India swanks a generous existence of forts and places. You will have many options when roving around India. Andhra Pradesh being one of the pristine states boosts number of forts and palaces. The verdant green areas, Traditional and Cultural colors of the city and the historical monuments make this state one of the well-known tourist pull over of India. Here is list of some popular forts and palaces of Andhra Pradesh including Telangana.
Bhongir Fort
- Region: Andhra Pradesh, Nalgonda district, Bhongir
- Constructed Through: Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI
- Constructed In: Eleventh century
- Structure: Egg shape
Bhongir fort of Andhra Pradesh state is situated in Nalgonda district’s Bhongir Taluk, from Hyderabad city it is far about fifty one kilometers. This fort was built in the egg shape from a humongous one rock, above sea level this fort is located about six hundred nine meters. This ancient fort has been stretched over forty acres land.
As per the believe, Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI, who was Chalukya ruler of western part, he had got this fort, during the eleventh century, he had rebuilt it. After his death this fort had got name that is Tribhuvanagiri. After some time, fort’s name became Bhongir and Bhuvanagiri. This fort was also connected with Rudramadevi queen’s rule and Prataparudra her grandson. The construction style of Chalukyan is very much different, later on it was advanced through its successor Bahmanis, Kakatiyas and Nizams.
Rich Architecture
The structural planning of this Bhongir fort is really brilliant. Very cleverly, this fort has been made. To get protected from assault of enemy, this fort has been constructed this way. It has big underground chamber, numbers of exit and trap doors. This fort was layered through numbers of stone wall’s rows, it has strange formation & it was impassable. The present modern egg shaped castle contains 2 entry routes, from northern side to western, but these 2 entries are secured through big wall on both the sides along with big boulders.
The origin of this wall is rooted very deep down of hill. With boundary of this Bhongir castle, there are steps to reach at rime entrance. You have to climb almost three hundred rock steps. Big basement has been constructed below the prime fort palace to secure themselves from opponent. This Bhongir fort is perfect master piece that displays sculptural and skillful ability of ancient times. The ruined portion of this fort is a nice combination of Saracenic or Islamic and Hindu Culture along with numbers of carved figures because it contains arches. Bhongir fort’s sculptures have intricate steps that are carved in circular shape.
This fort’s strong stone stairways are immobile standing; it has nicely built well, bastions, walls and turrets. Here you will also get to see surrounded stonewall. That are standing here for the protection from rich palace within the fort, there are 4 guns, which are placed in 4 sides. Its huge high is a nice advantage of the rulers to get ready to face any threat. If you will compare all Andhra Pradesh state’s forts, you will find that as per the strategic point view Bhongir fort is most well planned and well structured castle of this state.
Stay
Here you will easily get accommodation facility provider hotels and resorts in Secunderabad & Hyderabad.
Gandikota Fort
- Location: At a distance of 6 miles from Jammalamadugu in the district of Cuddapah
- Structures Inside the Fort: A temple, a large Granary, Masjid
Gandikota Fort is located covering the distance of 6 miles from Jammalamadugu which lies in the district of Cuddapah. The width within the fort is at its broadest, about five and half furlongs from west to east and almost a mile from northwest to southeast.
Major Attractions of the Fort
The fort lies in total destructed form which is filled with the debris since ages and other Monuments and the ancient structure are different stages that might get soon decayed. The fort consists of a large granary, a temple and a Masjid. The Jamia Masjid has two minarets which are placed adjacent to each other. The huge gallery which is present here is used for the travelers to get a stay here. This gallery has the vaulted roof which is now known as Bungalow for the travelers. The ancient temples present here are committed to Raghunatha and Madhava.
The other important structure that the fort has is the huge granary, a elegant ‘pigeon tower’ with the fretted window, a magazine and an amazing palace constructed with the help of bricks along with some plastered decoration. The palace also has few wells inside it. An old cannon is still situated inside the fort and can be seen even today. There is place known as ‘Rayalacheruvu’ with the perennial spring that helps in irrigating few lime and some gardens. It is believed that this ‘Chevuru’ was linked with the fountain that is located in Jamia Masjid by some traces and pipes which can be found even today.
During the initial period of Muslim and Pre-Muslim days, the place was filled with few more springs and Gardens. Also, there is an inscription on the rock that lies near Nagajhari exterior to the fort that depicts the fact that there are only 2gardens found near the Temples. The most beautiful garden that mark inside the fort was ‘Parebagh’ that is beautifully decorated with the waterfall on the foot hills that lies near the bank of river Penneru. The inscription found here on the rock is Persian.
Hemavathi Fort
- Location: At a distance of 8 miles from Amarapuram in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh
- Nearby Attractions: Lepakshi, Penukonda Fort, Rayadurg Fort
Hemavathi is the beautiful fort situated in a small village with the historic background and is located around 10 kilometers from Amarapuram and twenty-five kilometers from Madakasira. It attracts many of the tourists even after its ruined condition, as it has all the beautiful carving and sculptures carved inside it.
It is believed that the Rajendra Chola who was amongst the Chola ruler has very attractive and huge pillars in the temple of Hemavathi. The beautiful carvings impressed him a lot that he forced himself to take those pillars around 44 pillars and festooned it to the temple which is situated in Thiruvedi. This fact can be depicted from the carvings that rare present on the walls. Even the carvings are found on the low roof which is made up of large rock. This temple has a very massive idol of ‘Nandi’ inside it which is around 8 feet in length and 4 feet in height. The temple is engraved with the beautifully carved human being figures. The temple also covers the scenes from the 2 great epics, ‘The Mahabharata’ and ‘The Ramayana’. The Shiva Linga present here in this temple is around 6 feet high.
Hemavathi also has the other Shiva Temple which is committed to Lord Siddheshwara, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The manifestation present here is not in the form of usual Lingam but is present in the form of a sitting gestures attending deep meditation or position id known as ‘Thapas’. The Archaeologist Department has established a museum that has all the idols and preserved sculptures, idols and carvings since ancient ages. This gives a historical significance to this place. They travel through all the towns in the city and select the monuments that they find attractive here.
Mogalturu Fort
- Location: 9.6-km from Narsapur, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
- Occupied By: Descendant of an Ancient Zamindar
Mogalthur is the largest village population wise in the district of Godavari which is at the distance of 9.6 kms from the Narsapur. This is the fort of mud that is occupied with the descendant of the earlier zamindars who served the major portion of the district.
People come here from far places to visit this fort has it has great cultural influence.
Soan Fort
- Location: At the distance of 12 kms from Nirmal in the district of Adilabad of Andhra Pradesh
- Presently: Its is in its ruins
Soan Fort is situated in Soan village lying on the banks of the Godavari River at a distance of about 12-km from Nirmal, in Adilabad district. The village derived its name from the fort, known as ‘ Songadh’, situated on a hillock on the eastern side of the road from Soan to Nirmal. The fort is in ruins now.
Chandragiri Fort
- Location: At a distance of 12 kms from Tirupati
- Built in: 1000 AD
- Built By: Immadi Narasimha Yadavaraya
- Closed on: Friday
The Vijayanagara conglomerate had Chandragiri has its capital. From Tirupati it is at the distance of 12 kms in the District of Chittoor. The major tourist drawing card of this place is the Mahals and Forts. Vijayanagara Kings renovated the Chandragiri Fort, but earlier in 1000 AD this fort was built by Immadi Narasimha Yadavaraya.
Chandragiri Fort is placed on a granite rock which is 183m in height. The south side of the hill is enwrapped with strong walls, the ruins are now circumvented by a ditch which is currently dry and sometimes it is fed by the natural spring. While excavation it was found that the in the lowers fort it was discovered there are two Mahals, this Mahals are built with brick and stone in the upper and lower parts respectively. The chief building has a gallant look which is known as the ‘Raj Mahal’. The hill on which the fort is placed that is on the eastern side, there is the modern town of Chandragiri.
The Raj Mahal or the Raja Palace is the chief part of the Chandragiri Fort, recently it is been converted into a mind blowing museum of archeology which is a three storeyed building. This bears the fine illustrations of architecture of Indo-Saracen type of the era that belongs to Vijayanagara. There is a Hindu architecture has a crown to the palace. The palace is constructed by timbers, bricks, stones and lime mortars. It has many corridors in series, with rooms and halls which has window balconies. This palace too has a chamber for the audience in the centre that rises from the two storeys.
The floors of the palace are embellished with pillars and the walls are ornamented with stuccowork. Near this palace is the another Mahal called has Rani Mahal, comparing with the Raj Mahal it bears varied styles and is small in size. There is a basement which was previously used as the commander quarter is now there is an inscription there.
Khammam Fort
- Location: Khamman Town of Andhra Pradesh
- Stands on: Hills of Stambhadri
- How to reach here: This place is well connected to all main places of the state and also beyond the district
The Khammam Fort is placed on the hills of Stambhadri in Khammam a town in Andhra Pradesh. The stones on hills were very tall and had the capacity to give support to the ceiling of the Mantapas and temples here.
The construction of Khamman fort was begun about nine hundred fifty years before. This fort was made the time this state was surviving under the Kakatiya family’s rule, that period was 10th till 13th century. Khammam fort is very much popular due to its architectural values that showcase not just Hindu architectural culture but it also display Muslim construction culture.
Khammam fort is situated at hill’s peak point; this hill is called as Stambhadri. After reaching at this peak point of hill, you will feel religious and spiritual atmosphere due to presence of 2-3 temples. Because of the delightful designs, this castle has become prime spot among the tourists. At the base area of this fortress, there is a village, which is nicely linked through road, rail sources. Here you can reach through rail also because near the Khammam fort, there is railway station where you can get down and experience the ancient structure along with historical atmosphere.
Penukonda Fort
- Situated: At a distance of 70 kms from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
- Nearby Attractions: Hemavathi Fort, Rayadurg Fort, Puttaparthi, Gooty Fort and Lepakshi
- Recommended time to visit: September to February
The Ancient Vijaynagara Capital
The second capital of the Vijayanagar was Penukonda which was also known as “Ghanagiri” or “Ghanadri”. There are several inscriptions inside the fort that depicts that the King-Bukka I who belongs to Vijayanagar delegated to region of the Penukonda was given to his son Vira Virupanna Udaiyar during his region, the fort was constructed.
The past behind the Penukonda Fort:
According the inscriptions carved on the walls, the Penukonda fort is names as Ghangari. The temple is so beautifully carved that you might visit back to this fort just to look at the carving that is engraved on its wall and splendid workmanship of historic times. As said in the History, Vijayanagar Empire has the Penukonda as its capital only for very short period and it is not possible for the enemies to reach the fort very easily. A sculpture in Kallodi located in the region of Mysore that says that Bukkaraya had a canal dug just for the sake to dig water from Penneu in this town. This place has the appearance like the summer resort that belongs to the Vijayanagar Kings from the second dynasty, “Gagan Mahal”.
Major Attractions:
The Gagan Mahal spectator the magnificence and nobility of imperial times and it was constructed in period of 1575 AD. Gagan Mahal consists of vault in Hindu style where as the ground floor is of convoluted Islamic niceties with anon additions. Enduring the Vijayanagar ethnicity, the citadel is alike many at Hampi, along with Islamic method vaults, arches, and plaster embellishment combined with shrine like elements.
The superior level is covered with shape in an octagonal tower which is pyramidal in shape. In adjacent to this there is a three-storied tower in square shape with prognostic balconies that can be seen from the eastern region. There is a small square structure present in squared shape which is in the form of pyramidal roof. Rama Burj, and surveillance tower eminence in northwestern curve located in Vijayanagar style, lead the towards the Penukonda fort.
Another significant prospect is ” Babayya Dargah” that depicts is the symbol of communal harmony in between Muslims and Hindu. It is conventionally assumed that it had 365 temples at this place. However, one of them was meant for the purpose of worship daily. Of all these temples, the Lord Yoga ‘Narasimhaswamy’, The Lord ‘Kashi Vishwanatha’ and The Lord ‘Yogarama’ temples are imperative ones. All of them seem have been destroyed. There are many ruins and fragments from carved gravel, which are found to be scattered not only on the hills but also plains that resembles the past grandeur of this place.
You can find a massive statue of Lord Hanuman that is around 11 ft high located at ‘Erramanchi’ gate, the key entrance hall of the fort. The most imperative mosque is ‘Sher Khan Mosque’, which is located on the pavement that lies in the courtyard shown in Telugu dedication of ‘Sadashiva’, in the period of 1564. There is an additional mosque in the citadel at the entry to which there lies large porch belonging to Hindu style.
Kondapalli Fort
- Address: Kondapalli Khilla (fort) Ghat Road, Kondapalli 521228, Andhra Pradesh
- Timings: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Entry Fee: 5 INR
- Visit Duration: 1-2 hours
Kondapalli fort is another beautiful fort to see in the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The fort is situated on the old Machilipatnam Golconda trade route. It was built by the Reddy kings in the year 1360 and was held by a number of dynasties after that including Gajapathis, Qutab Shahis, Mughals and Nizams. In 1767, a British Military Camp was set up here that provided training to the military personnel.
If you visit here today you will find a calm place with mostly ruins around. There is Kondapalli village nearby which is very popular for its wooden dolls. The fort is only 21 kms from Vijayawada and the transport is easily available and is cheap too. You should go here on weekends to have the place for yourself and enjoy to the fullest. This place can be visited all days of week at 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Gooty Fort
- Address: Gooty, Andhra Pradesh 515401
- Timings: 9 am – 6 pm
- Entry Fee: No entry fee
- Visit Duration: 1-2 hours
The town Gooty is a very popular tourist destination in Andhra Pradesh. It has a rich history which dates back to 7th century. It was a part of the empire of King Ashoka. Gooty was under control of many some other famous rulers also like Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali. Gooty is well connected to other major cities of the country by road and rail. It has many places of tourist interest. The cuisine of Gooty is famous for its spices. The Gutti vankaya pulusu is a very popular spicy dish in Gooty. It is made of Brinjals.
The Gooty fort is one of the oldest forts of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated on top of a hill. Many inscriptions dating back to 7th century written in Sanskrit and Kannada can be found in this fort. This fort is also known as ‘King of forts’. The fort has 15 main doors and is in a shape of a shell. The fort is very popular among tourists. The view of the town from the fort is magnificent. The brilliant metallic blue coloured ‘Poecilotheria Metallica’ is a species of tarantula found in Gooty. It is a very magnificent creature and holds a special place of interest among tourists.
The beautiful town of Gooty is a perfect place to visit far away from the rush of daily life and close to the history. One can relate to the rich history of the place and the magnanimous fort.
Golconda Fort
- Address: Makki Darwaza Road, Bada Bazar, Ibrahim Bagh 500008 Hyderabad , Andhra Pradesh
- Timings: This place can be visited at all days of week except Monday at 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
- Entry Fee: For Indian Rs. 25/-, for foreigner Rs. 300/-, for videography Rs. 25/-
- Visit Duration: 2-3 hours
Golkonda is actually a ruined city which is located 11 kms from the city of Hyderabad. This place is quite well known for the mines which have produced the world’s most popular gems like the Kohinoor, Daryainoor, Idol’s eye and the Hope’s diamond.
The Golconda fort initially in the 16th century was known as, the mud fort during Yadavas and Kakatiyas. Golconda had been the capital of the independent state of Telangana for a period of 80 years almost when Sultan Quli Qutb Shah had abandoned the fort in the year 1590 and later moved to the new city of Hyderabad. Qutb Shahi King Abul Hasan was held out for eight months against the Aurangzeb’s huge army. He succeeded due to many treacherous ideas to keep the army away.
There were huge gates and these gates were spiked with iron spikes which could become an obstruction for the war elephants. Today there are guides who will take you around and show you the fort.
Warangal Fort
- Address: 12 Kms from Hanumakonda, Mathwada 506002 Warangal, Andhra Pradesh
- Timings: 10 AM to 7 PM.
- Entry Fee: Rs.15 for Indians and Rs.200 for foreign tourists
- Visit Duration: 2-3 hours
Warangal is quite popular for its fort which is a wonderfully architected building and is visible from large distance. The huge building contains three circular strongholds which are entirely different from each other. There are four paths set according to the cardinal points which will lead you to a large Shiva temple.
The gateways are still in a good shape although most part of the fort is in ruins. If you want to go to the fort from Warangal, you can easily catch a bus or hire a taxi or auto-rickshaw, it will not cost much to you. This place can be visited at all days of week at Dawn-Dusk.
Gurramkonda Fort
- Address: Kadapa – Bengaluru Hwy, Gurram Konda, Andhra Pradesh 517297
- Timing: 8.00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Entry Fee: No entry fee
- Visit Duration: 2-3 hours
The Gurramkonda Fort was so named because of the statue of a horse that stood on top of the hill. Legend tells us that the fort was impregnable and would remain so as long as the statue stood on the hill. Under attack from the Marathas, the fort remained unconquered till they learnt of this legend and acted upon it. During the night, they scaled the walls of the fort and removed the statue from the hill. Attacking the next day, they managed to overpower the custodians of the fort and thus the place was eventually conquered.
Chowmahalla Palace
- Address: Khilwat Road, Moti Gali, Charminar 500002 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
- Timings: 10 am–5 pm
- Entry Fee: Rs.80 for Indians and Rs.200 for foreign tourists
- Visit Duration: 1 – 2 hours
This palace was originally the place where the Nizams look after and entertained the official guests and visitors from the Royal family. The palace was known as the seat of the dynasty of Asaf Jahi. This palace was built almost 200 years ago, in the 18th century and is well known for its exclusive style and grace. The architecture of the palace is concentrating around the Rajasthani, European and the Indo- Saracenic. There is a huge hall, which in the earlier times was known as the ”Durbar Hall”, originally known as the “Khilwat Mubarak” compound. The Durbar is huge as there are 19 massive chandeliers made out of Belgian crystals. In the modern times the hall holds exhibitions of clothing, arms and photos. There are curtains placed in the hall, which at one point of time were like a “pardah” meant for the women, which also attended the durbar.
The palace has four sections, the Southern courtyard -, this is the oldest part of the palace. There are four palaces in the southern courtyard, which are the Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal. Out of all of these four palaces, the Aftab mahal is the most magnificent.
The second part of the palace is the Northern courtyard- which has the Bara Imam is a very long corridor having many rooms towards the eastern side. The administrative wing was housed here at one point in time. The other important feature the Northern courtyard had was the Shishe Alat, which as the name suggests, the mirror image. This was used as a guest room, for all the officials who accompanied the dignitaries’.
Another very interesting feature of the Chowmahalla palace, Hyderabad was the Clock tower, which was also known as the Khilwat clock.
The Council Hall is yet another amazing collection of many books which are simple priceless and some of the unique manuscripts. As the name suggest, the Nizam often met the important officials in the Council Hall.
The Roshan Bangla, was named after the sixth Nizam’s mother is yet another beautiful as well as superb part of this courtyard.
Khilwath palace and Nizam’s cars collection is awesome. Visitors became spellbound to see the unique master piece “Custom made Rolls Royce specially made for Nizams and royal garage where you can still found the horse driven carts, old cars dating back to 1906 and also a 1937 model Harley Davidson bike. All the artifacts and lifestyle objects depicts the richness of the Nizams.
The palace is now open to the general public and they can host dinners, meetings as well as cultural evenings can be hosted here. Many corporate also host their annual events in the palace. The Chowmahalla Palace can be visited from 11am to 5:00pm from Sat to Thursday. The entry charges are Rs 40 for Indians and Rs 150 for foreigners.
Falaknuma Palace
- Address: Engine Bowli, Falaknuma 500053 Hyderabad , Andhra Pradesh
- Timings: 9:00 A.M – 6:30 P.M
- Entry Fee: No entry fee
- Visit Duration: 1 hour
One visit to the palace and one will notice the huge palatial rooms in which one can see the blend of the art deco embellishments, Renaissance & Baroque styled architecture, French adornments and one can see many other wonderful blends which create a very unique and an eclectic harmony. The state reception room features a couple of magnificent frescoes, and a jade collection and the one of its kind, a manual organ, which is still very much in use in the state ballroom. Apart from these there are a lot many treasures to explore around in this gorgeous palace.
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