Warangal

Warangal pronunciation is a city and the district headquarters of Warangal Urban District and Warangal Rural District's in the Indian state of Telangana. Warangal is the second biggest city in Telangana after Hyderabad, spreading across 407.77 km (253 mi) with a population of 811,844. Along with 11 other cities in the country with rich culture and heritage, it is chosen for the scheme of HRIDAY – Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana by Government of India. It is also selected as a smart city in the "fast-track competition", which makes it eligible for additional investment to improve the urban infrastructure and industrial opportunities under Smart Cities Mission.

Warangal served as capital of Kakatiya dynasty which was established in 1163. The monuments left by kakatiyas including fortress, lakes, temples, stone gateways, have helped the city to become a significant tourist attraction. The Kakatiya Kala Thoranam (Warangal Gate) was included in the Emblem of Telangana by the state government. In modern age, Warangal is the second fastest growing city of Telangana state which is accorded with Greater status to its civic administration. Including its two urban neighborhoods of Hanamkonda and Kazipet, it is locally called as Tri City.

Etymology

During Kakatiyan rule, the city was referred to as Orugallu. It was also known as Vorakalli, Tolini Koranakula and Akshalinagaram. Aravabinakosam, a literary work of Ragunatha Bhaskar mentioned Warangal as Ekasilanagaram.

History

Warangal was the ancient capital of kakatiya dynasty. It was ruled by many kings such as BetaRaja 1, ProlaRaja 1, BetaRaja 2, ProlaRaja 2, Rudradeva, Mahadeva, Ganapathideva, Prataparudra and Rani Rudrama Devi who is the only woman to rule over andhra. Beta Raja 1 is the founder of Kakatiya Dynasty and ruled the kindgom for 30 years and was succeeded by his son Prola Raja 1 who shifted his capital to Hanamkonda.

During the rule of Ganapathideva, the capital was shifted from Hanamkonda to Warangal. Kakatiya Period Inscriptions praised Warangal as best city within all of Andhra up to shores of the Ocean. 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 Marco Polo. After the defeat of Prataparudra II, the Musunuri Nayaks united 72 Nayak chieftains and captured Warangal from Delhi Sultanate and ruled for fifty years. After the demise of the Nayaks, Warangal was part of the Bahmani Sultanate and then the Sultanate of Golconda.

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 called as Hyderabad state. In 1956 Hyderabad state was partitioned as part of the States Reorganisation Act, and Telangana, the Telugu-speaking region of Hyderabad state, which includes Warangal, became part of Andhra Pradesh. After the Telangana movement, Telangana state was formed on 2 June 2014, warangal became part of Telangana State.

Geography and climate

Warangal is located at 18°00′N 79°35′E / 18.0°N 79.58°E / 18.0; 79.58. It has an average elevation of 302 metres (990 feet). It is settled in the eastern part of Deccan Plateau made up of granite rocks and hill formations which left the region barren making the cultivation depend on seasonal rainfalls. There are no river flows nearby warangal, which makes it to rely on Kakatiya Canal which originates from Sriram Sagar Project to meet the drinking water requirements. Located in the semi-arid region of Telangana, Warangal has a predominantly hot and dry climate. Summer starts in March, and peak in May with average high temperatures in the 42 °C (108 °F) range. The monsoon arrives in June and lasts until September with about 550 mm (22 in) of precipitation. A dry, mild winter starts in October and lasts until early February, when there is little humidity and average temperatures in the 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) range. Many hill rocks and lakes are located around warangal. Padmakshi hill and Govinda Rajula Gutta are two famous hills with temples.

Bhadrakali Lake and Waddepally Lake are the two famous lakes which adds scenic beauty and also are the major sources of drinking water.

Transport

Roadway

The city is connected to major cities and towns by means of road and railways. National and state highways that pass through the city are, National Highway 163, connecting Hyderabad and Bhopalpatnam; NH 563 connecting Ramagundam and Khammam; State highway 3. TSRTC operates buses to various destinations from Hanamkonda and Warangal bus stations of the city. City buses runs in various routes across the city and sub urban areas.

Railway

Warangal has two railway stations namely, Kazipet and Warangal on the important New Delhi-Chennai main line of Indian Railways. They are administered under the jurisdiction of the Secunderabad railway division of South Central Railway zone. Kazipet Junction shelters both Electric and Diesel Loco sheds with a capacity of holding 175 and 142 locomotives. Vanchanagiri, Hasanparthy Road railway station are the other railway stations within the city limits. The construction of third railway line between Balharshah and Kazipet was sanctioned at an estimated cost of ₹24.032 billion (US$360 million).

Airway

Warangal has an airport built by the Nizams at Mamnoor in 1930. It was largest airport in undivided India with 1,875 acres of land, a 6.6-km runway, a pilot and staff quarters, a pilot training centre and more than one terminal. Many cargo services and Vayudoot services were served. During the Indo-China war, it served as a hangar for government aircraft due to Delhi airport being a target in combat. It remained in service until 1981.

This airport is currently being used as NCC Training Centre by No. 4(A) air squadron for gliding sorties, skeet shooting and aero-modeling. There is no scheduled commercial air service from this airport at present.

Culture

The residents of the city are often referred as Warangalites. The Warangal Fort, Thousand Pillar Temple and Ramappa Temple are the World Heritage sites recognised by UNESCO. Bhadrakali Temple, Padmakshi Temple, Kazipet Dargah are other notable destinations of various religions. Bhadrakali Lake, Laknavaram Lake, Pakhal Lake, Ramappa Lake are the water bodies notable for tourism.

Bhadrakali Temple lake is being developed into the largest first Geo-Bio-Diversity cultural park in the country, with promenades, historic caves, suspension bridges, natural trails, nesting ground and ecological reserves.

The Ministry of Tourism has awarded Warangal as the best heritage city, at the National Tourism Awards for the year 2014-2015. This is third time in a row for the city to get this award since 2012.

Festivals

Festivals in the city include, a floral festival of Bathukamma being celebrated by women of the city, worshiping the goddess with different flowers for nine days. The women carry their Bathukamma to the nearest temple of their locality, then they clap, sing and dance rhythmically around the Bathukamma. Along with Bathukamma, Bonalu is also declared as a state festival on 15 June 2014. Other festivals are, Sammakka Saralamma Jatara (Medaram Jatara), a popular religious congregation in the honour of Goddess at Medaram of Warangal district.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the city is mainly of South Indian dishes. The breakfast items include Idli, Dosa, Vada, and Puri. Rice with variety of curries including curd is taken as main food and the most notable one is the Biryani. Special food items Harees and Haleem are traditional food items available in the season of Ramadan.