Ramappa Temple

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"Ramappa" redirects here. For the lake, see Ramappa Lake.

Ramappa Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictMulugu
DeityRamalingeswara Swamy[1]
FestivalsMaha Sivaratri
Location
LocationPalampet village
StateTelangana
CountryIndia
Ramappa Temple is located in Telangana
Ramappa Temple
Location in Telangana
Geographic coordinatesCoordinates: 18°15′33″N 79°56′36″E / 18.25917°N 79.94333°E / 18.25917; 79.94333
Architecture
Architect(s)Ramappa
TypeKakatiya style, Bhumija/Vesara style
CreatorRecharla Rudra
Completed13th Century
Direction of façadeEast-facing
Official name: Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana
CriteriaCultural: (i)(iii)
Designated2021 (44th session)
Reference no.1570

Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara (Lord Siva) temple, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the state of Telangana in southern India.[2] It is 66 km (41 mi) away from Warangal, 15 km (9.3 mi) from Mulugu, 209 km (130 mi) from Hyderabad. It lies in a valley in Palampet village of Venkatapur mandal of Mulugu district, a tiny village long past its days of glory in the 13th and 14th centuries.[3] An inscription in the temple dates it to the year 1213 CE and says it was built by a Kakatiya General Recharla Rudra[4], during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva.[1]

The temple is a Sivalayam, where Lord Ramalingeswara is worshipped. Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya empire, allegedly called the temple "the brightest star in the galaxy of temples".[5] Ramappa Temple stands majestically on a 6-foot (1.8 m) high star-shaped platform. The hall in front of the sanctum has numerous carved pillars that have been positioned to create an effect that combines light and space wonderfully. The temple is named after the sculptor Ramappa, who built it, and is perhaps the only temple in India to be named after its craftsman.[6]

The main structure is in a reddish sandstone, but the columns round the outside have large brackets of black basalt which is rich in iron, magnesium and silica. These are carved as mythical animals or female dancers or musicians, and are "the masterpieces of Kakatiya art, notable for their delicate carving, sensuous postures and elongated bodies and heads".[7]

The Temple was included in the proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site "The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways", in 2019 on the "tentative list". The proposal was submitted to UNESCO on 10 September 2015.[6] On 25 July 2021, the temple was inscribed as a World Heritage Site as "Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana".[2][8]

Description[edit]

The roof (garbhalayam) of the temple is built with bricks, which are so light that they are able to float on water.[9]

Some bricks of the Ramappa temple and Humayun's tomb were sent for examination to Dr. Habib Haman, Chief Chemist of Government Industrial Laboratory, Hyderabad, Dn. He has kindly reported as follows: 'The samples of floating bricks from Bidar are similar to those from Warangal as far as the method of manufacture is concerned. The material used to make the brick spongy was apparently saw-dust. The weight of the specimens is ​1⁄3 to ​1⁄4 of the ordinary bricks of the same size. The Bidar specimens show better quality as regards homogeneous mixing and uniform burning than their proto-types from Ramappa, as a result of which the porosity is well-maintained in the body of bricks from Bidar and they float well in water, the reason for this could be that the Ramappa temple was built almost three centuries prior to the Humayun's tomb.[10]

[verify]

There are two small Shiva shrines on either side of the main temple. The enormous Nandi within, facing the shrine of Shiva, remains in good condition.

Nataraja Ramakrishna revived Perini Shivatandavam (Perini Dance), by seeing the sculptures in this temple. The dance poses, written in Nritta Rathnavalid by Jayapa Senaani, also appear in these sculptures.

The temple remained intact even after repeated wars, plunder and destruction during wars and natural disasters. There was a major earthquake during the 17th century which caused some damage. It survived the earthquake due to its 'sandbox technique' of laying foundation.[11]

Many of the smaller structures were neglected and are in ruins. The Archaeological Survey of India has taken charge of it. The main entrance gate in the outer wall of the temple is ruined.[12]

Location[edit]

Ramappa temple is located in Palampet, Venkatapur mandal which is 19 km (12 mi) from Mulugu mandal (around 70 km (43 mi) off Warangal city). It is located 6 km (3.7 mi) away from Kota Gullu where another Shiva temple is located.

Nearest cities[edit]

Gallery[edit]

  • From the side

    From the side

  • Ramappa Temple 02.jpg
  • Front

    Front

  • Temples of India.jpg
  • From behind

    From behind

  • One of the distinctive dancers

    One of the distinctive dancers

  • Dancer

    Dancer

  • Pillar inside the mandapa

    Pillar inside the mandapa

  • Inside the mandapa

    Inside the mandapa

  • Smaller temple

    Smaller temple

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao. "Ramappa temple never fails to surprise visitors". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nanisetti, Serish (25 July 2021). "Telangana's Ramappa Temple inscribed as a World Heritage Site". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "The Shiva temples at Palampet". Retrieved 11 September 2006.
  4. ↑ P. V. P. Sastry 1978, p. 143.
  5. ↑ Dobbie, Aline (2006). India: The Elephant's Blessing. Melrose Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-905226-85-6.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 UNESCO "The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways", Tentative List
  7. ↑ Michell, 385
  8. ↑ UNESCO (25 July 2021). "Cultural sites in China, India, Iran and Spain inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  9. ↑ [1]
  10. ↑ Bidar, Its History and Monuments, Yazdani, G., https://books.google.co.in/books?id=w6xpQpOCtzAC, 1947, Oxford University Press, p. 133
  11. ↑ "Did Kakatiya rulers hold the secret to earthquake-proof buildings?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Warangal Temples, Telangana". Retrieved 11 September 2006.

Bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Michell, George, The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, 1989, Penguin Books, ISBN 0140081445

External links[edit]

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