The city was once the heartland of Telugu culture. The capital 

of the Kakatiya rulers, Warangal today contains some of the 

best forms of architecture, especially temples. The 1000-pillar 

temple and the Ramappa temple in the district are glowing

 examples of the exquisite architecture patronized by the 

Kakatiyas. Warangal city today is part of a cluster of three 

towns: Warangal, Kazipet and Hanamkonda, the district 

headquarters’. Bound on the Northern part by the mighty

 Godavari River, the district has large tracts of forest and

 an array of flora and fauna

The district is also known for its picturesque lakes, hand-

woven thick cotton fibre carpets, scroll painting done on 

cloth in earth colours mainly at Cheriyal nearby, and 

sheet-metal artistry at Pembarti.

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 Thousand Pillar Temple

The famous "Thousand Pillar Temple" built in 1163 A.D.

 by Rudra Deva, is situated between Hanamkonda and

 Warangal, the twin towns. An excellent example of 

Kakatiya architecture, built in the style of Chalukya

 temples - a star-shaped and triple-shrine, with 

perforated screens, exquisite icons and rock cut 

elephants. The temples are dedicated to Shiva, 

Vishnu and Surya.

The added attraction is the splendid six-foot

 monolith Nandi carved out of granite with a smooth 

finish. The one thousand pillars themselves are richly

 carved. Close by is another famous temple of 

Bhadrakali, noted for its stone image of Goddess Kali, 

depicted in a sitting posture.

Warangal Fort, 12 kilometers from Hanamkonda was

 built during the 13th century by the Kakatiyas. The 

impressive fort has four huge stone-gateways. Built by

 one of the Kakatiya Kings, Ganapathi Deva and his 

daughter Rani Rudrama Devi, one can still spot some

 exquisite pieces of sculpture here.

Other places of tourist interest in Warangal are: 

Prataparudra Planetarium, Kakatiya Musical Garden,

 Rock Garden and Archaeological Museum, Kakatiya

 University campus, Samskritika Vihar and Laknavaram 

Lake.

 Ramappa Temple

Ramappa Temple at Palampet village is 70 kilometers

 from Warangal and about 200 kilometers from Hyderabad.

 The Ramalingeswara temple, popularly called Ramappa

 Temple, is a classic example of Kakatiyan architecture.

 The construction of the temple dates back to 1213 AD 

and originally there were said to be three structures but 

only one is presently intact.

The Shivalaya stands majestically on a six-ft high star

-shaped platform. This temple is famous for its rich, 

intricate sculpture covered walls, pillars, brackets and 

ceilings.

This sprawling sanctuary along the Godavari River is 

about 80 kilometers from Warangal and 210 kilometers

 from Hyderabad. Spotted deer, black buck, Neelgai, 

sloth bears, panthers and tigers inhabit the forest 

area interspersed with low hills. Spending the day walking

 along forest paths or staying the night amidst sylvan

 surroundings is exciting. Cottages maintained by the

 Forest Department at Eturunagaram and nearby Tadvai 

offer comfortable accommodation for tourists. The best 

time to visit is between October and May, before the

 onset of summer and monsoon.

 Kolanupaka

Kolanupaka in neighbouring Nalgonda district was the 

second capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas during the 11 th 

century. It developed into a great centre of Shaivism and 

Jainism and is today considered to be a major pilgrim 

centre for the Jains. Located on the Hyderabad-Warangal 

road, 80 kilometer from Hyderabad, Kolanupaka has a 

number of temples and shrines, prominent among them 

being one of the oldest Jain temples, over 2000 years

 old with a 5-ft jade idol of Mahavira.  The Sri Veeranarayana 

Temple and the Someswara Temple & the State

 Archaeological Department has set up a museum in 

the Someswara Temple complex with exhibits mainly

 relating to temple architecture. Kolanupaka is located 

80 kilometer from Hyderabad and 70 kilometer from 

Warangal. The nearest railway station is Alair.

Pembarti is famous for its sheet metal art, which 

flourished during the reign of the Kakatiyas. 

Even now  Pembarti is known for its handicrafts

 and a Copper & Silver Metal Craft Centre here

 is worth a visit. Pembarti is located about 100 

kilometers from Hyderabad and about 60 kilometers

 from Warangal. APTDC provides accommodation  

facilities at Warangal for comfortable stay in its 

"Punnami Hotel" located at Hanamkonda, 2 kilometers 

from Kazipet Railway Station and 14 kilometers from 

Warangal Railway Station.