When Marco Polo visited the temple in the 13th century, he called it “the brightest star in the galaxy of temples”.
The declaration of the Ramappa Temple in Palampet, Telangana, as a UNESCO World Heritage site has brought about a new kind of love and interest among the people about the state’s cultural heritage, Tourism and Culture Minister V. Srinivas Goud said.
His remarks were part of his speech at a tree-planting ceremony in the vicinity of the Ramappa Temple.
Interestingly, the temple is named after a sculptor named Ramappa, who built it, perhaps the only one in India to be named after an artisan and craftsman who built it
The minister added that the government intends to create a Telangana Heritage circuit to improve “our heritage and culture” visibility.
Elaborating further, the minister said steps were being taken to acquire lands around the temple to create a buffer zone.
Another minister E. Dayashankar Rao hoped the Ramappa Temple would attract more tourists now that its status had been elevated to that of a heritage site.
Another name for the Ramappa Temple is Rudeshwara temple, which means dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located about 209km or 130 miles from Hyderabad, Telangana’s capital city.
A proposal for inclusion of the temple as a world heritage site was submitted to UNESCO on September 10, 2015. Subsequently, it found a place on a tentative list in 2019 and finally, the declaration of approval as a heritage site came through on July 25, 2021.
Another name for the Ramappa Temple is Rudeshwara temple, which means dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located about 209km or 130 miles from Hyderabad, Telangana’s capital city, the temple lies in a valley in Palampet village.
An inscription inside the temple says it was built in 1213 AD by a general, Recharla Rudra, in the reign of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva.
Interestingly, the temple is named after a sculptor named Ramappa, who built it, perhaps the only one in India to be named after an artisan and craftsman who built it.
While the main structure is of reddish sandstone, the columns on all four sides have brackets of black basalt, with a large content of iron, magnesium and silica. These are intricately decorated with carvings of mythical animals, dancers and musicians, notable as delicate masterpieces of Kakatiya art.
When Marco Polo saw the temple on a visit in the days of the Kakatiya rulers, he is said to have called it “the brightest star in the galaxy of temples.”
