Telangana

Jogulamba Gadwal district was created from the former Mahbubnagar district on October 11, 2016, and the district administration states that the district was named after the Jogulamba Shakti Peetha at Alampur.

Historical accounts show that the Rachakonda kingdom expanded considerably under Anapota Nayaka I and Madanayaka I. By around 1369 CE, their influence reportedly extended across large parts of Telangana. They controlled important forts including Warangal, Bhongir and Sanigaram, while their territory extended towards the Krishna and Tungabhadra regions.

The temple’s own history page describes seven rivulets named Vasishta, Jamadagni, Viswamitra, Goutami, Bharadwaja, Atreya and Kasyapa, names associated with seven sages in Hindu tradition. The shrine is situated among these channels associated with the Manjeera River.

I had travelled hundreds of kilometres from Karimnagar to explore waterfalls, temples, forts and hidden places across Telangana and Maharashtra. I had visited places like Warangal Fort, Mahurgad Renuka Mata Temple and several waterfalls, yet somehow I had never visited Elgandal Fort, which was practically in my own backyard.

One day while scrolling through Instagram, I came across a reel where a rishi was speaking about an ancient Shiva temple in Telangana. He mentioned Kolanupaka and talked about its connection with five Peethas, five Gotras and five Ganas.

And sometimes you ride 151 km to Ullipitta Waterfall, cross roads soaked by heavy rain, enjoy some of the best green scenery of the journey and finally reach the destination only to discover one problem.

The rainy season had not been behaving the way I expected, and I wasn’t sure whether Pochera water falls would have enough water to make the long ride worthwhile.

This trip gave me everything I enjoy about weekend travel: a morning bike ride, a powerful Shiva darshan, beautiful Kakatiya carvings, peaceful surroundings and an unexpected stop at Ramappa Lake.

What started as a short visit to Warangal Fort Telangana eventually became a complete one-day journey covering history, a small hill trek, a lakeside garden and an unexpected ride to Pakhal Lake.

Sarangapur Hanuman Temple and Dichpalli Ramalayam are two important devotional places near Nizamabad that can be comfortably combined into one road trip.