Telangana's 13th-century Rudreswara temple, more famously known as Ramappa Temple, has been bestowed the much-coveted title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
Ramappa Temple is a glowing specimen of the exquisite architecture patronized by Kakatiya kings who ruled over an area corresponding to the modern day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, eastern Karnataka and parts of southern Odisha from the late 12th to early 14th centuries AD.
Built in 1213 AD during the reign of the greatest Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva (ruled 1199–1262) by his general Recharla Rudra, the Ramappa Temple is located in a valley at the village of Palampet, approximately 77 km away from Warangal and 200km north-east of Hyderabad.
Mandapa inside Ramappa temple / Copyright: © ASI
Venetian traveller Marco Polo, who visited this Kakatiya temple during the reign of his successor Rudrama Devi, had described the temple as the "brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan".
Named after its architect Ramappa who worked on the project for 40 years, Ramappa Temple is situated in an environment of serenity close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu, a Kakatiya era water reservoir.
of Kakatiya architecture is a Shivalaya, the presiding deity of which is Ramalingeswara Swamy.
Bracket figures of Ramappa temple /Copyright: © ASI
India now boasts 39 UNESCO World Heritage Sites