Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana

World Heritage

India

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Rudreshwara Temple, commonly known as Ramappa Temple, is located in the village of Palanpet, about 200 km northeast of Hyderabad in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the main Shiva temple in a walled complex built by the rulers Rudradeva and Rechara Rudra during the Kakatiyan period (1123-1323 AD). Construction of this sandstone temple began in 1213 AD and is believed to have lasted for more than 40 years. The building's beams and pillars are made of carved granite and trachyte, and the unique pyramid-shaped vimana (horizontally stepped tower) is made of lightweight porous bricks, so-called "floating bricks", which reduce the weight of the roof structure. The temple's sculptures are of extremely high artistic quality and showcase local dance customs and Kakatiyan culture. Nestled amid forest foothills and farmlands, near the banks of the Kakatiya-built reservoir Ramappa Cheruvu, the temple’s site selection follows the ideology and practice endorsed in Buddhist texts that temples should be built in and be an integral part of the natural environment, including hills, forests, springs, streams, lakes, catchment areas and farmlands.