WARANGAL, ancient town, 86 miles N.E. of Hyderabad city, lat. 17° 58' N., long. 79° 40' E. Warangal was the ancient capital of the Hindu kingdom of Tclingana, founded by the Narapati Andhras. The kings of Andra, whose capital was Warangal, are said to have been connected with the Andra race of Magadha, but it must have been by country only, for Andra is not the name of a family, but of all the inland part of Telingana. The records of the inhabitants mention Vikrama and Salivahana among the earliest monarchs ; after these they place the Chola rajas, who were succeeded, they think, about A.D. 515, by a race called Yavana, who were nine in number, and reigned as they say for 458 years, till A.D. 953. About this time the Ganapati rajas began, but the first authentic mention of them was in the end of the llth century, under Kakati, from whom the whole dynasty is sometimes named. He was an officer or feudatory of the Chalukya kings of Kalyan, and gained victories over the Chola kings. The Ganapati rajas attained to greatest power about the end of the 13th century, when local traditions represent them as possessed of the whole of the Peninsula south of the Godavery ; but Professor Wilson limits their rule to between lat. 15° and 18° N. In 1332, their capital was taken by Kafur, the general of Ala-ud-Din, and their importance, if not their independence, de stroyed by a Muhammadan army from Dehli, and two of its officers settled at Vijayanagar. At one time subsequent to this they seem to have been tributary to Orissa. They merged at last in the Muhammadan kingdom of Golconda.
Warangal is said also to have borne the name of Arnabunda. A sculptured slab obtained there had an inscription in Telugu and Uriya, with Sanskrit slokas. Its date was Saka 1054, or A.D. 1132, being the year Chetrabhuu of the Vrihas pati Chakra, or sixty years' cycre of Jupiter. The inscription contains a long account of Rudra Deva's genealogy and of his battles. There are not
any praises of Brahmans, or even mention of them. It is now famed for its manufacture of carpets. In the town of Hunnumconda are the ruins of a famous temple. The struecure is composed of a hard black rock, elaborately sculptured. Four large columns, highly carved, 'support a roof of solid slabs; although the legend runs that a thou sand pillars once supported the fabric, but a few now remain standing. Inside the pavilion is a gigantic bull (couchant), sculptured out of black trap, highly polished, which is an admirable speci men of workmanship of its kind. The temple is entered upon wide steps of solid black tmp-rock. The landing is in a porch supported by two advance columns, with elegantly-sculptured bases, having massive parapets between them. Tho capitals and entablatures aro likewise exquisitely carved, with eaves hanging over thein about five feet over their bearings. The building claims attention for its great antiquity, built, it is said, a thousand years ago by Raja Burthop Roothroo, to whom also is attributed the gigantic works scattered over the Warangal district, such as the great wall and fort of Warangal, and the embank ment and masonry adjuncts of the Pakhall lake, etc. Iu the road from Hyderabad to within forty miles of 1Varangal, barren rocks, which intensify tho heat of the sun, and arid plains, are the pre vailing features, and water is both scarce and bad. At Bonagherry, 26 miles from Hyderabad, is a hill fortress or drug, planted on the summit of a precipitous rock, rising abruptly froin the plain to a very great height ; the road extends only to Hunnurnconda, a distance of 90 miles from Hyderabad.—Elphin. 'p. 221; Cunningham, An. Geog. of India, p. 527 ; Fergusson.