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 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

Place of Interest

Thousand Pillar Temple: This temple is one of the finest examples of Kakatiya architecture and sculpture. Rudra Deva built it in 1163 in the style of Chalukyan temples, star shaped and triple shrined.Recently when the archeological department was making excavations, they found a well below the kalyanamantapam, which leads us to the conclusion that the foundation of this wonderful structure was built on water!.

Warangal Fort: Warangal fort, which dates back to the 13th century, is 2 km away from the Warangal Railway station. 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.

Planetarium and Musical Garden: There is a planetarium and a beautiful garden near to Bhadrakali Temple. The garden has a good sound and light shows with water fountains. This place is famous with the students.

Ramappa Temple also known as Ramalingeswara Temple, this temple is situated in Palampet village, 70 km from Warangal. This is a beautiful monument dating back to 1213. It displays the glory and richness of the Kakatiya kingdom and is the finest specimen of the temple architecture of the time.

Bhadra Kali Temple: 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).

Samakka-Sarakka Jatra: (see 'Festivals' above)It is a biennial event held once in every two years. People from almost all the South Indian states come to worship these deities. Siddeshwara Temple:Which was built in 3rd century, its one of the paschima dwara mukha temple (that is the entrance will be from west)

Jain Temple at KolanupakaJain Temple at Kolanpak or Kolanupaka : The 2,000-year-old Jain temple of Mahavira is a famous place of worship for Jains in the country. The temple is embellished with beautiful images of Tirthankaras. The 5 ft high image of Mahavira is carved entirely out of jade. Kolanupaka is off the town of Aler which lies almost exactly midway(75km) between Warangal and Hyderabad. This was the second capital town of Kalyani Chalukyas during the 11th century. During this period the village was a religious centre of Jains, and ranks among other great Jain centers in the south. The State Department of Archaeology and Museums established the Kolanupaka Museum which exhibits exquisite artifacts from the numerous historical monuments in Kolanupaka.

Pembarti village: famous for brassware lies on the Warangal-Hyderabad highway, 15 km from Jangaon and 10km before Aler town. It has a quaint little railway station made famous in the telugu movie hit Varsham(Rain).

Sri Veeranarayana Temple: This temple was built in the Chalukyan style around 1104.

Pakhal Lake: A man-made lake built in 1213 by the Kakatiya king, Ganapathideva, by harnessing a small tributary of the Krishna River. It is located 50 km from Warangal and spreads over an area of 30 km².

Vanavigyan Kendra: Situated on Hunter Road between Hanamkonda and Warangal. [Komaravelli ]: Komaravelli is holy place where devotees worship Komaravelli Mallana Swamy. Komaravelli is situated just before 10 km from Siddipet while going from Hyderabad/Secundrabad. There is no train facility here, and it can only be reached by road.

Bussapur:village of govindaraopet mandal a suspension bridge is here. it is 178mts long. this bridge is on laknavaram lake. 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".