RAMAPPA TEMPLE | PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO RAMAPPA TEMPLE
Heritage
About Ramappa Temple
#100 of 17 Places to visit in Telangana
Ideal Trip Duration: Full Day
Nearest City to Ramappa Temple: Warangal (65 Kms), Hyderabad (211 Kms)
Best Time to Visit Ramappa Temple: October to March
Peak Season: November to February
At a distance of 15 km from Mulugu, 65 km from Warangal, 116 km from Karimnagar, 152 km from Khammam, 210 km from Nalgonda, 211 km from Hyderabad, and 280 km from Vijayawada, Ramappa Temple is a historical temple situated at Palampet village in the Warangal district of Telangana. It is one of the famous weekend getaways from Hyderabad and among the most important places of heritage in Telangana.
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Ramappa Temple or Ramalingeshwara Temple was built by General Recherla Rudra, during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva in 1213 AD. As per history, it took 40 years to build this temple. The temple got its name from Ramappa, the chief sculptor of the temple. It's probably the only temple in the country to be known by the name of its sculptor, and among the popular places to experience Telangana Tourism. Known for its splendid architecture & intricate carvings, the temple has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site under 'The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways', since 2014. And, it has been conferred with a World Heritage Site status on 25th July 2021, making it the 39th World Heritage Site of India.
Ramappa Temple is constructed in the South Indian architectural style. Stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform, the sandstone temple is crowned with a grand sikhara and is surrounded by a pradakshina path. The Ramalingeswara Temple consists of garbhagriha, large ranga mandapa and a mukha mandapa. At the entrance of the temple, one can find a large Nandi mandapa that houses an imposing 9 feet Nandi statue. The corners of the ceiling at all 3 entrances have a total of 12 sculptures of madanikas marvelously carved in different poses, which are the main attraction of the temple. The figures of madanikas made from black granite with metal-like finishing resemble the famous sculptures of Belur Chennakesava Temple. The hall in front of the sanctum is filled with exquisitely carved pillars. The walls of the temple exhibit carvings depicting stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
Aside from its architecture and elaborate carvings, Ramappa Temple is known for its architectural brilliance that gives us a glimpse of the technical innovations in the form of floating bricks, sand-box foundations, selection of building material, and masterful stone sculpting. The lower part of the temple comprises red sandstone, its foundation is built with the 'sandbox technique' to make the temple earthquake-proof, and the pillars include basalt. The pyramidal vimana of the temple is made of lightweight porous bricks, so-called 'floating bricks', which reduced the weight of the roof structures. The bricks were believed to be made spongy using something like saw-dust. It is one of the must-visit Warangal tourist places.
The temple compound enclosed by high walls contains several other ruined structures including two other smaller temples on either side of the main temple. These two structures were also dedicated to Lord Shiva are known as Kameswara and Kateswara. Maha Shivaratri is grandly celebrated for three days at this temple every year.
About 238 km, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad is the nearest airport to Ramappa which is well connected by almost all the major cities in India, and abroad. Warangal Railway Station, about 65 km, is the nearest major railhead and is well-connected by train with major cities like Hyderabad, Vizag, Chennai, Madurai, Lucknow, Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Jammu, Adilabad, Mangalore, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Tirupati, Patna, New Delhi, Kolkata, Mysore, Coimbatore, Bilaspur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Trivandrum, Gaya, Gorakhpur, Bhubaneswar, and Kochi. Ramappa Temple has good bus connectivity from Hanamkonda. One can also hire autos or cabs from Mulugu, and Warangal to reach Ramappa Temple.
The best season to visit Ramappa Temple is from October to March while the Peak Season is from November to February.
Timings: 6 AM to 6 PM
Entry: Free (as of 2021), Rs. 50 for Car Parking
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