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| Ramappa Temple |
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| Warangal in Deccan is home to brilliant Kakatiya art. The Ramalingeswara Temple is popularly known as the Ramappa temple because the chief sculptor was Ramappa. It is probably the only temple in India to be known by the name of the sculptor who builds it. Shivalaya (where Shiva is worshipped)is named after the sculptor Ramappa, The medieval Deccan Ramappa Temple dating back to 1213 AD, built by the
patronage of the King Kakati Ganapathi Deva by his Chief Commander Rudra Samani at Ranakude in the province of Atukuru., is the right choice for architectural lovers with a panoramic view of scenic beauty, situated 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., the Temple has several idols in dancing postures. |
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| The temple has been described as the "brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples in the Deccan". The temple is approached thorough a royal garden, now just a lawn with tree lined path. The temple is situated in a valley and is built with bricks so light that they can float on water. Yet the temple is so strong that it is still intact The history says that it was taken 40 years to built this temple. |
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| 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.[2] The roof (garbhalayam) of the temple is built with bricks, which are so light that they are able to float on water |
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| This inscription mentions three shrines to Rudreswara, Kateswara and Kameswara, of which the latter two are in ruins. |
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| The Ramappa temple stands on a 6 ft high platform on a cruciform plan. The sanctum is crowned with a shikhara and is surrounded by a pradakshinapatha. Rich and intricate carvings adorn the walls, pillars and ceilings of this wonderful building. The hall in front of the sanctum has numerous beautifully carved pillars that have been placed to create an effect that combines light and space wonderfully. There are many votive shrines within the temple. There are two subsidiary shrines on either side of the main temple, which are in a good condition. |
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| The temple itself is a work of art. The east facing sanctum is surrounded with pilasters crowned with Dravidian and Nagara shikharas in an alternating fashion. There is an additional entrance from the north also leading to the Navaranga mandapa in front of the sanctum. The ceiling is divided into compartments by columns from the bottom, and is carved with intricate patterns. |
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| The entire temple complex is enclosed with a compound wall. At the entrance to the temple is a ruined Nandi mandapam, with an imposing 9 ft high Nandi, which is still intact. The Shivalingam in the sanctum also rises to a height of 9 ft. The east-facing sanctum is surrounded with pilasters crowned with Dravidian and Nagara shikharas in an alternating fashion. There is an additional entrance from the north also leading to the Navaranga mandapam in front of the sanctum. |
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| The temple signifies many facets of Shiva, his royal residence, the Himalaya Mountains and his inhabiting a sacred space beyond the mortal realm. The temple is built upon the classical pattern of being first raised upon a platform that separates its sacred functions from the taint of the everyday. This 'sacred mountain' mindset was characteristic of the temple builders in all the cultures. It represented a powerful symbolic representation of a perfect building, an intersection in midair of the spheres of heaven and earth. The platform lifts it above the normal, transcends the profane, declaring with uncompromising firmness that it is a place for un-common activities dedicated to a god. |
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| The temple had remained intact after repeated wars, invasions and natural disasters. There was a major earthquake during the 17th century which caused some damage. |
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| In the Ramappa temple, many of the smaller structures were neglected and are in ruins. There were even instances of people carrying away the bricks, to be proudly exhibited that they can float on water, before Archeological Survey of India (ASI) had taken charge of it. The main entrance gate in the outer wall of the temple is ruined. |
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| The ancient Ramappa tank dating back to the period of Kakatiyas is a well conceived one where an earthen dam, about 2000 feet long connects a semi cicrular chain of hills |
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