Khammam derived its name from its headquarters town, which in turn appears to have derived it from a hill known as the Sthambhadri, located in the heart of the town. The town was known by various names as Sthambhadri, Sthambhagiri, Kambagiri and Khammamett. The district covers an area of 16,029 sq. km.
Khammam was formerly a district, having all the taluks of the present Warangal district till A.D 1905, when Warangal was made the district headquarters. For effective administration Warangal was bifurcated on October 1st 1953 and Khammam district was created. The headquarters of the district was however, kept in the ancient town of Khammam.
