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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 17, p. 2.

z MAIll3Ûl3MAGAR IDISTI2ICT The famous Golconda diamonds were formerly obtained from t11c Cuddapahs and Kurnools, particularly the basement-beds of the latter. The District is well wooded, having a large forest area. The timber trees are bijdsizl (Pterocarpus Alarsupium), nalldmaddi (Terminalia toitzentosa), eppa (Mardwichiâ binata), ebony, teak, babal (Acacia arabica), mango, and tamarind. The scrubby jungle consists of brush- wood, tarvar (Cassia auriculata), and other plants used for fuel. Antelope and spotted deer are found in the Ibrahimpatan, Makhtal, and Narayanpet ticluhs; tigers, leopards, and bears are met with in the wooded hills of the rest of the District. In the Amrâbad tdbrh, wild hog, nilgai, sambar, hyenas, porcupines, several species of monkeys, large red squirrels, and wild dogs are also found. Peafowl, jungle-fowl, red parrots and red minds, yellow and red bulbuls as large as pigeons, and many other rare birds are also met with. Climatically the District may be divided into three portions. The tdluks of Narayanpet, Makhtal, and Jedcherla are hot and dry, but healthy ; Mahbûbnagar, Koilkonda, Ibrahimpatan, and Kalvakurti are hot and damp, and are not so healthy ; while the remaining tdluks of Pargi, Nagar Karm:il, and Amrabad are damp, unhealthy, and malarious. The annual rainfall for the twenty-one years ending igoi averaged 34 inches. Little is known of the history of the District. The Rajas of Warangal at one period held sway over it, but after the Muhammadan conquest of the Deccan it came into the possession History. of the Bahnlani kings. On the dissolution of their power, a portion of it was annexed by the Kutb Sihâhis, and another portion became part of Bijapur. In 1686, when Sikandar Adil Shah was defeated by Aurangzeb, Bijapur with its dependencies was annexed to the empire of Delhi. In 17o6 prince Kam Bakhsh was appointed Sûballdar of Bijapur and Hyderabad ; and on the foundation of the Hyderabad State early in the eighteenth century the District was included in the Nizam's Dominions. The fort of Koilkonda was built by Ibrâbim Kutb Shah, one of the Golconda kings, and contained substantial buildings which are now in ruins. In the Amrabad taluh is a fort, now in ruins, called the l'ratap Rudra Kot, which could shelter a large garrison. The old ruined city of Chandragupta, 32 miles south of Amrabad on the left bank of the Kistna, was a very populous place during the reign of I'ratap Rudra, Raja of Warangal. Besides these, there are four old temples, one of which, called the Mahéswara temple, is built on a hill with goo steps from the foot to the summit. In the Nagar Karnal tdluk is the hill fort of PANGAL, a mile and a half long and one mile broad, possessing seven walls with a citadel in the centre. The number of towns and villages in the District, including jdgirs,