![]() Location of Punnelu Punnelu is situated in Wardhannapet Mandal, Warangal district. The official language of this village is Telugu. Geography of Punnelu The village of Punnelu is surrounded by Raiparthy Mandal towards South, Zaffergadh Mandal towards west, Parvathagiri Mandal towards East, and Sangam Mandal towards East. The nearby cities to Punnelu are Warangal, Jangaon, Suryapet, and Bhongir. Demography of Punnelu The village has a population of about 5,000 and literacy about 30-40%. Agriculture is the main source of employment in Punnelu. It is surrounded by five lakes which are the primary sources of irrigation water. This village is within 10 km distance from Warangal city but thousands of kilometres distant from development. It is said that the reason behind its underdevelopment is division politics. Lack of proper education facilities is another reason. There has been a lower primary school since late 1960s, upgraded to primary school in mid-1980s and now upgraded to high school. According to the records available, Punnelu was notified as Gram Panchayat in mid '70s. The first sarpanch was Muthireddy Venkat Remreddy. Nalam Komuraiah then served as patwari (V.A.O). After Ramreddy, Merugu Bikshapati took the post of Sarpanch and served for 15 years and then elected as Wardhannapet Mandal Parishad president. Pinninti Narayan Rao was succeeded as Sarpanch after Merugu Bixapathi. Bogelli Narayana Rao was then elected as Sarpanch in 1998 bi-elections. Kathi Yellagoud was elected as Sarpanch and Kathi Ganesh was elected as MPTC in 2001 elections. Then in the election of 2006, Elisha Ellandula was elected as Sarpanch and Jilla Laxmi was elected as MPTC. Historical Significance of Punnelu Punnelu is home to some ancient monuments that belong to Kakatiya time and Nawab time. It has two temples surviving from Kakatiya Dynasty; one is dedicated to Lord Shiva and another to Lord Vishnu. Tourism of Punnelu The nearby tourist places of this village are Warangal, Khammam, Medaram, Nagarjunakonda and Hyderabad. Khammam is known for Narashimha Swamy Temple and Khammam Fort. The places of interest in Warangal are Thousand Pillar Temple, Warangal Fort and Siddheswara Temple. Medaram is popular for the biennial religious congregation called 'Samakka Sarakka Jatra'. Nagarjunakonda is well known for Nagarjunakonda Island Museum, Ethipothala Waterfalls, Nagarjunasagar Dam and Srisailam Wildlife reserve. And Hyderabad is famous for Birla Mandir, Charminar, Golconda Fort, Chowmahalla Palace, Hussain Sagar Lake, and Salar Jung Museum. Visiting Information Visitors can reach the village via road connectivity from Warangal. Warangal which is 16 km away from Punnelu is the nearest town. There is no railway station near to Punnelu in less than 10 km. One can avail train from the nearby town of Warangal. |