Warangal Fort was the citadel of the Kakatiya kings, an immense fortified complex covering several square kilometres and protected by three concentric rings of walls — earthen, stone, and moat. Most of the inner buildings were destroyed after the Delhi Sultanate under Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sacked the city in 1323, ending the Kakatiya dynasty.
What survives most dramatically are the four ornamental gateways — kakatiya kala thoranam — that once marked the cardinal entrances to the inner sanctum. These tall arched gates, built of massive granite blocks fitted without mortar, are among the most recognizable images of medieval Deccan architecture. A small Shiva temple, the Svayambhu Linga, still functions within the fort ruins. The site is atmospheric and relatively uncrowded, surrounded by scrub jungle with peacocks wandering the grounds. An Archaeological Survey of India museum near the fort entrance displays carvings and inscriptions recovered from the site.