Ramappa Temple Telangana - Kakatiya style Hindu Shiva Temple.

 

Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreswara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, located in Telangana, India. It is built with bricks that are so light that they can easily float on water. The temple which is situated in a valley took nearly 40 years to be completed. Elaborate carvings line the walls and also cover the pillars and ceilings of the temple. The temple remained intact even after repeated 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. The Ramappa (Rudreshwara) temple stands out as a unique testimony to the highest level of creative, artistic and engineering achievements involving various experimentations in expressive art forms of the Kakatiya period.

 

 

Temple construction was started in the year 1213 CE by Recharla Rudra, a General of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva 1199–1262. Ramappa Temple stands on a 6-foot (1.8 m) high star-shaped platform. The temple's chamber is crowned with a shikharam and is surrounded by pradakshinapatha. 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 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.

 

 

Temple is 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". The temple is named after the sculptor Ramappa, who built it, making it the only temple in the country to be named after its craftsman. Ramappa Temple was identified as a protected monument in 1914 and since then it is maintained and conserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). On 25 July 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana".

 

 

The Ramappa temple is the right destination for people who admire architectural brilliance and have a panoramic view of true scenic beauty. The temple is situated in Palampet village of the Venkatapur Mandal, in Mulug Taluq of Warangal. which is 19 km from Mulugu mandal and around 70 km from Warangal city. Temple is easily accessible by road.