Warangal Wonders: Exploring the Rich Heritage and Culture
Every corner of India is blessed with a story to tell. The more we explore her, the more we realize that there is a new tale that is waiting to be heard. Warangal, a town situated in the southern state of Telangana, is one such corner whose tale is an unparalleled beauty of its own. Warangal, blessed with a blazing history and foliage forms a scintillating tourist destination among travel enthusiasts. The town was also accorded World Heritage City status by UNESCO. Even the Government of India's tourism ministry conferred the city as the Best heritage city along with Jaipur. Today, the City is home to some of India's finest educational institutes such as Kakatiya University, National Institute of Technology Let's explore more about this historic heritage!!!
History of Warangal
Being a Historically revolutionary town, it is important to shed some light on the history of Warangal. Warangal had served as the capital of the Kakatiya dynasty in the region of Andhra in the 13th century. Under the Kakatiyas, the town of Warangal became a major producer of diamonds producing some of the finest diamonds including the Kohinoor as well as the producer of some of the finest fabrics. Italian traveler Marco Polo has described that the people of the Kingdom had a great abundance of all necessities of life.
After the end of the Kakatiya rule, Warangal came under the rule of the Delhi sultanate till the 14th century followed by the rule of the Bahmani sultanate. Warangal continued to be ruled by the Bahmanis until the 1518 century when the Governor of Golkonda, Quli Qutb Mulk revolted against the Bahmani sultanate. Later on, the Warangal town came under the Asaf jahi dynasty whose descendants were later called the Nizams of Hyderabad. Post Independence, Warangal joined on to become a part of the state of Andhra Pradesh. However, with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Warangal is now a part of Telangana.
The Pride of Warangal- Rudramadevi
Rudramadevi, who ruled the Kakatiya dynasty for four decades was the only female ruler of the Kingdom. She inherited the Kingdom from her father Ganapati Deva who chose her as his heir over other male members of their extended family. She was the only Independent female ruler who was mentioned by Marco Polo in his journey across the world. Rudramadevi came to power under troubled times when the neighboring dynasties took it as an opportunity to annex the Kakatiya kingdom.
She also faced a great deal of opposition from the noblemen of her state who could not accept the thought of being ruled by a woman. Nevertheless, She assumed the title of Raja-gaja-kesari after defeating King Mahadeva who belonged to the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri. Despite continuous warfare, Rudramadevi was able to preside over a golden age of the Kakatiyas due to her wit and policies.
