Warangal (Telugu:[ʋɐrɐŋɡɐl]ⓘ) is a city in theIndian state ofTelangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 811,844 per2011 Census of India,[3][4] and spreading over an 406 km2 (157 sq mi).[1] Warangal served as the capital of theKakatiya dynasty which was established in 1163. The monuments left by the Kakatiyas include fortresses, lakes, temples and stone gateways which, in the present, helped the city to become a popular tourist attraction. TheKakatiya Kala Thoranam was included in theemblem of Telangana by the state government and Warangal is also touted as the cultural capital of Telangana.[5][6]
UNESCO has included Warangal in its Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) in recognition of the city's outstanding efforts to make lifelong learning a reality for all at the local level.[9]
The three urban cities:Kazipet,Hanamkonda and Warangal are together known asWarangal Tri-City. The three cities are connected by the National Highway 163 (Hyderabad–Bhuvanagiri–Warangal–Bhopalpatnam). The major stations are Kazipet Junction railway station and Warangal railway station.
During the 160 years ofKakatiya rule between 1163 and 1323 CE, Warangal was referred with various names likeOrugallu,Ekashila Nagaram, orOmatikonda; all these mean a 'single stone', referring to a huge granite boulder present in the Warangal fort.[10] When the Kakatiya dynasty was defeated byDelhi Sultanate in 1323 CE, rulerJuna Khan, Crown Prince ofGhiyath al-Din Tughluq, conquered the city and renamed it as Sultanpur.[11][12] LaterMusunuri Nayaks recaptured Warangal in 1336 CE and named it Orugallu again.
Warangal was the ancient capital of the Kakatiya dynasty.[13] It was ruled by many kings such as Beta Raja I, Prola Raja I, Beta Raja II, Prola Raja II,Rudradeva, Mahadeva, Ganapathideva,Prataparudra andRani Rudrama Devi who is the only woman to rule over Telugu region. Beta Raja I is the founder of Kakatiya Dynasty and ruled the kingdom for 30 years and was succeeded by his son Prola Raja I who shifted his capital toHanamkonda.[14]
During the rule of Ganapathideva, the capital was shifted from Hanamkonda to Warangal.[15] Kakatiya Period Inscriptions praised Warangal as the best city within the Telugu region, up to shores of the ocean.[16] The Kakatiyas left many monuments, including a fortress, four massive stone gateways, the Swayambhu temple dedicated toShiva, and theRamappa temple situated near Ramappa Lake. The cultural and administrative distinction of the Kakatiyas was mentioned byMarco Polo. After the defeat ofPrataparudra II, theMusunuri Nayaks united 72 Nayak chieftains and captured Warangal fromDelhi Sultanate and ruled for fifty years. After the demise of the Nayaks, Warangal was part of theBahmani Sultanate and then the Sultanate ofGolconda.
TheMughal emperorAurangzeb conqueredGolconda in 1687, and it remained part of the Mughal empire until the southern provinces of the empire split away to become the state ofHyderabad in 1724, which included the Telangana region and some parts ofMaharashtra andKarnataka. Hyderabad was annexed to India in 1948, and became anIndian state called Hyderabad state. In 1956, Hyderabad state was partitioned as part of theStates Reorganisation Act, and Telangana, theTelugu-speaking region of Hyderabad state, which includes Warangal, became part of Andhra Pradesh. After the Telangana movement, Telangana state was formed on 2 June 2014, Warangal became a part of Telangana State.
Warangal is located at18°00′N79°35′E / 18.0°N 79.58°E /18.0; 79.58. It has an average elevation of 266 metres (873 feet).[17] It is settled in the eastern part ofDeccan Plateau made up of granite rocks and hill formations[18] which left the region barren making the cultivation dependent on seasonal rainfall. There are no major rivers flowing near the city, making it reliant on theKakatiya Canal, which originates fromSriram Sagar Project, to meet the city's water requirements.[19][20] Located in the semi-arid region of Telangana, Warangal has a predominantly hot and dry climate. Summer starts in March, and peaks in May with average high temperatures in the 42 °C (108 °F) range. Themonsoon arrives in June and lasts until September with about 550 mm (22 in) of precipitation. A dry, mild winter starts in October and lasts until early February, when there is little humidity and average temperatures in the 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) range. Many hill rocks and lakes are located around warangal. Padmakshi hill, mettu gutta, hanumathgiri gutta, ursu gutta andGovinda Rajula Gutta are famous hills with temples.[21]
As of 2011[update]Census of India, the city has population of 627,449, which later increased to the present population of 830,281, including the expanded city limits.[3][4][1]
The major religion in Warangal isHinduism, with 83% of the population adhering to it.Islam is the largest minority, at 14%. There are small communities of Christians, Jews, and Buddhists.
Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation is the civic body of the city, which oversees the civic needs. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest urban local bodies in India.[1] City planning is governed by theKakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA), constituted in 1982 by the local government for the planning, development and management of the Kakatiya Urban Development Area.[27] It has its jurisdictional area spread over 1,805 km2 (697 sq mi), covering 19mandals, 181 villages in the three districts ofWarangal district,Hanamkonda andJangaon.[28] As of 2016[update], the corporation has bagged a total of eleven awards in various categories, such as conservation, sanitation, heritage, etc.[1]: 6 [29] For electoral purpose, the city is divided into 58electoral wards, of which 50% are reserved for women. A total of thirty seats are reserved forBC's (19),SC's (9) and ST's (2) respectively.[30]
In October 2012, the corporation conductedClean Cities Championship, which invited professionals from 57 municipalities across the state for effective waste management and was won byKhammam Municipal Corporation.[31][32][33] Following the event, Warangal became the first city in India to achieve 100% door-to-doorMSW collection. About 70% of households started practising two-bin MSW segregation into wet and dry waste. 420 cement bins and 128 dumpsters were removed from locations across Warangal making it a no dump city.[34] GWMC was able to reduce the MSW going to landfill by 30% to 40%.[35] and the dumpyard with significantly reduced load is, in phases, being converted into a nature park withvermicomposting sheds.[33]
The urban police district, which is responsible for maintaining law and order in city and agglomerated areas around Warangal was converted into a Police Commissionerate by the state government in 2015.[36][37] Inspector General will be working as police commissioner who is also given magisterial powers. There are around 71 police stations present underWarangal Police Commissionerate.[38]
Agriculture is the main economic activity with irrigation depending mainly on monsoon and seasonal rainfalls. Major crops arepaddy,cotton,mango andwheat. Warangal benefits from the Godavari lift irrigation scheme which is designed to lift water from theGodavari river to irrigate drought prone areas in the Telangana region.[42] The city hosts second-biggestgrain market of Asia, located in Enumamula.[43]
Information Technology is another sector in which the city is making steady progress with its Incubation centre atMadikonda. RecentlyTech Mahindra &Cyient have opened their development centres and many other IT majors likeMindtree, quadrant resource will be opening their offices shortly.[44][45]
In 2023,Kone, a leading elevator manufacturer, opened an office in Warangal.[46]
The city is connected to major cities and towns by means of road and railways.National andstate highways that pass through the city areNational Highway 163, connectingHyderabad andBhopalpatnam;NH 563 connectingRamagundam andKhammam; State highway 3.TSRTC operates buses to various destinations from Hanamkonda and Warangal bus stations of the city.[47] Nearly 78 City buses run in various routes across the city and sub urban areas while 45 city buses run from city to nearby villages.[48]
In 2024, it was reported that the construction onNH 563 to make it a four lane highway were nearly complete.[49]
Warangal has anairport built by the Nizams at Mamnoor in 1930. It was largest airport in undivided India with 1,875 acres of land, a 6.6-km runway, a pilot and staff quarters, a pilot training centre and more than one terminal. Many cargo services and Vayudoot services were served. During theIndo-China war, it served as a hangar for government aircraft due to Delhi airport being a target in combat. It remained in service until 1981.[56]
This airport is currently being used as NCC Training Centre by No. 4(A) air squadron for gliding sorties, skeet shooting and aero-modeling.[57] There is no scheduled commercial air service from this airport at present.
On 31 July 2023, the State Cabinet of Telangana approved the proposal to develop Mamnoor Airport. The proposal calls for the acquisition and subsequent allocation of the last 253 acres of required land to theAirport Authority of India for purposes of constructing a terminal building as well as extending the existing runway to accommodate larger aircraft such as theBoeing 747.[58][59][60]
The funds to acquire the remaining land were approved and released in November 2024, in the amount of ₹205 crores.[61]
Both government and private institutions have their presence in the city. On 2nd September 2022, Warangal joined theUNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).[62]
Bhadrakali Temple lake is being developed into the largest first Geo-Bio-Diversity cultural park in the country, with promenades, historic caves, suspension bridges, natural trails, nesting ground and ecological reserves.[66][67]
TheMinistry of Tourism awarded Warangal as the best heritage city, at the National Tourism Awards for the year 2014–2015.[68] This is the third time in a row for the city to get this award.[69]
Festivals in the city include, a floral festival ofBathukamma being celebrated by women of the city, worshiping the goddess with different flowers for nine days.[70] The women carry theirBathukamma to the nearest temple of their locality, then they clap, sing and dance rhythmically around the Bathukamma.[71] Along with Bathukamma,Bonalu is also declared as a state festival on 15 June 2014.[72] Other festivals are,Sammakka Saralamma Jatara (Medaram Jatara), a popular religious congregation in the honour of Goddess atMedaram ofWarangal district.
The cuisine of the city is mainly of Deccan dishes. Breakfast items include Idli, Dosa, Wada and Puri . Rice with a variety of curries including curd is consumed as the main meal.
Wagoner, Phillip B.; Rice, John Henry (2001). "From Delhi to the Deccan: Newly Discovered Tughluq Monuments at Warangal-Sult̤ānpur and the Beginnings of Indo-Islamic Architecture in Southern India".Artibus Asiae.61 (1):77–117.doi:10.2307/3249963.JSTOR3249963.(subscription required)
