthi team noticed. Dr. Vamsi confessed — aayana 40-day observance Day 2 ki break chesaaru, a colleague's birthday tho chicken biryani. "Ignored Chandraiah's warning as superstition," aayana admitted.
Deepthi urgent ga Sakku ki call. Sakku Chandraiah ki consult.
Chandraiah: "Sakku, Dr. Vamsi ki restart kaadu, aa observance ippudu proper ga complete kaavali , aayana Cherla ki return ayyaali, aa lake daggara direct prayer, full 40-day restart, Day 40 ki ritual in Cherla village itself. Only aa option."
Dr. Vamsi uncertain, kaani aayana health deteriorating. Deepthi NGO funds used — Dr. Vamsi + Deepthi + Sakku arrangement — Cherla ki return trip May 25. Lake edge prayer, 40-day commitment restart, village stay arranged.
40 days strict observance (no meat, no alcohol, daily Persapen prayer) — Dr. Vamsi sincere ga followed. July 3 ki Cherla ki return, Chandraiah-conducted 40th-day puja. Ritual complete.
Dr. Vamsi's health — July mid-ki recovered, weight gain back, insomnia gone, normal energy. Aayana tarwatha aa experience ni oka career shift trigger ga used — aayana current field biology ki tribal-spiritual framework integration priority. 2021 lo aayana Hyderabad University Anthropology department lo a visiting research associate ga joined, ethnoecology focus.
Deepthi NGO 7-day vs 4-day extension violation ni internal report lo documented. Laxman Rao's council pressure ni noted. 2021 nunchi Green Meadow Foundation's tribal-area protocols strengthened — community-agreed days ki absolute hard-stop, no negotiation, no extension. Aa policy change India's tribal-area NGO community lo slowly adopted aipoyindhi.
Sakku 2022 ki Cherla village elected council member. Aayana ippudu aa ooru's outsider-access protocols official ga enforce chestaaru. Village's school roof 2020 April goodwill fund tho repair ayipoyindhi. Subsequent NGO engagements strict 4-day max, pre-consultation mandatory, priest-arranged rituals integrated.
→ Pakkana ee story kuda chadavandi: Talli Bidda Bavi
Deepthi ippudu Green Meadow Foundation director — 2024 lo promoted. Aayana publicly acknowledge chestaaru — "mana 2020 Cherla incident maaku permanent lesson. Outsiders ki local spiritual knowledge respect ivvali, commercial convenience ki bend kaadu. Mana careless extension request oka team member's health ki cost ayindhi, kaani recovered."
Dr. Vamsi ippudu prathi year April mid ki Cherla ki ondhi chinna thanksgiving visit, Chandraiah gaariki personal namaskaram. Aayana career ni oka different direction icchindhi aa 2020 April lake encounter.
Aayana 2023 lo oka peer-reviewed paper publish chesaaru — "Ethnoecological Correlates of Sacred-Water Site Management in Northern Telangana's Adilabad Tribal Districts" ani title tho. Aa paper lo Cherla village ni pseudonym ga reference chesaaru, specific lake location protected. Paper Indian Journal of Ecology lo published, 2024 ki oka national-level field biology award nominated kuda ayindhi. Peer reviewers aayana integrated tribal-priest-knowledge methodology ni groundbreaking ga described.
Sakku 2024 ki oka additional role accept chesaaru — Telangana State Tribal Welfare Department dwara a certified "cultural liaison" ga appointed, aayana Adilabad district's multiple Gond community lake-sites ki NGO-research access protocols ni officially vet cheyyadaaniki. Part-time govt role, regular honorarium Rs 8,000/month. Aayana wife Mangli aa additional income tho family lo rendu pillalki better education (son ippudu Kerameri Zilla Parishad high school 9th class, daughter 7th).
Mangli tho oka chinna separate anecdote — 2021 October Dasara ki Cherla lo oka local festival, Chandraiah priest aa family ni specifically invite chesaaru guest ga (usually outsiders allowed kaadu Gond festival core rituals ki). Deepthi oka personal gift Mangli ki — a simple silver chain — icchindhi, aa weekend. Rendu families ippudu annual oka letter exchange Dasara and Sankranti ki.
Aa Cherla lake's boundary markers — small stone piles ni tribal tradition lo "Persapen stana sthaanam" ga recognize chesthaaru — ippudu Forest Department 2024 ki official markers ga co-recognized. Signage Telugu, Gondi, English rendu scripts lo installed. "Sacred site , access by village council permission only."
Aa signage 2024 December lo officially inaugurated. Laxman Rao (now 60) ooru sarpanch term complete aipoyinda, aayana successor Gavi Rao (42, progressive younger generation) ippudu seat lo. Gavi Rao 2020 incident ni personal ga witness chesaaru youth member ga, aa time lo council vote lo mid-split ga undaru — aayana 7-day extension vote ki 'against' vesaaru. Aayana post-2023 lo sarpanch role lo community-protection policies hardening ni drive chesthunnaaru.
Real-world context: Wikipedia — Telangana
Aa cheruvu water ippudu oka curiously clear tint ga undi 2023 post-monsoon nunchi — villagers aa change ni "Persapen pleased with proper respect flow" ga interpret chestaaru. Dr. Vamsi scientific angle nunchi — "decreased nutrient run-off due to buffer zone respect, likely improved clarity." Rendu interpretations valid ga co-exist.
Rithu — team's documentary photographer — 2021 lo aa Cherla experience ni a personal photo-essay series ga published chesaaru Hyderabad Literature Festival parallel photo exhibit lo. Aa series lo Cherla name avoided, kaani encounter's emotional weight captured. Oka specific black-and-white frame — Dr. Vamsi ooru priest Chandraiah chethulu kinda forehead-turmeric ritual receive chesthunnappudu — aa exhibit's defining image ga interpreted ayindhi reviewers chaalam. Rithu aa exhibition revenue lo 40% direct ga Cherla village ki donated chesindhi, chinna community infrastructure kosam. Transparency as a public principle for outsider-engagement accepted.
Aa lake — Gangama Chintala Cheruvu — ippatiki community's sacred space. Outsiders ki access strictly regulated. Gond community's Persapen daggara peace ga unnadu. Outsiders ki respect-first approach implement ayite, lake's self-protective energies dormant ga undi.
Author's note
Adilabad forest belt ni nenu personal ga 2021 winter lo oka camping trip lo visit chesaanu — Kerameri mandal side kaadu, Utnoor side. Aa time lo oka Gond guide tho 2 days forest walk — aayana ki Adilabad's Persapen clan deity network gurinchi stories cheppaaru. Prathi clan ki oka specific water body, forest grove, or hill associated ga undi. Outsiders ki access ki strict protocols. Commercial exploitation lo — mining, tourism, academic research — chaala tension undi local communities ki. 2022-2024 lo naaku oka Hyderabad based NGO-sector friend experience shared chesaaru real one — Adilabad area lo oka 7-day extension team member ki health crisis ayindhi, 40-day tribal-ritual observance tho recovery. Aa incident ni fictional ga re-frame chesaanu ee story ki — peru, NGO, village slightly altered. Mana urban sensibilities rural-tribal knowledge ki respect-first approach learn cheyyali. 2024 Adilabad Forest Department Act amendments community-consent ki more weight ichaayi — positive direction. Meeru Adilabad side trekking or research ki vellaaru? Comments lo mee experiences share cheyyandi.
— Sai Kiran · Lighted Tales
© 2026 Sai Kiran Pandrala / Lighted Tales · https://teluguhorrorstories.blogspot.com
Original Telugu horror fiction. Folk-source material where referenced is public domain.
Modern characters, apartments, companies, and phone numbers are fictional.
Any resemblance to real persons, businesses, or events is coincidental.
Audio version: youtube.com/@Lightedtales
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