Ramappa Temple

Ramappa Temple :

 

Ramappa Temple

 Ramappa Temple also known as the Ramalingeswara temple, is located 77 km from Warangal, the ancient capital of the Kakatiya dynasty, 157 km from Hyderabad in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It lies in a valley at Palampet village of Venkatapur Mandal, in erstwhile Mulug Taluq of Warangal district, a tiny village long past its days of glory in the 13th and 14th centuries.An inscription in the temple dates it to the year 1213 and said to have been built by a General Recherla Rudra, during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva.

Ramappa Temple, constructed in the architectural style of South India during the Kakatiya rule in the 12th century, is a grand old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Palampet not far way from Warangal. This temple is revered very much by the Hindu community and is assumed to be the great contribution of the Kakatiya Kings.

Ramappa Temple, placed in a start shaped platform 6 feet high, has a Shivalingam in the sanctum with a sikhara at the mount. A mandapam with a Nandi Idol of 9 foot high, in ruins now, placed at the entrance and many small shrines are placed around the main temple. The temple walls are decorated with impressive carvings, which display epic stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The major festival celebrated here is Shivarathri and which day devotees throng to this temple. 

Ramappa History :

This medieval temple is a Shivalaya and named after the sculptor Ramappa, a Vishwakarma Brahmin Sthapathi of Karnataka State, who built it rather that after its presiding deity, Ramalingeswara, perhaps to accent Shiva's importance as the personal god of the Avatar of Vishnu, Rama. The history says that it took 40 years to build this temple.
This beautiful temple, an example of brilliant Kakatiya dynasty art, Planned and sculpted by Vishwakarma Brahmin Sthapathis was built on the classical pattern of being lifted above the world on a high star-shaped platform. Intricate carvings line the walls and cover the pillars and ceilings. Starting at its base to its wall panels, pillars and ceiling are sculpted figures drawn from Hindu mythology.The roof (garbhalayam) of the temple is built with bricks, which are so light that they are able to float on water.
The hall in front of the sanctum is filled with exquisitely carved pillars that are placed as to combine light and space wonderfully with the finely chiselled walls and ceiling. There are two small Shiva shrines on either side of the main temple that are completely ruined. The enormous Nandi within, facing the shrine of Shiva, remains in good condition. In most of the Shiva temples, the Nandi was strait to deity but in the temples built by KAKATIYAS the nandi is in an alert position and waiting for the order of lord Shiva. Acharya Nataraja Ramakrishna revived PERINI SHIVATHANDAVAM , by seeing the sculptures in this temple. The dance poses written in NRITTA RATHNAVALI by JAYAPA SENAANI also appears in these sculptures. The temple built area is 5 acres and a twenty acres of land was developed by the greenery around the temple. A total of 25 km radio us found historic temples in the district.

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Celebrations To Mark 800 years of Ramappa Temple

HYDERABAD: The state government is planning grand celebrations in the historic town of Warangal to mark the occasion of the famous Ramappa temple completing 800 years. The year-long celebrations will kick start in November this year.

The government is also planning to celebrate the 750 years of coronation of Rani Rudramma.

Information minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, BC welfare minister Basvaraj Saraiah and tourism and cultural affairs minister Vatti Vasantha Kumar held a meeting here on Tuesday to review the arrangements for the celebrations.

Later speaking to reporters, the ministers said Rani Rudramma's coronation took place 750 years ago and Ramappa temple was constructed 800 years ago. To commemorate this, the state government has decided to celebrate the occasion in a grand manner highlighting the culture, history and the glory of Kakatiya rulers, they said.

Several national, international artists besides local artists would participate in the cultural programmes to be held on the occasion.

Historical sites in Warangal including Thousand-pillar Temple and Warangal Fort would also be developed to see that they were declared as World Heritage sites. The government is also making efforts to revive the Natyamandapam in the Thousand-pillar temple, the ministers said.

Another meeting would be held in July to review the progress of these works, the ministers said.

State Cultural Council chairman Ramana Murthy, Warangal West MLA, D Vinaya Bhaskar, principal secretaries Ajay Mishra, Chandana Khan, Warangal district collector Rahul Bojja, Kakatiya Heritage Trust convener B Paparao, tourism department managing director Sandeep Sultania, tourism department director Savyasachi Ghosh, archaeological department senior conservator Krishnaiah, culture department incharge director Sunitha Bhagavat, Warangal Corporation commissioner Vivek Yadav and others attended the meeting.