Ramappa Temple (Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple)
Palampet, Mulugu district, Telangana, India
- Deities
- Rudreshwara (Shiva)
- Traditions
- shaiva
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 18.2547, 80.0264
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/management for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- October to March for cooler weather.
- How to reach
- Near Palampet, about 70 km from Warangal, which has its own railway station; nearest airport Hyderabad (~210 km).
- Festivals
- Maha Shivaratri (February/March)
Location
Open in Google MapsBuilt between 1213 and 1234 CE by Recherla Rudra, a general under the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva, this is the only major Indian temple traditionally named after its craftsman (Ramappa) rather than its deity or patron. Its builders used unusually light, porous ‘floating’ bricks — made from clay mixed with resinous tree gum, jute fiber, and rice husk, fired to create air pockets that keep the material lighter than water — combined with a sand-cushioned foundation for earthquake resistance, technology also seen at Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb. The temple’s roughly 600 sculpted dolerite figures, many depicting dance postures, retain a near-mirror polish more than 800 years later. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021 as the ‘Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple.’
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's Ramappa Temple article: confirms 1213-1234 CE construction under Recherla Rudra (Kakatiya dynasty), the floating-brick and sand-foundation engineering, and July 2021 UNESCO inscription.