Kakatiya Kala Thoranam (also called Warangal Gate) is a historical

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

in the

Warangal district Warangal district, formerly Warangal Rural district, is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The district shares boundaries with Mahabubabad, Jangaon, Hanamkonda, Mulugu and Bhupalpally districts. As of June 2021, Hanamkonda tent ...

, of the 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 ...

. The

Warangal Fort Warangal Fort is located in Warangal District, Telangana, India. It was the capital city of Kakatiya dynasty and Musunuri Nayakas. It appears to have existed since at least the 12th century when it was the capital of the Kakatiyas. The fort has ...

has four ornamental gates which originally formed the gates to the destroyed great Shiva temple which are known as Kakatiya Kala Thoranam or Warangal Gates. The architectural feature of these historical arches of the Warangal Fort has been adopted as the symbol of the

Kakatiya Dynasty The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...

and has been officially incorporated as the

Emblem of Telangana The Emblem of Telangana is the state emblem of Telangana in South India. The arms has the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam in the middle, and the Charminar inside it and bordered in green. Design The emblem is a circular seal consisting of the Kakatiy ...

for the state of Telangana. The arch was built around 12th century during the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty. The Monument was included in the " tentative list" of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The Monument was submitted by the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO on 10/09/2010.

History

Kakatiya Kala Thoranam (Warangal Gate) and Ruins

The Kakatiya Kala Thoranam, or arch, is an extensive ornamented stone sculpture; reflective of four identical gates in the Warangal Fort, which was part of the great Swayambhusiva temple of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

in the fort built by Ganapati-deva (1199-1262) during the 12th century. His daughter

Rudrama Devi Rudrama Devi, also Maharani Rudramma Devi, was a queen of the Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan Plateau from 1263 to 1289 (or 1295) until her death. She was among the women to rule as monarchs in India and promoted a male image in order to do so ...

and Pratap Rudra II of the Kakatiya Dynasty added more fortifications to the fort which was laid in three concentric circles. The four gateways (''char kaman'') were part of the temple which was destroyed by the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

invader Jauna Khan during the 1323 invasion, as a part of their policy followed after their victories over territories, to desecrate

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

s. The great temple of which the gates were integral is said to be comparable to the size and splendor of the

Rudra Mahalaya Temple The Rudra Mahalaya Temple, also known as Rudramal, is a destroyed/desecrated Hindu temple complex at Siddhpur in the Patan district of Gujarat, India. Its construction was started in 943 AD by Mularaja and completed in 1140 AD by Jayasimha S ...

at Siddhpur in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

Features

A depiction of the arch forms the main symbol in the

for the state of Telangana. This logo or emblem, in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Government of Telangana The Government of Telangana also known as Telangana Government, is the governing authority of the state of Telangana in India. It consists of an executive, a judiciary and a legislative. The state government is headed by the Governor of Telan ...

in English, and as "Telangana Prabhutvam" in Telugu and as "Telangana Sarkar" in Urdu. At the base of the logo there is an inscription in Sanskrit which says "

Satyameva Jayate Satyameva Jayate (, ) is a part of a ''mantra'' from the Hindu scripture '' Mundaka Upanishad''. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic. It is inscri ...

" (meaning: Truth shall triumph). The central part of the fort, identified as the archaeological zone, contains the ruins of the great Swayambhusiva temple, now seen with only the free-standing "Entrance Portals", or gates on the four sides, all being similar in design. Each gate has twin pillars with angled brackets over which lies the huge

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...

; the height of this gate being . The gates have extensive intricate carvings of "lotus buds, looped garlands, mythical animals, and birds with foliated tails". They do not depict any religious symbols, said to be the reason for its preserved condition for not being destroyed by Muslim invaders. The gates at the northern and southern ends are apart. The eastern and western gates are at a distance of apart.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *{{cite book, last= Singh , first=Sarina , title=South India, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywx4f4WczMEC&pg=PA297, year=2007, publisher=Lonely Planet, isbn=978-1-74104-704-2 History of Telangana Monuments and memorials in Telangana Arches and vaults in India Cultural heritage of India World Heritage Sites in India Hanamkonda district Tourist attractions in Warangal Destroyed temples