Ramappa Temple

Structure

Ramappa Temple stands on a 6 ft 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, making it the only temple in India to be named after its craftsman.

The main structure is in a reddish sandstone, but the columns around 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". On 25 July 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana".

Restoration by 7th Nizam

The 7th Nizam of Hyderabad also donated towards restoration of the temple, with the restoration works starting in 1914.

In 1931, Dr. Ghulam Yazdani, the world famous Indian Archeologist and Conservationist who established Hyderabad Archaeology Department under the Nizam Government, had traced the decorations and ornaments of the temple which were missing and restored them in its original positions.

Description

The roof (garbhalayam) of the temple is built with bricks, which are so light that they can float on water.

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 Nrtta Ratnavali by Jayapa Senani, 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.

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.{{cite web |access-date=2006-09-11

Location

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

Gallery

File:Ramappa Temple (Human Scale).jpg|From the side File:Ramappa Temple 02.jpg File:Temple - Front view.JPG|Front File:Temples of India.jpg File:A view of Ramappa Temple 01.JPG|From behind File:Ramappa Temple by Varsha Bhargavi Kondapalli 21.jpg|One of the distinctive dancers File:Ramappa Temple by Varsha Bhargavi Kondapalli 38.jpg|Dancer File:Ramappa Temple by Varsha Bhargavi Kondapalli 09.jpg|Pillar inside the mandapa File:Ramappa Temple by Varsha Bhargavi Kondapalli 14.jpg|Inside the mandapa File:Ramappa temple...JPG|Smaller temple

References

Bibliography

References

1. Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao. (January 2015). "Ramappa temple never fails to surprise visitors". The Hindu.
2. Nanisetti, Serish. (2021-07-25). "Telangana's Ramappa Temple inscribed as a World Heritage Site". The Hindu.
3. (2021-07-26). "800-year-old Ramappa Temple in Telangana gets the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag". The Economic Times.
4. "Kakatiya Rudreswara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana".
5. (2021-07-26). "Telangana's Ramappa Temple becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site".
6. UNESCO. (2021-07-25). "Cultural sites in China, India, Iran, and Spain inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List".
7. (26 July 2021). "Ramappa temple’s first renovation effort was taken up in 1914". The Times of India.
8. (27 July 2021). "UNESCO mentions Nizam’s role in restoration of Ramappa Temple". The Siasat Daily – Archive.
9. "Telangana Tourism - Visit for all reasons & all seasons".
10. Bidar, Its History and Monuments, Yazdani, G., https://books.google.com/books?id=w6xpQpOCtzAC, 1947, Oxford University Press, p. 133
11. P., Surya Rao. (10 November 2006). "Blast from the past".
12. Gupta, Roxanne Kamayani. (2000-03-01). "A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror". Simon and Schuster.
13. Ponvannan, Gayathri. (2022-01-25). "100 Great Chronicles of Indian History: From Cave Paintings to the Constitution". Hachette India.
14. "Did Kakatiya rulers hold the secret to earthquake-proof buildings?".