Ramappa Temple

Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, located in Palampet village, Mulugu district, Telangana, India. It is 15 km from Mulugu, 66 km from Warangal, 209 km from Hyderabad. An inscription in the temple says it was constructed in the year by  Recharla Rudra Reddy—a general of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva ((r. 1199 – 1262)).  Located in the vicinity of Ramappa Lake, the Ramappa Temple complex which consist of three temples was constructed between 1212 and 1234, designed and architect by Ramappa—after whom the temple complex is named. Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya empire, supposedly called the temple "the brightest star in the galaxy of temples". In July 2021, Ramappa Temple was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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
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. Some bricks of the Ramappa temple and Humayun's tomb were sent for examination to Dr. Habib Haman, Chief Chemist of Government Industrial Laboratory, Hyderabad, Dn. He has kindly reported as follows: 'The samples of floating bricks from Bidar are similar to those from Warangal as far as the method of manufacture is concerned. The material used to make the brick spongy was apparently saw-dust. The weight of the specimens is $1/undefined$ to $1/undefined$ of the ordinary bricks of the same size. The Bidar specimens show better quality as regards homogeneous mixing and uniform burning than their proto-types from Ramappa, as a result of which the porosity is well-maintained in the body of bricks from Bidar and they float well in 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 Sivatandavam (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.

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.