warangal telangana kakatiya dynasty capital- Travel blog

I have been a frequent visitor to this part of southern India in the last few years. Yet I was lazy enough to explore the historic side of the city. Warangal (previously known as ‘Orugallu’), situated around 140 km from the state capital of Hyderabad was once the capital of the renowned Kakatiya dynasty. Warangal along with Hanamkonda and Kazipet is usually known as the “tricity”. Rulers of Kakatiya dynasty ruled the city during the 11^th to the 13^th century and were later overthrown by the Delhi sultanate. The classical structure was the arch gate in typical Kakatiya style ( known as Kakatiya Kala Thoranam locally) which are spread out all over the city.

Warangal Telangana trip travel blog Wandererdoc Kakatiya — The Warangal gate !!

In my previous visit I was fortunate enough to see the Kakatiya festival in the Thousand Pillars temple, one of the pioneer structures of the dynasty. In the temple premises the locals had performed traditional dances and plays depicting the Hindu mythology. I was probably the only outsider that day and had a fun time with the locals. The 1000 pillars temple aka Rudreswara temple was built in the 11^th century is one of the most frequently visited sites in the area. It is situated in Hanamkonda, an adjacent town.

This time around I headed out to explore the Warangal fort. Though locals were skeptical about the current condition of the fort premises, I headed on to have a look myself. It took 30 minutes to reach the fort through the noisy traffic of the city. As I crossed the ruined fortified area I knew we had reached. We entered the premises after getting the tickets. The fort was maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. The main lawn had remains of what was once a flourishing empire of southern part of India. What now remained were ruins. There was a giant pillared structure at the center. Stone structures have some intricate carvings on them. Walking along the lawn we reached a temple where incense and flowers were spread on a platform. The giant gates were situated on the corners of the lawn. I found two dogs lying on another platform and enjoying the monsoon drizzle late in the afternoon.

After clicking few photographs, we headed out towards the Kush Mahal (aka Shitab Khan Palace) next to the fort premises. Unfortunately it was closed for renovation. We headed to the Thousand Pillars temple but it was already evening. So my aim of clicking the spectacular architecture in daylight was on hold for future.