Warangal is located on northern Andhra Pradesh State lies along the
Chennai-Kazipet-Delhi rail route. Warangal was the ancient capital of the
Kakatiyas, an Andhra dynasty that flourished in the 12th century AD. The
city stands out for its beautiful lakes, temples and wildlife. It is very
rich in antiques and relics.
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.
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.