The Jagtial fort in Jagtial town in Karimnagar is another popular tourist place that finds mention in the Tourism map of Telangana. The fort has stood firm over centuries and is marked for its valour and grandeur. The fort is built in a very unique style and displays the conceptual and architectural skills of the engineers.
The fort was visualized by two European engineers, Jack and Tal. It is a beautiful star shaped fort surrounded by water in the area. The place was named after the two engineers and was known as Jagityal with the fort being known as Jagityala Fort. The fort was later renamed as Jagtial fort. The European influence on the design and layout of the Fort is quite prominent. It resembled a European castle when it was built. However, the so called castle is mostly in ruins now. Still it remains an interesting place for the tourists who cannot ignore it.
The fort was built by the Mughal dynasty under the leadership of Nawab Ibrahim who had been a Governor then. The height of the fort had been 264 mtrs when built. The fort was built with stones and lime. The entrance had a huge wooden gate that stood as a guard to the fort. It was surrounded by water bodies on all the four sides. The four water bodies were Mote pond, Dharma Samandar, Mupparaap and Kandla Palli. Together, these provided the best scenic setting to the tourists. However, most of the fort is down into ruins due to damages caused by nature and time. It had also sustained the attacks of many cannons and other such ammunitions. The ruined fort has less to show the tourists today. One also does not see the wooden door now. Still it has been a place of archaeological importance.
The fort had cannons on its walls for defense. The cannons were built by Mohammad Khasim. One of the existing cannons has his name inscribed on it in Urdu.
The fort houses many other historical monuments. Jama Masjid built during the 18th century is one such huge structure. Few others were the Tahsildar office and the court building. The fort has many stories and treasures that still need to be excavated that could help in better understanding of history and the 17th century lifestyle in particular.
Special Attractions:
The massive cannons on the walls that still have the name of the builder, Mohammad Khasim inscribed on them.
The four water bodies surrounding the fort provide a scenic importance to it.
Specialty of the place:
The huge cannons positioned at proper distances and locations are the favorite of the tourists. There are also other structures in the fort that bear historical importance.
How to reach Jagtial Fort:
One can easily reach the fort as it is properly connected to all the major cities in the state by the State Road Transport Corporation. Buses are available to the destination at frequent intervals.
The destination is also connected by the railway with Karimnagar. The passenger train had also started between Jagtial and Sirpur Kaghaznagar in 2007.
Hyderabad to Jagtial Bus Timings:
Buses are available in this route in every 30 minutes.
Nearest Railway Station:
Jagityal Lingampet Rail Way Station and Mallial Nukapalli Rail Way Station are the closest railway stations. However, one may also reach by getting down at the Kazipet Junction which is 124 kms from Jagtial.
Where to stay:
One may easily find a reasonable accommodation in Jagtial. Budget hotels, 3 star hotels and guest houses are available to the tourists. One may also stay at Karimnagar and visit Jagtial.
Food Facilities:
The well-known food joints at Jagtial are the Telangana cuisine and North India Cuisine.
Jagtial Fort Timings: 10.00 AM to 5:00 PM daily.
Distance to Jagtial Fort:
From Hyderabad 190 Kms
From Karimnagar 52 Kms
From Hanamkonda 123 Kms
From Nizamabad 99 Kms
From Mancherial 72 Kms
Address:
Jagtial Fort
Jagtial
Karimnagar District
Telangana.