History

Nalgonda is a district in the southern part of Telangana. The name has been derived from two Telugu words namely Nalla (Black) & Konda (Hill). Nalgonda was earlier called Neelagiri by Rajput rulers and later it was known as Nallagonda following the conquest by Bahamani king, Allauddin Bahaman Shah. The district is spread over an area of 2,449.79 square kilometers.

Deverakonda Fort

Presently in ruined state, Deverakonda Fort was once formidable being located amidst seven hills. Constructed around the 13th and 14th centuries, the fort was entirely under the control of Padma Nayaka Kings from 1287 AD to 1482 AD defeating all attempts made to conquer it. Though now in ruins, the fort tells a lot about the valiant kings of the past.

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

Telangana owes its famous title ‘Rice Bowl of India’ to Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, which plays a lead role in making the lands of the state fertile. The 124-meter high dam is the tallest masonry dam in the world. This also ranks third in the largest man-made lakes of the world and it involved around 70,000 workers to complete the project. The dam came into use in 1972 after completion in the year 1969. The marvelous architecture involved in storing massive amount of the waters of Krishna River necessitates a visit to this place.

District Museum of Panagal

The District Heritage Museum, Panagal is a historical museum established in Panagal village in Nalgonda district, Telangana. It is located close to the historic Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple of Panagal village.The Panagal Museum was established in February 1982. It is at a distance of four kilometers from Nalgonda town. Panagal in Nalgonda was a place of religious importance during Kakatiya period. The temples here were erected in remembrance of the Kakatiya rulers’ beloved deity, Shiva. The total area of the museums complex is nearly 3 acres. There are many sculptures, prehistoric tools, coins, bronzes, beads, arms and weapons, copper plate inscriptions that are in display here. The objects displayed here were collected from excavations carried out in Vardamana Kota, Yeleswaram, Phanigiri, Panagal and many of them have also been acquired from the State Museum, Hyderabad, ranging from 2nd Century AD to 18th Century AD.

Buddavanam

Buddhism is an ancient religion that flourished greatly in South and South East Asia, ages ago.Telangana state is home to many religious settlements, which also includes ancient Buddhist settlements.There are many significant Buddhist sites of great heritage importance.The region close to Nagarjuna Sagar dam, located in the Nalgonda district of Telangana is home to one of the oldest Buddhist civilizations in India. Here, many historic artefacts were discovered during the process of building the mighty dam here in the 1950s.Nandikonda is a village located close to Nagarjuna Sagar dam, and it was once part of the Ikshvaku Dynasty. The region earned prominence after the discovery of many Buddhist structures like pillared halls and monasteries.The Buddhist Heritage Museum was inaugurated officially on May 14th 2014, to mark the Buddha Jayanthi celebrations.Buddhavanam here is also called the Buddhist Theme Park, located nearthe right bank canal of Nagarjuna Sagar dam. The relics which were unearthed here during excavations are on display currently at this museum.The site is spread across a 274-acre campus, where a tall Stupa has been installed along with other important replicas of Buddha Stupas.The museum boasts of an impressive display of Buddhist Sculptures, Buddhist Tankas, Bronzes, Pala, Gandhara Sculptures, Ajantha Paintings and Stone Sculptures. Many of these artefacts have now been preserved in the Buddhist Heritage Museum, Buddhavanamwhile new galleries are being added here to preservethe priceless monuments and sculptures of this region, which was once home to Acharya Nagarjuna, one of the founders of the Madhyamika Buddhism.

The unique museum features attractive sculptures of Lord Gautama Buddha in meditating avatar, along with other impressive and historic sculptures of Buddha.

PROFILE OF NALGONDA DISTRICT:

Nalgonda was originally known as Nilagiri areas of today’s Nalgonda district were ruled by many rulers Satavahanas to Chalukyas to Kakatiyas, Bahamins, Qutubshah, the AsafJahi dynasty under Hyderabad state. The district is criss crossed by many rivers. River Krishna farms to Southern boundary of district and travels 85 kms along the Southern Mandals. River Musi enter from North West traverses 64 kms before joining river Alair, it then flows 153 km and joins river Krishna. The major crops grown in the district are paddy jower, Bajra, groundnut, red gram, castor, cotton etc. Among Horticulture crops citrus and mango are widely grown. Nagarjuna sagar the major multi-purpose project built across river Krishna is a major irrigation project in the district. Other river projects are river projects on Musi, Dindi, Asifa nagar project, Pendhi parkala, Saligowraram and Bhimanapally projects.

Administrative set up:

Nalgonda district is divided in to 59 Mandals; These Mandals are again grouped in to Three Revenue divisions and one sub-division. Nalgonda, Miryalaguda ,Devarakonda (Sub division).

ABOUT DISTRICT

Division Wise Mandals List-Nalgonda District

S.No Parameters State District
1 Geographical Area (in Sq.Meters) 1,12,077 7,122
2 Males 1,76,11,633 16,18,416
3 Females 1,73,92,041 8,00,110
4 Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 Males) 988 978
5 Rural 2,13,95,009 12,50,113
6 Urban 1,36,08,665 3,68,303
7 Rural Population (%) 61.12 77.24
8 Urban Population (%) 38.88 22.76

ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

S.No Parameters State District
1 Revenue Villages 10,859 564
2 Revenue Mandals 584 31
3 Revenue Mandals 68 31
4 Gram Panchayaths 8,695 844
5 Mandal Praja Parishads 438 31
6 Zilla Praja Parishads 9 1
7 Muncipalities(Incl.corpns.&NPs 73 8