Kakatiya Kala Thoranam

Kakatiya Kala Thoranam (also called Warangal Gate) is a historical arch in the Warangal district, of the Indian state of Telangana. The Warangal Fort has four ornamental gates which originally formed the gates to the ruins of the 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 and has been officially incorporated as the Emblem of Telangana 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 World Heritage Site. The Monument was submitted by the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO on 10/09/2010.

History

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 in the fort built by Ganapati-deva (1199-1262) during the 12th century. His daughter Rudrama Devi 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 invader Jauna Khan during the 1323 invasion, as a part of their policy followed after their victories over territories, to desecrate Hindu temples. The great temple of which the gates were integral is said to be comparable to the size and splendor of the Rudra Mahalaya Temple at Siddhpur in Gujarat.