Ramappa Temple
Instagram Pic Credits: subhasah
Conferred with the UNESCO World Heritage Site on 25th July, 2021, Ramappa temple of Telangana adds its name to the list of World Heritage Sites. Doesn't that make arouse interest in you to know more about the temple and its amazing architecture and facts? Let's find out!
The famous Venetian explorer, Marco Polo had said - "The temple is the brightest star in the galaxy of temples"
History
Ramappa Temple, also called Rudreshwara temple is located in the valley of Palampet village in Telangana. It was built during the Kakatiya dynasty in the year 1213CE. This is perhaps the only temple in India that is named after its sculptor, Ramappa, and not any deity.
It is devoted to Lord Shiva by the name of Ramalingeshwara. The main structure is built in reddish sandstone and the outside by black basalt. The brackets outside is carved in mythical animals and female dancers, an art that the Kakatiyas were master in.
Amazing Facts:
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Floating Bricks - The top of the temple is made up of bricks that can float in water as the weight of these bricks is 1/3 or 1/4 of a normal brick. Sample bricks were sent to Govt. Industrial Lab in Hyderabad where it was found that these were built in sand dust.
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Standing Nandi - Typically in every Shiva Temple, the Nandi is in a sitting position. But here at Ramappa temple, it is in a slightly standing position.
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Sandbox Principle for Earthquake proof - The builders built it using the Sandbox mechanism where sand is placed at the bottom so that any earthquake waves can be absorbed by it, thereby preventing the temple to fall.
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Prototype - A small similar structure was built first, before the main building of the temple. This was to make sure that the architect was perfect.
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Musical Carvings - Sweet music is produced if you hit the metal carvings with your fingers. However, with time, this has degraded to some extent.
It is time to plan your next travel!!