History of warangal

Warangal was the capital of a Hindu Shaivite kingdom[citation needed] ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The old name of this city is Orugallu. 'Oru' means one and 'Kallu' means stone. The entire city was carved in a single rock, hence the name Orukallu meaning 'one rock'. The city was also called Ekasila nagaram. 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. After the defeat of Prataparadura, the Musunuri Nayaks united seventy two Nayak chieftains and captured Warangal from Delhi sultanate and ruled for fifty years. Jealousy and mutual rivalry between Nayaks ultimately led to the downfall of Hindus in 1370 A.D and success of Bahmanis. Bahmani Sultanate 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 is the most important historic city in the Telangana region. It was the capital of the Kakatiya rulers who practised Veera Shaivam which led to the constrcution of some magnificient Shiva temples in the area.The temples at Ramappa and Hanamkonda stand as testament to the artistic and architectural finery of the times. The remains of the fort they built suggest the erstwhile glory of the town.

In recent times, Warangal became an important city in terms of trade and commerce. An important producer or fine rice, red chillies and cotton, Warangal boasts of one of the largest food grain markets in Asia.

Warangal and Hanamkonda as legend goes is linked with the dynasties of Great "Vishnukundins" and even prior to it also of the Buddhist and pre_Buddhist periods of indian History.During Eighth Century A.D. , Warangal with an old name "Orukal" has served as Capital City of Yadava king of the Kakatiyas or Ganapatis making Warangal as Capital City.The name of Warangal "Orugallu" is said to be correct form of Orukal which is the original designation ,the old town.The words the middle of the Warangal fort.The Kakatiya line seems to have been in existance even earlier to the middle of 7th Century A.