^6 



Statistical Report on the 



[No. S5, 



is a straggling village with a ruined mud gurree in its enceinte^ after 

 the fashion of Telinganah. 



"Warungul, the ancient capital of Telinganah, situated north lati- 

 tude 17° 57 and east longitude 79*^ 39|', possesses an interest 

 separate from its present condition of a ruinous village. With the 

 exception of four gateways, which led to the great temple of Siva, 

 and which still remain in a tolerable state of preservation, there is 

 nothing but ruins to denote its former grandeur. Sculptured as 

 these remains are out of a hard greenstone, admitting of a fine 

 polish, the figures cut in the stone retain their outline unimpaired 

 as if they had just come from the chisel. It is impossible to trace 

 the exact form or dimensions of the original temple, so utter has 

 been the desolation, not from time but the violence of the Maho- 

 metan conquerors, who, not content with razing the whole structure 

 to the ground, have carried their work of destruction a step further, 

 by using the beautifully sculptured fragments of cornices and capi- 

 tals as materials for building the inner stone wall of the fort, which 

 is thus clearly the work of the Musselmen. But the persevering 

 piety of the Hindoos has rescued some relics of their great temple ; 

 and one whole pillar, attesting what their temple was, is yet pre- 

 served, although not on its original site. 



The history of the Andra kings of Telinganah, is about as well 

 known as that of any other Hindoo dynasty previous to the Maho- 

 metan invasion ; and the inscriptions in an old Teloogoo character 

 found at Warungul have, most of them, been copied and commented 

 on by the learned in Indian antiquities. They chiefly relate to the 

 power, wealth, and extent of dominion of the Andra kings, with 

 the usual bombast and inflation of such productions. Tradition 

 has, as usual, been busy in falsifying what was true, and forging 

 what is impossible. The glories of Pertab Rudrah, the splendour 

 of his temple, the hidden treasures that lie concealed, are, to 

 this day, among the Hindoo population, constant themes of admi- 

 ration, regret, and curiosity. But in viewing the ruins some conso- 

 lation may be derived by the Hindoo in seeing the mosque and 

 palace built by the leader of the Musselmen, Shitab-khan, mingling 

 their ruins with those of his own fallen fanes and palaces. 



The inner wall of the fort is about three-quarters of a mile in 

 diameter, with bastions, and four gates. Five hundred yards ex- 

 ternal to it there is a mud wall seventy feet in height, with a 



