Karimnagar District History

The city was named after Syed Karimuddin, who is thought to be its founder. The district lies approximately between the latitudes 17° 50' and 19° 05'N and longitudes 78° 29' and 80° 22'E. 

Karimnagar district is bounded by Madhya Pradesh State in the east, Nizamabad district in the West, Warangal and Medak dist​ricts in the South and Adilabad district in the North directions.

Karimnagar area in old times is part of Sabbinadu. 

Sabbi-nadu is mentioned in the mediaeval inscriptions and early Telugu literary works. The Parbhani plates Vemulawada Chalukya ruler Arikesari III, dated S. 888 (A.D. 996) registers the gift of Kuttum-vritti Vanikatupalu in the Repaka-12 in the Sabbi-Sayira (1000) district. The Western Chalukya Vikramaditya VI conferred on the Kakatiya chief Beta II Sabbi-Thousand as an appanage. An inscription of the time Kakati Rudra dated S. 1092 (A.D. 1170) mentions Nagarur in Sabbi-nadu. Madiki Singana, in the introduction to his Padmapurana-Uttarkhandam, states that his patron Muppa Mahipala was ruling from his capital Ramagiri-pattana over Sabbi-nadu, situated on the southern bank of the Gautami (Godavari) that Veligandla Kesana, the commander army, built temple for the god Vishnu in Ramagiri and set up a satra (free feeding house) and celebrated festivals of god Nrisimha in Dharmapuri. The places Repaka, Nagarur, Ramagiri Dharmapuri mentioned above are all found in the present Karimnagar district, parts, if not the whole, of which must have corresponded to the sabbi-Thousand district of ancient Telingana.

700 BC - 300 BC : Assaka/Asmaka/Ashmaka (The 16 Mahajanapadas)

300 BC - 185 BC : Mauryan Empire

230 BC – 220 AD : Satavahanas ( Were vassals of Mauryan Empire)​

Kotilingala in Karimnagar district was the first capital of the Satavahana Kingdom.

220 AD - 250 AD :Ikshvaku Tribe

250 AD - 500 AD : Vakataka Dynasty

500 AD - 543 AD : Vishnukundins

543 AD - 753 AD : Badami Chalukyas

753 AD - 982 AD : Rashtrakuta Dynasty
750 AD to 996 AD : Vemulavada Chalukyas (vassals to Rashtrakuta Dynasty) ruled Karimnagar and Nizamabad.

996 AD : The Parbhani plates Vemulawada Chalukya ruler Arikesari III, dated S. 888 (A.D. 996) registers the gift of Kuttum-vritti Vanikatupalu in the Repaka-12 in the Sabbi-Sayira (1000) district. 

Arikesari III was the last known ruler of the Vemulavada Chalukya dynasty of present-day Telangana, India. He was a vassal of the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III

968 AD to 982 AD: Kakatiyas ruled as vassals to Rashrakuta.
1076 AD - 1108 AD: Beta II (Tribhuvana Malla)

982 AD - 1158 AD : Western Chalukyas (Kalyani Chalukyas)

1011 AD - 1058 AD : maha samantha Padmanabhayya
Durki, Banswada
Beginning of the inscription lost. It mentions a certain maha samantha and maha prachanda Padmanabhayya. Grant portion damaged. Mentions Gavundas and Ganuga Sunka (levy on oil mill).

1011 AD : Padmanabhayya was in charge of Lombulike-Seventy at the time of the issue of this inscription and the one issued in Saka 933.Chilkur appears to have been the headquarters of this division since a subsequent inscription dated A.D 1096 of the time of Vikramaditya VI clearly states that this Chilkur was the capital (rajadhani) of the Lombulike-seventy

24th December A.D. 1052 : Narasingapuram, Karimnagar District.
The record belongs to the reign of the Western Chalukya king Ahavamalla Somesvara I who ruled from A D. 1042 to 1068.

The inscription registers the gift consisting of 40 gold gadyanas, remission of tax on perika in the grama of Marpugonda, one punasa of wetland along with 100 ratanas and 2 mattars of garden land as Nandanavana, and 15 mattars of Kisukadu situated to the north of the grama Suvipaka included within Atukuru-70 of Sabbi-1000 by Chamaraja, a Mahajana and the Lord of Suvupaka agrahara and his wife Sri Marakabbe, to the temple of the god Trailokya Narayana, built by them and named after their overlord Somesvara I Trailokyamalla. The gift was made by the assembly of the Mahajengs for the purpose, headed by Chamaraja and Revaraja. To this the residents of the four sthanas of Arangaluru. Vachhanuru and Suvipaka were made witnesses.

The record was engraved by Padmanabhayya and composed by Narayana.

982 AD - 1158 : Kakatiyas, ruled as vassals to Kalyani Chalukyas and started ruling over a small territory comprising the southern portion of modern-day Warangal district, and parts of neighboring Karimnagar district with Anumakonda (Hanumakonda) as capital.

1087 AD : Matturi Mallaya

1087 AD : Utturu, Karimnagar.

This inscription is in Telugu poetry containing an Utpalamala, a Champakamala and a Mattebha. It is dated after the expiry of 1008 Saka years corresponding to A.D. 1087. Other particulars regarding cyclic year and the day are not mentioned.

It records a gift of seven putlu (plural form of putti) of land to Gamgarasi Pandita by Malla of the Matturi family. He also grants one Khanduvu of land for the burning of a perpetual lamp (probably to God Mallesa) and two marturs of land for the oblations to Mallesa. The donor Malla has an epithet `Bharata vira pratapa' which may mean that he is as valorous as the heroes of Mahabharata. The last portion in prose records some lands to Samka deva and Uttareswara devara. The usual imprecatory verses beginning with svadattam etc.. at the end are missing.

1089 AD : Matturi Sabbinayaka

1089 AD : Utturu, Karimnagar.

This inscription in Telugu prose is dated Saka 1011 (A.D. 1089). It records a gift of some land and duba kunta, probably a small tank, to Kesava Bhatta on the occasion of a Solar eclipse by Matturi Sabbingyaka. The grant was made at Eleswaram. Sabbinayaka might have visited Eleswaram on pilgrimage at the time of the solar eclipse and performed this religious charity at that holy place.

This Sabbinayaka also might have had some relation with Mattūri Mallaya of the inscription from Punnavolu, Warangal District.

Polavasa chiefs were based immediately north of the Kakatiya territories. They ruled over most of Karimnagar district and the northern part of Warangal district from their capital at Polavasa, which is the modern-day Polas in Jagtial taluk. The Polavasa chiefs were subordinates of the Western Chalukyas, but revolted against their overlords during the early 12th century. However, they were eventually subdued by King Jagadekamalla II.

1158 AD - 1323 AD : Kakatiya Dynasty


1323 AD - 1325 AD : Tughlaq Dynasty


1325 AD – 1350 AD : Musunuri Nayaks


1350 AD – 1518 AD : Bahmani Sultanate

1509 AD – 1529 AD : Vijayanagara Empire (Tuluva dynasty) - Krishna Deva Raya Rule

1518 AD – 1687 AD : Qutbshahis / Golconda Sultanate

1687 AD - 1724 AD : Mughal Empire

1724 AD - 1948 AD : Asaf Jahis