Telangana360

Rachakonda Fort is a 14th-century fort located in Rachakonda, Narayanapoor Mandal, Nalgonda District, Telangana State, India. Rachakonda Fort was the capital to the Rachakonda region was first ruled by Kakatiyas and then it was taken by Padma Nayaka dynasty, from them it is concurred Muslim Bahmani Sultanate in1433 AD. Qutub Shahi and Nizams also ruled this kingdom. The architecture Rachakonda Fort is of medieval Hindu fort architecture. It is a structure made of large stones which are of irregular size and indefinite shape. The fort is constructed without using any Mortar. At the entrance, there are gates that are made of stone pillars and horizontal beams. The exterior walls of the building are built with stones and the interiors are layered with mud. The structure of Rachakonda Fort was strategically developed as a defensive bastion with strong fortifications. It was one of the most prominent structures during the pre-firearms era.

A grand stepwell at Kichanapally, Sangareddy Imagine being in an arid, parched part of the youngest State of India. You badly want water, but all  you see is miles of nothingness. And suddenly you find several flights of stairs leading to water. No, its not a mirage! These are ‘step wells’ - wonderful structures that are now virtually forgotten. Stepwells in Telangana are found at old forts, temple complexes and on agricultural lands. They have also been political power centres.

Sankranti means transmigration of the Sun from one Rashi (constellation of the zodiac in Indian astronomy) to the next. Hence, there are 12 Sankrantis in a year. Why is it called Makar Sankranti? On Makar Sankranti, the sun enters the sun-sign of Capricorn or Makara (the Indian rashi). Therefore the 'Makar' in the name. Thus, the name of the festival literally means the movement of the sun into Capricorn. Though extremely popular as Makar Sankranti, the festival is predominantly a harvest festival and is celebrated throughout India, from north to south and east to west. While Makar Sankranti is most popular in West India, down south, the festival is known as Pongal and in the north, it is celebrated as Lohri. Uttarayan, Maghi, Khichdi are some other names of the same festival. Makar Sankranti Festival is observed every year in the month of January falls on 14th or 15th . Most Hindu festivals follow the position of the moon and are based on the lunar calendar. T...

Festival season for Adivasis has begun with ‘Bheemalpen’ festival which is popular as Bheemanna pujalu and they take ‘Devul’ (wooden deities) for bathing at sacred place ‘Demmala rajul’ near Dhammannapet in Utnoor mandal. Adivasis celebrate Bheemalpen festival in the month of ‘Margashira’ every year. Adivasis are busy in celebrating their traditional festivals these days in the district. Adivasis of Asifabad take their Devul to ‘Khariyar’ and Kerameri to ‘Patteda’, Tiryani to Danthanpalli ganga, Narnoor to Gundala ganga, Indravelli to ‘Pulikakchar’ and Adivasis of Neredigonda bathe their wooden deities in the Kuntala waterfalls. Most of the Adivasi jataras will follow their festivals in the Adilabad district. Adivasis do their cooking with the new crops or beans like ‘chikkudu’, ‘Anapa’, pulses like redgram, rice only after performing special puja called Satti to the Bheemalpen. Adivasis festivals continue with Jangubai to be held from January 11- February8 in the dense f...

Dokra Metal craft is quite popular in the tribal regions of Telangana. Dhokra or Dokra also known as bell metal craft is a tribal metal craft widely seen in Jainoor Mandal, Adilabad District of Telangana. Dhokra is an ancient bell metal craft practiced by the Ojha metal-smiths of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Telangana – the style and workmanship of the artisan community being different in different states. In Telangana, the Ojha artisans are also known as Wojaris or Ojjis who create brass metal art objects using the tedious but perfect lost wax technique while casting the metal. The Dokra artifacts are made in brass and are unique in that the pieces do not have any joints. The method is by combining metallurgical skills with wax techniques employing the lost wax technique, a unique form where mould is used only once and broken, making this art the only one-of-its-kind in the world.  The 100 Ojha families, a sub tribe of the Raj Gond Adivasis found in Keslagu...

Kamdev or Khamdev temple is located in Narnoor village and mandal, Adilabad District, Telangana State, India. This temple is dedicated to Khamdev and the tribal Jathara which starts in January every year attracts the Thodasam tribe from all villages across the district. The Thodasam clan honours Lord Khamdev as their personal God. The clan has a custom where one of the paternal sisters must consume a lot of handmade sesame oil over the course of three years at the yearly festival. Adivasis believe that this ritual helps fulfil their dreams and brings about positive changes in their lives, which is why it is performed once every three years. They believe that carrying forward the tradition will provide good produce to farmers and will bring happiness and harmony to the community. According to them, the tradition began way back in 1961. Since then, as many as 20 paternal sisters of the clan have fulfilled the tradition successfully. The five-day-long annual festival is held on the day...

Manjeera Dam is located on the Manjeera river at Kalabgur, Sangareddy District, Telangana State, India. This is an ideal picnic spot. One can spend quality time with family or friends at the Environmental Education Centre here. Another main attraction of this place is the crocodile-breeding pond, which has been set up for rehabilitation of crocodiles. The glistening waters of the reservoir and the wildlife around make it an ideal picnic spot in an unspoilt and serene environment. Manjeera, a major source of drinking water for Hyderabad in a good year with rains, spreads over 10 square miles at its full capacity. Located at a distance of about 70 kilometers from Hyderabad

Mangeera or Manjira wildlife sanctuary is located on the Manjeera river at Kalabgur,  Sangareddy District, Telangana State, India. The charming part about this sanctuary is that one can take an adventurous boat ride for Bird watching in the Manjira Wildlife & Bird Sanctuary.   Originally a crocodile sanctuary, today more than 70 species of birds are spotted here and is home for the vulnerable species mugger crocodile.  This man-made reservoir provides drinking water to Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Sri Kasi Vishweshwara Temple is situated in Kalpagooru village close to the Manjeera Barrage near Sangareddy town in Sangareddy District, Telangana State, India. The history of the temple dates back to the era of the Kakatiya rulers from 11th century A.D. The temple complex is also home to two other temples, they are Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple & Sri Venugopala Swamy temple. Hence it is also called as Trikootaalayamu.  Sri Kasi Vishweswara temple is seen towards the southern portion of garbhaalayam while Sri Venugopalaswamy temple is seen near the northern portion of garbhaalayam.  According to legend, this temple was built on water stream coming from holy Kasi. It is said that in case if you drop a coin in garbhaalayam of Sri Venugopala Swamy temple, then you can hear a sound similar to that of a coin being dropped in water. Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple is located towards the west side of garbhaalaya.  The temple resembles Thousand P...

Peddamma Temple which s dedicated to Ammavari Goddess famous Durga Devi Temple located in K.P. Jagannadhapuram Village, Palvancha Mandal, Bhadradri Kothagudem District Kothagudem and palvancha are the twin industrial towns in Bhadradri district of the Indian state of Telangana. The temple comes alive during the months of October and November. This a temple that gives darshan to public by the road side. Daily hundreds of devotees this temple this temple is on the way to India's most famous temple Sri Seetharamachandra Swamy Devasthanam, Bhadrachalam. This is situated 80 km away to khammam district enroute to bhadrachalam temple town near SH 11 and NH 44 between Palvancha and Bhadrachalam Towns History In olden days when this region used to be a dense forest, a large tiger used to roam in this area and used rest in the shade of a tamarind tree.  People used to watch this tiger traveling this road. The tiger never did harm to any person. So, People starte...

Parnasala is a village in the Dummugudem mandal in the Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana, India. The village is accessible by road and boats and is situated 32 km from the temple town of Bhadrachalam. A little glitch in reaching the village is its remote location because of which makes it a little difficult to access. One can reach Parnasala only by road or boats as the means of transportation. Parnasala – An epic comes alive Parnasala, which became a much visited picnic spot in Bhadrachalam is said to be the place where the evil-minded king Ravan abducted Goddess Sita. This place unfolds this part of the epic Ramayana by exhibiting the primary events with beautifully canvassed sculptures of Shri Ram, Sita, Laxman, and Ravan. The 32 kms stretch to Parnasala is never ending, a bumpy ride on a single road through the country side. The first stop was at Lord Rama’s Rathi Simhasanam or the Rock Throne. The story goes that Lord Rama held court during his exile from this...

Kinnerasani Dam is located in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana marked by dense forests and is surrounded by magnificent hills. Kinnerasani River is an important tributary of the river Godavari. The scenic beauty created by the landscape along the Kinnerasani River is a panoramic one abutted by lush green landscape. The river flows its course through the Dandakaranya forest and the reservoir forms a 635 Sq. Kms. area teeming with wild life, also called Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary.  The dam is located at a distance of 24 kms from Kothagudem and 12 Kms from Palvancha, the site of Kothagudem Thermal Power Station.

Papikondalu (Papi Hills) takes travellers through a canopy of greens covered by tropical and deciduous rain forests Silence whispers through the Eastern Ghats of Papikondalu (Papi Hills) as the boat wobbles along the riverbed. An oasis of enchanting beauty and tranquillity, Papikondalu takes travellers through a canopy of greens covered by tropical and deciduous rain forests. Here, one can forget all their worries and just sink in the peaceful arms of nature. Running through Bhadradri Kothagudem, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, Papikondalu can be reached via the river way through Bhadrachalam and Rajahmundry. Boats dock every day on the banks of the Godavari to ferry tourists to the Papi Hills. Navigating through the meandering river trails, through which the Godavari penetrates to find its way to the east after several twists and turns, one can spot colonies of migratory birds perched on the banks of the river. For tourists and birders, the best time to visi...

The sparsely populated hilly confines of Kota-Parandoli gram panchayat on the Telangana-Maharashtra border in Kerameri mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district will come alive on December 31 when the sacred month-long Jangubai pilgrimage of Adivasis gets underway. Thousands of aboriginal Gonds, Kolams and Pardhans of Adilabad and neighbouring districts will visit the ancient cave temple of the most revered Goddess Jangubai situated in picturesque locale of a hillock by the side of a hill stream. Despite the onslaught of modern times, nothing much has changed in these parts and one gets a feeling of being transported back in time when approaching the sacred cave.

Keslapur Nagoba Jatara  is a tribal festival held in Keslapur village, Inderavelly Mandal Adilabad district, Telangana, India. It is the second biggest tribal carnival and celebrated by Mesaram clan of Gond tribes for 10 days. Tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesram clan offer prayers at the festival. The Nagoba Jatara starts in pushya masam in every year according to English to the English months December to January. Every year, in the winter months of December/January, the Mesram clan of Raj Gonds and Pardhan Adivasis in the North of Telangana State make preparations for their most important religious and cultural festival, the Keslapur-Nagoba Jatara. The event is unique as it serves as a link between the present and the past, where customs and traditions that centuries old survive even today, underscoring the importance of solidarity within their community. 15 days before gond people bring Godavari river wate...