Warangal's fort, lying southeast of the present-day city,
was once surrounded by two walls; traces of the outer wall
remain, as do the four stone gateways ('sanchar') of the
inner wall. A thousand-pillared temple, built in 1162, is
located within the city itself. Warangal is now a commercial
and industrial center.
Prola Raja of the Kakatiya dynasty founded the place in
the 12th century AD, but some identify it with Worakalli,
the capital of the Adeva Rajas of Tuluva Andhra or Telengana
in the 8th century AD. Warangal or Varankal is believed
to be the Korun Kula of Ptolemy, while another name is Akshalinagar,
evidently Yeksilanagar mentioned by Raghunath Bhaskar in
his Aravachan Kosh.
The ancient name of Warangal was known to be Orugallu 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 has many places, which attracts tourists in large
number. It finds a reference in the travel diaries of Marco
Polo.
Prime Attractions
Thousand Pillar Temple
This temple is a fine specimen of Kakatiya architecture
and sculpture. It was built by Rudra Deva in 1163 AD in
the style of Chalukyan temples, star shaped and triple shrined.
The 3 shrines are dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya.
The temple is famous for its richly carved pillars, screens
and detailed sculpture. The black basalt Nandi, a monolith,
has a lovely polished finish.
Bhadra Kali Temple
Situated on a hilltop between Hanamkonda and Warangal,
it is noted for its stone image of the Goddess Kali. She
is depicted with eight arms and carries a weapon in each
hand.
Warangal Fort
Warangal fort is 12-km from Hanamakonda, which dates back
to the 13th century. The Kakatiya king, Ganapati Deva and
his daughter Rudramma built the fort. Though the main fort
has been ravaged over time, the remains of the four huge
stone gateways, similar to those of Sanchi, along with several
exquisite pieces of sculpture can still be seen in and around
the fort.
