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Warangal

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Warangal [pronunciation] is a city in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh state of southeastern India. Warangal is 157 km northeast of the state capital of Hyderabad. Warangal is the administrative seat of Warangal District. It is the fourth-largest city in Andhra Pradesh with a population is 9,28,570 (agglomeration 10,77,190) (2006 census).[[Citing sources citation needed]] It is the second largest city in Telangana

Warangal is a major urban centre serving the educational, medical, trading and cultural needs of the people of the backward Telangaan region. It has the only university in Telangana outside Hyderabad. MGM (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial) hospital serves the medical needs of not only people from Warangal but from all over Telangana.

Warangal District has an area of 12,846 km², and a population of 2,818,832 (1991 census). The district is bounded by Karimnagar District to the north, Khammam District to the east and southeast, Nalgonda District to the southwest, and Medak District to the west. Warangal is well known for granite quarries (notably the black and brown varieties), grain market for rice, chillies, cotton, and tobacco.

Education

The city is the home to the National Institute of Technology, Warangal (NITW)[link], formerly known as Regional Engineering College, Warangal (REC) ranked as the best NIT. It is alos home to the only full fledged university in Telangana, Kakatiya University and the well established Kakatiya Medical College, and Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Sciences(KITS-Wgl)[link].

History

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Warangal was the capital of a Hindu Shaivite kingdom ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The old name of this city is Orugallu 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) Rudramma Devi.

Kakatiya rule ended in the 14th century, when Warangal was conquered by the Muslim-ruled Bahmani Sultanate, which 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, was joined to Andhra Pradesh.

Warangal witnessed one of the bloodiest movements in Independent India. In 1969, the people of Telangana raised their voice asking for a separate state. They felt discriminated in the Unified State and wanted to revert back the unification to exist separately as was the case until 1956. Warangal being in the heart of Telangana and an educational center was the brewing ground of the movement and lead it from the front. The students, peasants, government employees all joined their forces. The Indian government crushed the movement using force by bringing in the military. More than 400 Telangana students lost their lives in the struggle.

Places of interest

Warangal Fort Warangal fort is 2 km from Warangal Railway station, which dates back to the 13th century. The fort was destroyed by invaders, only remnants will be seen. The fort had three layers of protection, remnants of which can still be seen today. First layer is a wall made of mud which is currently about 40 feet high and encircles the entire fort, the circumference of which is a few kilometers. Second layer is a wall made up of granite rock. Than the actual main fort. The famous stone gateways that are still present and stand about 50 feet from the ground are a masterpiece and carved out of a single rock. They are called Kirti Toranas(great gateways) of Kakatiyas. They have become a symbol for Andhra Pradesh tourism and its replicas made out of concrete can be seen in various parts of the state.

Thousand Pillar Temple: This temple is one of the finest examples of Kakatiya architecture and sculpture. Rudra Deva built it in 1163 in the style of Chalukyan temples, star shaped and triple shrined.

Bhadra Kali Temple: Situated on a hilltop between Hanamkonda and Warangal, it is noted for its stone image of the Goddess Kali. The temple is located beside the "Bhadrakali" lake (Cheruvu).

Siddeshwara Temple:Which was built in 3rd century, its one of the pachimadwara muka temple (that is the entrance will be from west)

Jain Temple: The 2,000-year-old Jain temple of Mahavira is a famous place of worship for Jains in the country. The temple is embellished with beautiful images of Tirthankaras. The 5 ft high image of Mahavira is carved entirely out of jade.

Kolanupaka: Kolanupaka, 80 km from Hyderabad, is situated between Hyderabad and Warangal. This was the second capital town of Kalyani Chalukyas during the 11th century. During this period the village was a religious centre of Jains, and ranks among other great Jain centers in the south. The State Department of Archaeology and Museums established the Kolanupaka Museum which exhibits exquisite artifacts from the numerous historical monuments in Kolanupaka.

Sri Veeranarayana Temple: This temple was built in the Chalukyan style around 1104.

Pakhal Lake: A man-made lake built in 1213 by the Kakatiya king, Ganapathidev, by harnessing a small tributary of the Krishna River. It is located 50 km from Warangal and spreads over an area of 30 km².

Ramappa Temple: also known as Ramalingeswara Temple, this temple is situated in Palampet village, 70 km from Warangal. This is a beautiful monument dating back to 1213. It displays the glory and richness of the Kakatiya kingdom.

Vanavigyan Kendra: Situated on Hunter Road between Hanamkonda and Warangal.

The district currently hosts the Samakka-Sarakka Jatra congregation. Every two years, approximately 5 million people converge over three days around the small village of Medaram, 90 km from Warangal city. This fair commemorates the valiant fight put up by a mother-daughter combination with the reigning rulers over an unjust law.

Komaravelli: Komaravelli is holy place where devotees worship Komaravelli Mallana Swamy. Komaravelli is situated just before 10 km from Siddipet while going from Hyderabad/Secundrabad. There is no Train Facility here. The only mode of transport is by Road.

The fair starts on first week of January and lasts at "Ugadi" every year. On the last week of fair devotees walk on the fire called "Aggi Gundalu". Devotees not only come from different parts of Andhar Pradesh but also from neighbouring states. - BMKS

Getting There

Economy

Warangal has a predominantly agri based economy. It is home to the worlds second largest grain market in Enamamula. It is the trading center for the farmers from the Telangana region.

The Industry has been neglected in the region by successive governments. Even the existing industries in the Nizam rule like Azam jahi mills got cloised down leading to severe unemployment in teh region which resulted in the growing naxalite movement. Warangal has several small to medium scale industries but no large scale ones.

The recent government setup an STPI(Software technology parks of India) with the intention of taking the benefits of teh IT revolution to the seciond tier cities. several companies have shown interest in settiong up operation in Warangal. Warangal makes excellent location because of its proximity to Hyderabad, the student pool from some of the best institutes in teh country, good transportation facilites, infrastructure, lower traffic problems etc.

External links

  1. redirect

 


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