Gandhari is a hill fort located near Bokkalagutta, in Mandamarri Mandal in

Mancherial district Mancherial district is a district located in the northern region of the Indian state of Telangana. The district comprises 18 mandals and two revenue divisions – Mancherial and Bellampalli. The district headquarters is located at Mancherial t ...

in the south Indian state of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

. It is located on the sand rock hills. It is 270 kilometres (157 mi) north east of the state capital,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. The fort was built within a thickly forested area which has a wealth of plant species which includes many medicinal herbs. The fort has not been fully excavated and is still partially covered by forest. Mahankali Jatara (quarry jatara) is conducted every year which attracts more than 10,000 people. Gandhari maisamma jatra is done in the temple on the fort of Gandhari for every 2 years and tribal people from Vindhya region i.e maharastra, Chattisghad on the other bankside joins it. The

Mancherial Mancherial is a city and headquarters of the Mancherial district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is both the district and administrative headquarters of Mancherial mandal in the Mancherial revenue division. It is located on the north banks o ...

– Bellampalli highway passes close to the fort, which is 3 kilometres away from the Bokkalaguttta village. Gandhari Maisamma temple is located at the fort.

History

The fort was built in the 12th century by the Gondu tribals with the help of the Kakatiya Kings of

Warangal Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 704,570 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an . Warangal ser ...

. Archaeological work suggests that construction of the fort was begun early as the Rastrakuta era (prior to 1200 A.D.) and continued until 16th century.

Herbal plants

The forest in the area of the Gandhari fort is an important source for medicinal plants. Large numbers of local medicinal people collect the plants and offer them for sale in nearby towns. Students also visit the area to identify these plants and make herbarium specimens. In view of this importance for medicinal plants, it has been suggested that the forest of the fort area be declared a Medicinal Plants Conservation Center.

References

External links

Ghandhari Kota
; www.adivasialambana.com * {{coord missing, Telangana Adilabad district Archaeological sites in Telangana Forts in Telangana Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Indian architectural history