Place · samsthan town · India
Gadwal
Also known as Gadwal Samsthan
The historic Gadwal town in Jogulamba Gadwal district, Telangana (district HQ since 2016), 200 kilometres from Hyderabad. The 1708 Gadwal samsthan (feudal zamindari) founded by Pedda Soma Bhupaludu was one of the chief Nizam-era subordinate states, holding over 500 villages across the Krishna river valley. The 1663 Chennakeshava Swamy temple complex and the Gadwal palace fort anchor the heritage. Gadwal is globally famous for the Gadwal silk-cotton sari — the GI-tagged (2008) handloom tradition with cotton body and silk border + pallu, worn by South Indian brides. About 5,000 weaver families still work the Gadwal looms. The 2016 district formation made it the administrative centre of a 3-taluk Telangana district.
- Function
- Trade & production
- Patron dynasty
- Nizam of Hyderabad · Indian Union
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 16.234, 77.796
Connections (1)
- Patronage networkHyderabad
The Gadwal samsthan (1708-1948) was one of the 14 major feudatory estates (jagirdari-samsthan) under the Nizam of Hyderabad, holding over 500 villages across the Krishna river valley 200 kilometres southwest of Hyderabad. The Nizam granted the Gadwal rajas semi-autonomous rule over their territory in return for tribute and military service, and the 1724-1948 Asaf Jahi Hyderabad court was the political and cultural centre for the Gadwal samsthan's rulers. The 1947-48 Hyderabad accession integrated Gadwal into India.
Sources
Standard reference; district gazetteer and Wikipedia.
Open Gadwal in the repository →