Karimnagar, the administrative headquarters of the Karimnagar District, is situated 160 km north east of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh . The city was named after Syed Karimuddin, who is thought to be its founder. Karimnagar was formerly known as 'Sabbinadu' and inscriptions of the Kakatiya king Prola II and Prataparudra found at Karimnagar and Srisailam suggest evidence of its rich history. Karimnagar is a prominent agricultural center in the state.Vast agricultural area around the town is watered by the Godavari River.           Places of tourist interest around the town include Elgandal (10 km) and Vemulawada (35 km).Karimnagar is well connected to Warangal, Nizamabad , Medak and other parts of the state by road. Nearest airport is at Hyderabad (160 km). Karimnagar district is bounded by Warangal and Medak districts in the South, Nizamabad district in the West, Madhya Pradesh state in the east and Adilabad district in the North directions.         The name Karimnagar is derived from Syed Karimuddin, a Quiladar. It is known for Vedic learning from ancient times. Karimnagar is located at a distance of 165 Km from Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.The river Godavari adds to the beauty of this place. Many large scale companies like NTPC, Kesoram Cements, Ramagundam-singareni collieries etc. are located in and around Karimnagar. Holy places like Vemulawada, Dharmapuri, Kaleshwaram, KondaGattu etc. are present in Karimnagar district. The locals specialise in Silver Filigree, a delicate form of metal work .        The history of the Karimnagar district starts from the Old Stone Age i.e. from 1,48,000 BC. It is evident from the tools, culture and other materials found at different places in Karimnagar. The exhaustions at Pedda Bonkur, Dhollikatte and Kotilingalu are evidences for history. From these evidences it is concluded that Karimnagar is ruled by Shathavahanas. After Shathavahanas Mourya Kings, Asafzalu Kings ruled over Karimnagar. The buildings, constructions made by these kings are today remarkable evidences of the history.     The city of Karimnagar is run by the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation. The Municipality of Karimnagar was upgraded to incorporated in 2005. Thousands of people within city limits reside outside corporation boundaries. Many areas on the outskirts have yet to be merged into corporation limits. The total population of the city (along with Karimnagar Sub-Urban and Karimnagar Rural) is around 3,30,000. The Municipal Corporation consists of members elected from the wards of the city. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by the members among themselves. A Municipal Commissioner, who is from the Indian Administrative Service is appointed to head the administrative staff of the Municipal Corporation and implement the decisions of the Corporation and prepare its annual budget.