For the district of the same name, see Warangal district.
Warangal or Orugallu or Ekasila Nagaram (Telugu: వరంగల్)pronunciation is a city and a municipal corporation in Warangal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Telangana region of the state. Warangal is 145 km northeast of the state capital of Hyderabad. Warangal is the administrative seat of Warangal District. It is the fourth largest city in Andhra Pradesh. With a population of nearly 13 lakhs. Warangal district has an area of 12,846 km², and a population of 2,818,832 (1991 census). The district is bounded by Karimnagar district to the north, Khammam district to the east and southeast, Nalgonda district to the southwest, and Medak district to the west. Warangal is located northeast of Hyderabad,India.Warangal is well known for granite quarries (notably the black and brown varieties), grain market for rice, chillies, cotton, and tobacco.
HistoryWarangal was the capital of a Hindu Shaivite kingdomcitation needed ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The old name of this newly formed 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. GeographyWarangal is located at .[1] It has an average elevation of 302 metres (990 feet). EconomyWarangal's economy is predominantly agricultural. It has a large grain market in Enamamula. This is a rice-growing region and most farmers grow rice for both subsistence and the market. Cotton has also been a major cash crop since the early 1990s; however the cotton sector has been troubled in recent years, and there was a well-publicized rash of suicides by cotton farmers in 1997-1998. Industry has been neglected in the region by successive governments. Some industries existing during the Nizam's rule, like Azam Jahi Cloth Mills, have been closed; unemployment in the region may help feed the Naxalite (Peoples War Group) movement. Warangal has several small to medium scale industries but no large scale ones. A STPI (Software technology parks of India)has been set up at National Institute of Technology, Warangal with the intention of taking the benefits of the Information Technology revolution to second tier cities. Warangal makes an excellent location for this because of its proximity to Hyderabad, the student pool from some of the best institutes in the country, good transportation facilities, infrastructure, lower traffic problems etc. Governance and politicsWarangal city is the headquarters of Warangal district. It contributes two seats(Hanamkonda and Warangal) in state legislature and two(Hanamkonda and Warangal) in Indian Paliament. PoliticsWarangal witnessed a bloody chapter in its history in 1969, called the "Mulki" (locals) agitation. In 1969, the people of Telangana raised their voice asking for a separate state. They felt discriminated in the Unified State of Andhra Pradesh and wanted to revert the unification, to exist separately as was the case before 1956. Warangal was the brewing ground of the movement and lead it from the front. Students, peasants, government employees all joined their forces. More than 400 Telangana students lost their lives in the struggle. In the early 2000s the movement for a separate Telangana was again started under the leadership of K Chandrasekhar Rao who established the political party 'Telangana Rashtra Samiti'(TRS). The party allied with the Indira Congress in the state elections. The alliance won majority, and Chandrasekhar Rao became a Union Minister. In 2006, as the Congress party was against separationism, Chandrasekhar Rao resigned his ministry and his Membership of the Parliament. Transport
DemographicsAs of 2001 India census,[2] Warangal had a population of 1,028,570. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Warangal has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 64%. In Warangal, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. CultureThe people of Warangal speak Telugu as main language. Both traditional attire like Saree, Lungi and Dhoti and modern dress styles are worn . The poets of this place include the ancient poets Potana and Palkuriki Somana to present day poets like Kaloji Narayana Rao, B Rama Raju, Pervaram Jagannatham, Kovela Sampatkumara, KOVELA SUPRASANNA,Ampasayya Naveen, RANGANATH MIDDELA Varavara Raoand Anwar have contributed to Telugu literature. Sarangapani was a famous folk singer, Nerella Venu Madhav was a mimicry artist who received accolades country wide. And also the famous music director Chakri is also from warangal dist.
FestivalsHindu festivals such as Dasara, Deepavali, Sankranti( Pongal ) are celebrated here.In addidtion, the district currently hosts the Samakka sarakka Jatra or congregation. Every two years(bi-annually) approximately 6 million people converge over three days around the small village of Medaram and its adjacent stream/rivulet, Jampanna Vagu, 90 km from Warangal city. This fair is said to be the largest repeating aggregation of tribal communities in the whloe world and commemorates the valiant fight put up by a mother-daughter combination (Samakka and Sarakka )with the reigning rulers over an unjust law. Bonalu, Bathukamma festivals symbolic of the Telangana region are celebrated here ( Bathukamma is clebrated particularly by women ).The residents of Warangal observe Muslim festivals such as Eid ul Fitr, Eid uzzuha, milad unnabi. Annual Catholic Christian Festival in the name of St.Mary: Fatima Feast is celebrated every year on February 12th and 13th by Catholic Christians at their Warangal Diocesian Head Quarters of Catherdral Church in Fatima Nagar,Kazipet. Though it is a Christian Festival, people from all the religions participate with much of devotion and deity. Places of interest
The fort was destroyed by invaders and only the ruins can now be seen. The fort had three layers of protection, remnants of which can still be seen today. The first layer is a mud wall, currently up to about 20 feet high and several kilometers in circumference, encircling the fort. The second layer is a wall up of granite rock. The fort has famous stone gateways, about 30 feet high and still standing, a masterpiece carved from a single rock. They are called Kirti Toranas (The gateways of glory) of Kakatiyas. They have become a widely replicated symbol for Andhra Pradesh tourism.
Situated on a hilltop between Hanamkonda and Warangal, it is noted for its stone image of the Goddess Kali. The temple is located on the banks of the "Bhadrakali" lake (Cheruvu).
The fair starts on first week of January and lasts until "Ugadi" every year. On the last week of fair devotees walk on fire, a ritual called "Aggi Gundalu". EducationWarangal is home to National Institute of Technology, Warangal (NITW), earlier known as Regional Engineering College Warangal (RECW),one of the top engineering institutions of India. Other premier institutes are Kakatiya University Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Sciences (KITS-Wgl) Vaagdevi college of engineering(Bollikunta-2 colleges VCEW,VECW) Balaji Institute of Technological Sciences(Narsampet-2 colleges BITS,BIES) Jayamukhi college of engineering(Narsampet-2 colleges JITS,JEC) S.R college of engg(Annasagar) Ramappa engg college(Hunter road) Ganapathi college of engg(Rangashaipet) S.V.S COLLEGE OF ENGG Talla Padmavathi college of engg(Somidi,Kazipet) CompaniesTechAce Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd.. Software Development Company Based In Warangal MediaStatewide newspapers like Eenadu and Vaartha and Jyothi publish editions from this city and are widely read. Deccan Chronicle and The Hindu are the`popular English dailies. Popular TV channels are Etv, Maa TV and Gemini of the Sun network. CinemaThere are many cinema places in Warangal such as Kakatiya Picture palace Gemini Adlabs(2 Screens) Ram Adlabs Laxman adlabs Ashoka Vijaya Amrutha Sridevi Susheel Krishna Sunil Venkatarama Devi etc. Telugu movies are the most popular ones, followed by Hindi and then English.
--------------------------- 93.5 S - FM Recently Sun Network started their FM Radio Channel also, which is receiving a very good response. The FM Market is ready to explode with some other big wigs. SportsCricket and football are the most watched and played games. Most played local games are badminton, volleyball, kabaddi and Gilli Danda.
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