:::Great-WARANGAL:::
Warangal, once the capital of the Kakatiya Kingdom, is the fifth largest city of Andhra Pradesh. Warangal's History, with beautiful lakes, fine temples, rich fauna & flora have contributed to its importance as a Tourist Centre. The ancient name of Warangal was known to be Oruguallu or Omtikonda on account of huge boulder like hillock situated near the swayambhu Siva Temple and is also called "EKASILANAGARAM". In course of time, it was called as "Orugallu", and finally known as Warangal. Warangal the ancient Kakatiya Kingdom has everything to satisfy the thirst of tourist all over the world. It has beautiful Lakes , Forts, Architectural Monuments, Wild Life Sanctuary, Musical Garden , Rock Garden, Vana Vigyana Kendra, Regional Science Centre , a fine blend of new and old. The Capital of Kakatiyas is just 150 KM from Hyderabad , the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
HISTORY:
Warangal was the capital of Kakatiya kingdom ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty from the 12th to the 14th centuries. Warangal also known as Orugallu, Ekasila Nagaram and Andhra Nagaram, Andhra refers to Andhra Maha Vishnu. The old name is Orugallu. Oru means one and Kallu means stone. The Kakatiyas left many monuments, including an impressive fortress, four massive stone gateways, the Swayambhu temple dedicated to Shiva, and the Ramappa temple situated near Ramappa Lake. The cultural and administrative distinction of the Kakatiyas was mentioned by the famous traveller Marco Polo. Famous or well-known rulers included Ganapathi Deva, Prathapa Rudra, and Rani (queen) Rudrama Devi. After the defeat of PratapaRudra, the Musunuri Nayaks united seventy two Nayak chieftains and captured Warangal from Delhi sultanate and ruled for fifty years. Jealousy and mutual rivalry between Nayaks ultimately led to the downfall of Hindus in 1370 A.D. and success of Bahmanis. Bahmani Sultanate later broke up into several smaller sultanates, of which the Golconda sultanate ruled Warangal. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb conquered Golconda in 1687, and it remained part of the Mughal empire until the southern provinces of the empire split away to become the state of Hyderabad in 1724 which included the Telangana region and some parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Hyderabad was annexed to India in 1948, and became an Indian state. In 1956 Hyderabad was partitioned as part of the States Reorganization Act, and Telangana, the Telugu-speaking region of Hyderabad state which includes Warangal, became part of Andhra Pradesh.
Demographics:
According to the 2011 census Warangal district has a population of 3,522,644, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait or the US state of Connecticut. This gives it a ranking of 82nd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 274 inhabitants per square kilometre (710 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 8.52%Warangal has a sex ratio of 994 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 66.16%.
Culture:
Warangal is an excellent abode of fine arts and literature. Many art forms from folklore to the modern arts of singing, dance, painting, poetry and films have been flourished in the land.
Dancing monkeys is the major attraction of the people and a source of income for several residents.
Administration:
The civic administration is managed by. Warangal Municipal Corporation. Warangal, which comprises three cities - Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet -The first election was held on adult franchisee in 1952 under Hyderabad Municipal and Town Committees Act, 1951 and a committee was constituted. was declared as urban area in 1901 and made a major municipality in 1934. Later, Warangal was upgraded to a special grade municipality in July 1959 and as a selection grade municipality in July 1960 and was declared as Municipal Corporation on August 18, 1994.
Tourism:
Thousand Pillar Temple pond
The Thousand Pillar Temple (Telugu: వెయ్యి స్థంభాల గుడి) is a historic Hindu temple located in Hanamakonda Town, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Surya. The Thousand Pillar Temple is one of the very old temples of South India that was built by the kakatiyas. It stands out to be a masterpiece and achieved major heights in terms of architectural skills by the ancient Kakatiya vishwakarma sthapathis. It is believed that the Thousand Pillar Temple was built by King Rudra Deva in 1163 AD. The Thousand Pillar Temple is constructed on a platform that is raised to one meter height from the ground level. The temple is provided with a number of pillars which are intricately carved and adorned. Rock cut elephants and perforated screens in the temple are characteristic of the then prevailing dynasty.
Bhadrakali Temple Painting of Goddess Bhadrakali:
Bhadrakali Temple in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh is known to be one of the oldest temples for Goddess Bhadrakali in India. This temple is located on the banks of the Bhadrakali lake, a picturesque location between Hanamkonda and Warangal. As per the writings on the temple wall this temple is believed to be constructed by the King Pulakesi II of Chalukya dynasty around 625 A.D to commemorate his victory over Vengi region of Andhra Desham. This can be observed from the square pillars used in the temple structure which were different from the circular pillars commonly used in temples constructed by Kakatiyas. Bhadrakali Temple has become a major tourist place and people from many parts of India visit this temple.
Warangal fort Warangal fort Ruins:
The existence of Warangal Fort in the present-day Indian state of Andhra Pradesh traced back to at least the 13th century CE. Although precise dating of its construction and subsequent enhancements are uncertain, historians and archaeologists generally accept that an earlier brick-walled structure was replaced with stone by Ganapatideva, who died in 1262, and that his successors – Rudramadevi and Prataparudra – added to its height and added gateways, square bastions and additional circular earthern walls prior to the latter's death in 1323. This places the construction towards the end of the Kakatiya period. There were later modifications between the 15th and 17th centuries, comprising principally the addition of barbicans to the four gates in the stone wall and the creation of gates in the outer earthern wall.Remnants of the structure can be seen today near to the town of Warangal, which was the Kakatiya capital. The Archaeological Survey of India has listed the remains as a Monument of National Importance.
Ramappa Temple:
Ramappa also known as the Ramalingeswara temple, is located 77 km from Warangal, the ancient capital of the Kakatiya dynasty, 157 km from Hyderabad in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It lies in a valley at Palampet village of Venkatapur Mandal, in erstwhile Mulug Taluq of Warangal district, a tiny village long past its days of glory in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Ramappa Temple, many of the smaller structures were neglected and are in ruins. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has taken charge of it. The main entrance gate in the outer wall of the temple is ruined. Exactly Ramappa temple is located in Palampet,Venkatapur mandal, which is 19 km far from Mulugu Mandal (50 km off Warangal).
Pakhal Lake:
Pakhal Lake, situated amidst undulating forest land hills and dales is a popular retreat for the tourists. The lake, constructed around 1213 A.D. by Kakatiyan Ruler, Ganapathidev and spread over an area of 30 km2., provides a beautiful site. Set around the shores of this lake is the Pakhal Wild Life Sanctuary with an area of 839 km2. It is a dense forest shelter for a variety of fauna. If, one is lucky, one can spot a tiger or a leopard or a bear and one can find a herd of deer roaming about freely in the wild. The sanctuary is also harbouring Mammals like panthers, hyenas, wolves, wild dogs, jackals, sloth bear, nilgal, porcupine, langoor, Reptiles like python, cobra, common krait, monitor lizard and Crocodiles. Pakhal is situaled about 50 km east of Warangal and it is well connected by road passing through the east while taluk headquarters of Narsampet town which about 12 km away
Bhadrakali Temple:
The temple, as the name enunciates, is decorated with one thousand pillars. This famous historic monument was built in 1163 A.D. by a Kakatiyan ruler, Rudradev and was named after him as Sri Rudreshwara Swamy Temple. The temple is built in unique "Trikootalaya" style of Kakatiyas, the presiding deity in the main "Sanctum Sanctorum" is Rudreshwar and the other two are dedicated to "Lord Surya" and "Lord Vishnu" the temple is on a satellite plan with the three shrines connected to a square Rung Mandap in the centre. A beautifully carved giant "Nandi" as in Lepakshi is seen on the platform connecting the shrines in the mandap. The exterior wall of the temple, the celling slabs and the four central pillars of the navarangal mandap are decorated with finely carved sculptures of the deities. The sculptures of Indra with Airavata craftsmanship of the Kakatiya Dynasty. Apart from these, mythical figure brackets such as Gaja-Kesari, Half human-Lion form riding on elephant, Horse-head Lion back on elephant are also arranged under the eves in eastern and southern side porticos. To the north from main temple, there is another temple dedicated t Siva which is exact replica of the main temple. To the south of the main temple, there is a pillared mandap whose central ceiling is decorated with different kinds patma motives. More over nineteen subsidiary shrines consisting of garbhgriha and antarala are placed around the temple
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