Sri Ramappa Temple, Warangal

Address

Sri Ramappa Temple Palampet village Vada, Warangal, Mulugu district, Telangana -506002

Diety

Ramalingeswara Swamy (Shiva)

Introduction

Ramappa Temple also known as the Ramalingeswara temple, is located 77 km from Warangal, 15 km from Mulugu, 209 km from Hyderabad in the state of Telangana in southern India. 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 .It is 6 km away from Kota Gullu where another lord shiva temple is located. Tourists from Hyderabad can reach to Ramappa Temple via Hanamkonda.

Puranic Significance

An inscription in the temple dates it to the year 1213 CE and says it was built by a General Recherla Rudra Reddy, during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva. 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”. Ramappa Temple stands majestically 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, and is perhaps the only temple in India to be named after a craftsman who built it. 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. The Temple is included in the proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site “The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways”, in 2019 on the “tentative list”. . 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 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. 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.