Karimnagar district

Karimnagar district is a district in northern Telangana, India. The city of Karimnagar is the district headquarters, and has a population of about 300,000. The district has two municipal corporations at Karimnagar and Ramagundam.

The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor.

Etymology

Karimnagar was originally called Elagandala. Later Kannada kingdoms such as Western Chalukyas ruled it. It was part of the great Satavahana Empire. Later, Nizams changed the name to Karimnagar, derived from the name of Syed Karimullah Shah Saheb Quiladar.

Geography

Karimnagar district occupies an area of 11,823 square kilometres (4,565 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to the Philippines' Panay Island. It borders Adilabad District in the north, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in the northeast, Warangal District in the south, Medak District in the southwest and Nizamabad District in the west.

Economy

In 2006, the Indian government named Karminagar as one of the country's 250 most impoverished districts (out of 640). It is one of the nine districts in Telangana currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Karimnagar

Karimnagar is a city in Karimnagar district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Karimnagar district. It lies on the banks of Manair River, which is a tributary of the Godavari River.

History

Satavahana dynasty

Kotilingala in Karimnagar district was the first capital of the Satavahana Kingdom (230 BCE–220 CE). Formerly known as Sabbinadu, inscriptions dating to the Kakatiya dynasty (1083–1323) by kings Prola II and Prataparudra found at Karimnagar and Srisailam provide evidence of the area's rich history.

The history of the Karimnagar district began in the Old Stone Age around 1,48,000 BC. Archaeological excavations in Pedda Bonkur, Dhulikatta and Kotilingalu show that the area was once ruled by the Satvahanas, Mauryas and Asaf Jahis.

Elgandal Fort

Located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Karimnagar City, Elagandal, originally known as Veligundula, is a hillfort built during the Kakatiya era, which served as a stronghold for the warrior Musunuri Nayaks and Recharla padmanayaks. The Qutb Shahi dynasty occupied the fort in the 16th century and posted Quinamul Mulk as commander. Subsequently, it fell under the administrative control of the Mughal Empire. Amin Khan was appointed as Khiledar of Elagandal during the reign of Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I (r. 1724–1748) followed by Muqarrab Khan. Mirza ibrahim dhamsa became Khiledar during the reign of Nawab Salabat Jung. Dhamsa rebuilt and strengthened the fort in 1754 during the Rule of Sikindar Jha (r.1803-1823). Bahadur Khan and Karimuddin served as Khiledars. Karimnagar was named after Karimuddin. While reorganising the districts, Mahbub Ali Khan, the Sixth Nizam, shifted the District Headquarters from Elagandal to Karimnagar in 1905.