Adilabad is a city[5] which serves as the headquarters of Adilabad district, in the Indian state of Telangana.[3]Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, and Lambadi, Gondi are the most spoken languages of Adilabad.[6] Adilabad is famous for its extensive cultivation of cotton. Hence, Adilabad is also referred as "White Gold City". It is located about 304 kilometres (189 mi) north of the state capital, Hyderabad, 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Nizamabad and 196 kilometres (122 mi) from Nagpur.
History
Before the 10th century, this town was referred to as Edlawāḍa, i.e. 'Land of Oxen'.[7] Later, during the Qutub Shahi rule it was referred to as Edlabad. Adilabad derives its name from the erstwhile ruler of Bijapur, Muhammad Yusuf Adil Shah.[8] It wasn't a homogenous unit for a long period. Adilabad was ruled by many dynasties like the Kakatiyas, Mauryas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Qutub Shahis, Asaf Jahis and by Gond Rajas of earlier sub-districts Sirpur and Chanda. It was created in 1872 by the ruler and In 1905 it was declared to be an independent district with a prominent headquarters. Later, many regions were combined and set apart. In 2016, it was divided into four districts namely, Adilabad, Nirmal, Asifabad, Mancherial.[9]
Languages
Telugu is the most spoken language in Adilabad (65% as native language). Due to geographical proximity with Maharashtra, Marathi is also widely spoken and understood (10.5% as native language). Other languages spoken in Adilabad include Hindi, Urdu and lambadi, Gondi.[6]
The Kuntala Waterfall, rivers like the Godavari, Painganga, etc flow through the district. Mavala lake, built during the Nizam period, is situated 6 km south side of Adilabad city. There is a park adjacent to the lake. Other waterfalls in Adilabad include Pochara waterfalls also and Gayatri waterfall, where different rope games are conducted in year-round. Saptha Gundala waterfalls, consisting of 7 small waterfalls, is accessible only by track due to its isolated forest location.
Climate
Climate data for Adilabad (1991–2020, extremes 1982–2020)
In 2011, Adilabad had a population of 117,167. Males make up 59,448 of the population, with females making up 57,719. 12,993 of the population are under the age group of 0–6 years. The city has an average literacy rate of 43.45%. The urban agglomeration population of the city stands at 139,383. It includes the population figures of its constituent census town, Dasnapur as 22,216.[3]
