Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreswara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, located in Telangana, India Ramappa Temple is the ancient temple located some 77 km away from Warangal in the Palampet village of Venkatapur Mandal. The temple was built circa 1312 AD during the reign of Ganapati Deva, ruler of Kakatiya.
The magnificently grand temple is one of the key attractions of Warangal in the state of Telangana. Ramappa Temple is the symbol of reverence of Lord Shiva, one of three lords in the trio gods in Hindu faith. But what is most noted about this temple is that this is perhaps the only temple named after its sculptor.
Ramappa Temple
Ramappa temple, a place of worship since many centuries is also known as Ramalingeshwara temple for the deity’s incarnation is the amalgamation of Lord Shiva and Lord Rama. This brilliant piece of architecture took forty years to come out as one of the most attractive temples in India.
Ingenious Architecture Of Ramappa Temple
Ramappa temple has caught the fancy of one and all for its display of cutting edge architecture put in effect to create intricate design in the time period when there was not much breakthrough in the field of human craftsmanship. The first feature to draw attention toward this temple is its intricate carvings done with so much precision as to let the strands of hair pass through. To mark the century in which Ramappa or Ramalingeshwara temple was built, there are 13 carvings.
The temple itself is rested on six feet platform which is star shaped and has wall carvings and sculptures thereby establishing the age old custom of honoring the almighty above all. The main sanctum has a shikhara on display surrounded by a Pradikshanapatha. Apart from the structures of deities, Ramappa temple also invokes the sense of cultural pride in its engravings. To sustain the relevance of dance forms which were rapidly perishing, the sculptor engraved Perini Shiva Thandavam, a form of dance performed by males especially soldiers who would perform this dance before venturing out for war.
These engravings are not limited within the main sanctum; similar ornate engravings can be seen on the ceilings, pillars and walls across the temple. Perhaps it is the architectural brilliance involved in the construction of Ramappa temple’s roof or garbhayalam which blows everyone away.The creative genius lies in the fact that the roofs of this humungous temple is built with ultra light bricks, so much so that they can even stay afloat in water.
Inside Ramappa Temple And Exterior Architecture
As one enters the temple, the giant statue of Nandi, carrier of Lord Shiva is seen gazing in alert position, this is the single most piece of attraction in the entire temple whose main entrance is now in ruins due to lack of preservation measures. Surprisingly, Nandi’s statue is in pristine shape. Inside the temple, one can see the carvings depicting various occurrences from the epic tales of Ramayana, Shiva Purana.
It is only visiting inside Ramappa temple that one can discover two sub shrines namely Kameswara and Koteshwara. A raised platform in the middle of the temple signifies the difference between heaven and earth. Moving towards the exterior Ramalingeshwara temple, there is more of ingeniously engraved carvings in the shrine that was plundered in its prime.
The sculptures of as many as 520 elephants which orbit the entire outer wall can be seen in different postures. Dance has been an integral part of depiction in this structure of faith and one can get amazed to seegranite-madee sculptures of Mandinkas and Yalis that glitter with beauty despite having outlived its age.
Ramappa Temple And Its Significance On Shivaratri
Ramappa temple is the center of attraction during the festival of Shivaratri and one can see a bevy of tourists flocking the temple on the auspicious day that celebrates the existence of Lord Shiva. Thanks to the Archaeological Survey of India which is now the custodian and parent body for preservation of Ramappa temple, tourists can now visit the shrine round the year as the vicinity is fully flourished with modern day amenities to boost tourism in the area. Visiting the cottages by the temple is a wonderful way to explore the typicality of the area.
Ramappa Temple – Reign In Ruins
Ramappa temple has stood tall for centuries against intruders and natural calamity and yet its glory has succumbed to an unlikely downfall due to sheer negligence which has led to some irreparable loss in the form of damage done to its main entrance due to lack of needed preservation. Yet one can never take away the credence from the fact that Ramappa temple is one of the finest creations which exhibits the splendor of medieval age in all its glory. That it is one of the most novel and long lasting structures to be ever created in the Indian sub continent.
