Raikal

Raikal
Mandal
Raikal Location in Telangana, India
Coordinates: 18°54′N 78°48′E / 18.9°N 78.8°E / 18.9; 78.8Coordinates: 18°54′N 78°48′E / 18.9°N 78.8°E / 18.9; 78.8
Country	India
State	Telangana
District	Karimnagar
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	505460
Telephone code	+8724
Vehicle registration	AP-15
Nearest city	Jagtial korutla
Lok Sabha constituency	Nizamabad
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Jagtial

Raikal is the mandal (sub-district) headquarters and a small town in Karimnagar District, Telangana, India comprising 20 villages.^[1] Raikal is about 65 km from the district headquarters Karimnagar.

Economy

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Rice, corn, turmeric, chilli are typically grown. Dairy, poultry and goat farming are the upcoming industries. There is much horticulture, with many mangoes being produced in and around this region. Though there are other business such as weaving and sawmill as well, many people live on rolling the beedis; which is a popular occupation for the housewives in this region. A large class of workmen migrate to Arab countries as unemployment is high in this region.

Culture

This small town has historical significance for two things. The first is the ancient temple of Kesavanatha Swamy which was built in the 13th century by the Kakatiya dynasty. This temple's idol is Panchamukhalingeswara Swamy (Lord Siva with five faces) which is believed to be one of the only two existing, the other being at Varanasi. The second attraction is the annual Bhimanna Jatara (Hindu festival) held for 3 days during January - March. Dussera is celebrated in a big way with many people gathering at the "Jambi" near the shivaji statue, which is at the perimeter of the town. Bathukamma/Boddamma, a festival typical to Telangana region grandly celebrated every year with mainly ladies and girls singing and dancing hymns about Goddess Lakshmi.

References