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Once the capital of
Andhra Pradesh's warrior dynasty-the Kakatiya
rulers, Warangal proudly preserves the ancient
Kakatiya heritage in the form of exquisitely built
temples, forts and other monuments. Warangal lies
157 kms away from Andhra Pradesh's capital city of
Hyderabad. The beautiful lakes and wildlife of the
place complements the ancient heritage and
strengthens Warangal's claim of being a major
tourist destination.
Accommodation and connectivity
Hyderabad is the airport nearest to Warangal at a
distance of 157 kms. Warangal figures prominently in
the railway map of India. There are trains between
Warangal and most major destinations of India.
Regular bus services are available from Hyderabad,
Karimnagar,Vijayawada and other districts of the
state.
Accommodation
facilities in Warangal are very good. Apart from
private hotels, the state tourism department also
runs a few good hotels.
Tourist Attractions
The Thousand Pillar Temple
The famous Thousand-Pillar Temple is dedicated to
the gods Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The major
attraction of the temple are the thousand pillars in
black stone. All the pillars have exquisite
geometric designs carved out on them. A life size
cut-out of Nandi -the bull on a granite stone is
also very impressive. There also are rock cut
elephants on both sides of the main shrine.
Bhadrakali Temple
The Bhadrakali Temple was built during the Kakatiya
period and is situated on a hillock. There is a 2.7
metre tall stone image of the deity-Goddess Kali.
The architectural influence is that of the Chalukyan
period..
Warangal
Fort
The Warangal fort was built by Kakatiya King
Ganapati Deva and his daughter Rudramma during the
13th century. The fort is basically a mud and brick
structure most of which is in ruins now. There are
four huge stone gateways quite similar to the ones
at Sanchi and points towards a Buddhist influence.
The circumference of the outer wall of the fort is
49 kms which is regarded as very large and unique.
Jain Temple
The 2,000-year-old Jain temple of Lord Mahaveer in
Warangal is thronged by members of the community
from all over India. The temple has many beautiful
images of Thirthankaras. There is a 5 ft high image
of Mahavira that looks most attractive.
Excursion Delights
Ramappa Temple
The Ramappa temple is famous for meticulously done
carvings on the walls, pillars and ceilings. The
temple is located 64 kms off Warangal. The temple is
dedicated to Lord Shiva. This beautiful temple
stands on a six feet high star-shaped platform with
numerous date palm trees dotting the surroundings.
It is interesting to note that the temple is named
after the sculptor of the temple and not after the
presiding deity. The beautiful Ramappa lake built
around the same period flows from near the temple.
Pakhal wild life sanctuary
The Pakhal sanctuary covers an area of 90 acres
around the lake. Many different animal and bird
species including tigers, leopards, hyenas and deer
are found here.
Eturnagaram
Sanctuary
In the Eturnagaram Sanctuary, apart from different
animal and bird species, precious trees like teak
are also found. The sanctuary covers an area of 812
sq. km. The area is mostly plain with some hilly
terrain at altitude ranging from 200-450 metres with
many streams and springs. The wildlife sanctuary is
located 90 kms off Warangal.
Kolanupaka is situated between Hyderabad and
Warangal. During the medieval period, the village
was a religious centre of Jainism. In present times
also, the place holds lots of significance for the
Jain community. The state department of Archeology
has established a sculptural museum at the place.
Warangal may not be a widely known tourist
destination of India, yet the art and architecture
of the medieval period that the place preserves
still attracts sizeable number of tourists.
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