Warangal is situated about 150 km in  north-east of Hyderabad. Warangal  was once the capital of the Kakatiya kingdom which spanned the greater part of present-day Andhra Pardesh from the latter half of the 12th century until it was conquered by Tughlaqs of Delhi early in 14th century. Warangal's history, beautiful lakes, fine temples and rich fauna and flora, have contributed  to its importance as a tourist centre. The Hindu Kakatiyas were great builders and patrons of the arts, and it was during their reign that the Chalukyan style of temple architecture and decoration reached the pinnacle of its development. There is  a colourful wool market a couple of hundered meters past the bus stand.

It is famous for its thousand pillar temple-a specimen of the Chalukya architecture. The fort was built by the Kakatiyas, who ruled between 12th and 14th centuries. Ruins of the mud-brick fort survive in certain portions. Kakatiyas held Golconda prior to the advent of the Qutb Shahi’s and their original mud fort atop the Golconda hill was replaced with stone fortifications. The great temple at Harnamkonda was built on the slopes of the hill in 1163 by Rudra Deva. It carries some exquisitely carved pillars. The monolithic Nandi sits on guard at the entrance which also has rock cut statues of elephants on either side. The Warangal fort was conquered by Muhammad Tughlaq in the 14th century suffering much destruction. The freestanding gateway in the Buddhist tornan style is the most magnificent structure of its kind.

Facts of the Warangal