Located in Medak district of Telangana, the colonial-era Sangareddy jail was constructed in 1796 when the Nizams ruled the region. Apparently, the 200 plus-year-old prison at Sangareddy is one of the oldest prisons in India still operational today, and has been officially turned into a tourist attraction.
Nowadays, the prison department has been offering ‘Feel the Jail,’ which allows tourists to live in jail for 500 INR per day!
In the beginning after its launch in 2016, there were hardly any takers for the jail experience, but the scheme soon caught the fancy of international tourists. So far, more than 45 foreign tourists have liked the ‘Feel the Jail’ programme.
So, the next obvious question is – how to go about it? Well, intending visitors need to inform the jail authorities beforehand so that they can make the preparations for the visiting inmates in advance. Be prepared, however, to live the authentic jail life. Visitors are provided with a pair of khadi uniform, steel plate and glass, a mug, washing and bathing soap, bedding and other bare necessities. As far as food is concerned, the jail menu has chapati, rice, rasam, vegetable curries, and curd along with tea and snacks for the temporary prisoners. The food is sourced from the new district jail close to Kandi village on the periphery of Sangareddy town.
The jail inmates do not have to sweat it out in mundane chores; but they are not provided with room service, either. All they are expected to do is clean their barracks and gardening (which is optional). After all, you won’t know how it is to be confined in a prison until you do a wee bit of hard work.
