Hyderabad: The state is dotted with old forts, many which are not being projected properly. The most well-known is the famed Golconda fort in Hyderabad, originally constructed by Kakatiyas of Warangal and ceded to the Bahmanis in 1363 AD. There are several other forts which are little known and not popularised over the years.
A new book, Telangana Kotalu (Forts of Telangana), written by writer, director and producer Nagabala Suresh Kumar, throws light on 25 such forts. “The concept of writing about forts in Telangana began eight years ago. I thought of writing. The idea cropped up during chat with various people during the making of the film Shridi Sai and the TV serial Komaram Bheem. Telangana has some of the best forts and it is time the government promoted them,” Kumar said.
The 143-page book has historical facts about the forts including Elagandal, Ramagiri, Mulamguru,, Nirmal, Jagitiyal, Kotilingala, Utnoor, Vydurya-puram, Medak, Gandhari, Bhuvanagiri, Warangal, Khammam, Deverakonda, Golconda, Rachakonda, Wanaparthy, Kaulas, Gadwal, Ghanpur, Nizamabad, Sirpur, Naganur and Pratapgiri.
Government adviser K.V. Ramanachary who released the book, said, “During the reign of N.T. Rama Rao, the Qutb Shahi tombs were promoted in a big way. I feel government and film-makers should promote these forts. Film-makers should make it a point to shoot films in some of the forts so that they get state, national and international attention and become tourist spots,” Dr Ramanachary said.
