After the campaign that focused on setting Hyderabad in Unesco’s heritage list, albeit, without success, the Telangana government has redirected its focus on surrounding districts of twin cities, which they agree have been a neglected lot.

Warangal, the second largest city in Telangana, has been identified as a ‘spiritual’ and religious destination. The land of Kakatiyas has now expelled Hyderabad from its tag of the number one tourist destination in Telangana.

The district, with Kakatiya style of architecture and sculpture, its archeologically relevant historic sites including temples, forts and caves, had over 1.3 crore tourists, including people from abroad, flocking in the last two years, even as Hyderabad remained a close second with 1.1 crore tourist footfall.

Bhadrakali Temple, Warangal Fort, Thousand Pillar temple (Rudreswara temple) at Hanamkonda and Rudreswara (Ramappa) temple at Palampet are the famous tourist spots in Warangal which attract tourists from across the country and abroad while some of these have already made it to the tentative list of the Unesco’s World Heritage sites.

Medaram, a small village in Warangal is the site of one of the largest tribal religious confluences in the country – the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara. The erstwhile Shaivaite kingdom ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty from 12 to 14 century AD has been attracting tourists for long, it’s in the past two years that it started getting a fillip. Several sites including Pandavalu Gutta, and Mylaram caves, the full extent of which was discovered only this year, have started attracting more number of tourists.

Officials at the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) said that the tourist footfall in Warangal is only expected to increase in the coming years as cottages and other amenities are being set up at the most popular destinations. TSTDC is currently in the process of setting up cottages near Laknavaram lake, which is now attracting a lot more tourists than the renowned Ramappa Lake.

“We have been focusing a lot on Warangal for the past one year as tourists find it a meeting place of history and scenic beauty. Warangal, in the next few years, will be developed as an eco-tourism spot too,” said Pervaram Ramulu, Chairman, TSTDC. He also said that 1.3 crore footfall could increase to over 1.6 crores in the coming years.

“The island chain in Laknavaram is a famous tourist destination and we want to develop it to its full potential,” said S. Narasimha Rao, Deputy Director, TSTDC.

Warangal houses a rare variety of tourist attractions, from the serene Ramappa and Pakal lakes to Eturunagaram Sanctuary, which is an abode for fauna, including black buck, tiger and panther. The district has the potential of being a well-developed tourist spot, the officers said. According to the officers, the destination that attracted the most number of tourists was the rock paintings in Pandavalu Gutta, discovered in 1990.

Tourism experts said that Warangal, unlike most districts in Telangana, has a unique mix of destinations which gives an all-round tourist experience. From Mughal relics to Kakatiya single stone architecture, Warangal offers a blend of cultures.