Warangal: a Gateway to History
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DiscoVER INDIA Historic Splendour of which are seen today. The Fort was largely destroyed We began our historic exploration the next day with by General Malik Kafur and his army, as the dynasty Warangal: a visit to the erstwhile capital of the Kakatiya fell to the Delhi Sultanate. dynasty: the Warangal Fort. The Kakatiyas had The fort also has a shrine dedicated to Lord a gateway to history started out as feudal lords to the Chalukyas, and Shiva, with dwarapalakas on either side, a Ganesh ushered in the golden period as they ruled the temple, a Nandi mandapam, triangular blocks region between the 11th and 14th centuries. that were part of ceiling panels, a couple of The grandeur of the Kakatiyan empire was such elephants, pierced screens decorated with that it finds a mention even in the diaries of the swans, friezes with elephants, dancers and world-famous traveller Marco Polo. musicians — remnants of a what must have a The entrance to the fort lies beyond the monumental edifice. A mythical creature looking fort walls and an imposing arch. The vast open like a lion with bulbous eyes and a thick ornate mane expanse lies strewn with ruins: damaged sculptures, caught my attention. I later found out they are called statues, granite pillars and columns enclosed by four yalis, creatures who were stronger than lions and Marco Polo had referenced the massive stone gateways in each cardinal direction. cultural and administrative distinction elephants, and who symbolised the empire’s valour. These 30 feet tall exquisitely carved portals, also of the Kakatiyas in his travel diaries To the south of the Qila stood the hillock called Keerthi Toranas (Gateways of Glory), are Ekasilagutta, overlooking a lake and an adjoining park. upright and undamaged. A climb to the top lead to a temple, and offered beautiful panoramic views Constructed in the 13th century during the reign of the Kakatiya king of the suburbs and surrounding lush green fields. Ganapati Deva, and expanded by his warrior daughter Rani Rudrama Devi, We walked to Khush Mahal, around 200m away from the Qila, which this impressive fort once had three layers of defence. The outermost was stood in stark contrast to the Kakatiya architecture. In the 16th century, it made of mud walls while the middle was built of granite rocks, only traces was the audience hall of Shitab Khan, a Qutb Shahi governor of Warangal, The Warangal Fort, which was built in the 13th century, is strewn with ruins One can only marvel at the imposing Warangal Fort, and the intricate temples and sculptures left behind in the erstwhile capital of the Kakatiya dynasty. Lakshmi Prabhala explores the Telangana city. s we approached Warangal, a couple of tall and imposing Telangana’s Floral Festival boulders greeted us at Madikonda, a village in its outskirts. On our way towards Kavitha’s home, in Hanmakonda, on this It appeared as if these rock formations were sentinels October day, we could see the streets wearing a festive look as keeping an eye over the town. vendors lined up heaps of colourful flowers that go into the making These boulders set the precedent to the landscape in and of a floral arrangement worshipped as Bathukamma. As the evening Aaround the city, which is dotted with many hillocks. Kavitha, who had drew close, we joined a larger group of women, each decked in invited me to accompany her on a trip to Warangal, added, “Their names traditional finery, as they headed towards the open ground near are usually suffixed with gutta or konda; the more popular ones also have Padmakshigutta temple. a temple and a lake attached to them, as seen at Padmakshi-gutta or Women placed their assortment of Bathukammas in the Bhadrakali Temple.” middle, formed circles around it, and danced as they sang folk songs In its heyday, the city of Warangal was known as Ekasilanagaram specific to the festival, after which they proceeded to the lake. or Orugallu (one stone in Telugu), as it was ruled from a fort built on a By twilight, the lake was brimming with floral mounds of various single boulder. Today, it consists of three towns, Kazipet, Hanamkonda sizes, as the streets reverberated with the song “Bathukamma Pakhal Lake was constructed by and Warangal. Bathukamma Uyyalo”. the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva THE LEELA MAGAZINE | 56 | MONSOON 2017 MONSOON 2017 | 57 | THE LEELA MAGAZINE Built in typical Kakatiya style, the temple and its intricate pillars are a testament to the excellent workmanship of D OAR sculptors of the time B M A specimen of pre-historic rock art found ANA TOURIS at Pandavulaguttalu, near Warangal G AN L TE paintings depicting episodes from Hindu mythology. The paintings get period, in addition to the pleasant views of the verdant countryside from their name from a nearby village, Cherial, and are characterised by the the top. vibrant tone of red in their background. They The fatigue from rock-climbing did not were used by traditional bard communities Cherial scroll paintings depict deter us from moving ahead to Palampet, episodes from Hindu mythology as visual aids, when they narrated epic about 24km away. The village of Palampet tales to rural audiences. The smaller Cherial is home to the Ramappa Temple complex, The Thousand Pillar Temple, at paintings, with a single panel, potrayed situated on the banks of the eponymous Hanamkonda, is a live triple shrine dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya scenes from festivals and rural life. The store man-made lake. Perhaps the only temple manager also showed us Cherial masks to be named after its builder, Ramappa, it is depicting faces of rural men and women in also the most well-preserved example of a but today it houses a repository of sculptures and statues from traditional jewellery and turbans. Kakatiya temple. Bathukamma is a floral festival celebrated by the the fort. After a good night’s rest, we headed to The characteristic high star shaped women of Telangana Our next stop was the Thousand Pillar Temple, at Hanamkonda. Pandavulaguttalu, about 45km away from platform and intricate carvings along the Though the name evokes visuals of a temple standing amidst Warangal, near Regonda village (via Parkal). walls, pillars and ceilings are all apparent and a large number of pillars, it is inspired from its multi-pillared We packed some traditional Telangana warrant closer glances. We recognised the kalyanamandapam, currently under renovation. The temple is a snacks like sakkinalu (made of rice flour and familiar yallis that are used as pillar brackets. live triple shrine dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya, and stands fried in oil, flecked with chana dal, ginger, A pair of stylised and detailed sculptures of on a high star-shaped platform. A massive monolithic Nandi carved garlic, sesame seeds, curry leaves and green attractive women flanked each of the three out of granite is in a seated posture between the temple and the chillies) and sarvapindi (pancake made of entrances. Carved out of highly polished kalyanamandapam. Built in typical Kakatiya style, by King Rudra rice flour, channa dal and spices) before granite, each of them had a distinct posture Deva in the 12th century, the temple and its intricate pillars are a setting out. The “hillocks of the Pandavas” and wore different attires and jewellery. As testament to the excellent workmanship of sculptors of the time. is a relatively recent discovery, and legend I marvelled at the details, Kavitha told me While the architecture of the Kakatiyas kept us engrossed for has it that Pandavas had stayed here during they are called shalabhanjikas. most part of the day, we spent a peaceful evening in the precincts their exile. Although the temple has survived of the Bhadrakali temple, on the banks of a lake. The temple is The climb was arduous, but we paused many wars, plunder and vandalism by atop a small hillock, and the deity was the patron goddess of the occasionally, admiring the interesting invaders, an earthquake in the 17th century Kakatiya dynasty. weather-sculpted geological formations A caused considerable damage. Finally, the L To take home some souvenirs, we decided to check out that dotted our path. The clambering turned priest revealed the most astonishing fact, I PRABHA handicrafts. The handicrafts store displayed a collection of out to be worthwhile as we got to see some M “The shikara of the temple is constructed SH K colourful dhurries with interesting designs, and Cherial scroll specimens of rock art from the Mesolithic LA with bricks that floated in water!” THE LEELA MAGAZINE | 58 | MONSOON 2017 MONSOON 2017 | 59 | THE LEELA MAGAZINE.