Adilabad district
Adilabad district is a district located in the northern region of Telangana, India. It is known as the gateway district to South and Central India. The town of Adilabad is its headquarters. The district share boundaries with Asifabad, Nirmal districts and with the state boundary of Maharashtra. History. Historically, Adilabad was known as Edlabad during the rule of Qutub Shahis. The district was named for Ali Adil Shah, sultan of Bijapur. The heavily forested Godavari basin was inhabited during the Mesolithic and Paleolithic periods. Excavations have taken place in the surrounding areas of Luxettipet, Asifabad, Boath, Bhainsa, and  Nirmal. The district was ruled at different times by different dynasties, including the Mauryas, Sathavanas, Katakiyas and Gond Rajas. Some Telugu inscriptions made during the time of the Kakatiya dynasty have been found in the Adilabad District, which indicates the historical importance of the area. Due to the district's reorganization in October 2016 the erstwhile Adilabad district was divided into four districts: Adilabad district, Komaram Bheem district, Mancherial district, and Nirmal district. Geography. The Adilabad district is located in the Telangana state of India. It is bordered to the north by Yavatmal district and Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, to  the east by Komaram Bheem district, to the southeast by Mancherial district, to the south by Nirmal district, and to the west by Nanded district of the Maharashtra. It occupies an area of . Demographics. According to the Census of India, the residual Adilabad district has a population of 708,972, with a ratio of 989 females to 1000 males. The literacy rate is 63.46%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.02% and 31.68% of the population respectively. In the residual district, 36.50% of the population speaks Telugu, 19.67% Marathi, 17.23% Gondi, 10.23% Urdu, 7.00% Lambadi, 2.92% Kolami and 2.05% Hindi  as their first language. Religions. Badankurti village in Khanapur Mandal of the Adilabad district was explored and remnants of a Buddhist monastery were found on a small island of Godavari river near Badankurthi. The town of Bhainsa was probably related to early Buddhist times, as a pair of carved feet near a mound were found. Islam is also a major religion in Adilabad district Ethnicities. The major tribal groups in the area are the Adivasis: Gonds, Kolams, Pardhans, and Thotis. Adilabad is also known for Imran the Tree Maker Economy. In 2006, the Indian government named Adilabad as one of  the 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640) in the country. It is one of the districts in the state of Telangana, currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Administrative divisions. The district is divided into two revenue divisions, Adilabad and Utnoor. These two divisions are sub-divided into 18 mandals. Sikta Patnaik is the current revenue collector for the district. Mandals. The below table categorizes 18 mandals into their respective revenue divisions in the district: