Why Ramappa Temple Nominated As UNESCO World Heritage Site? (Pt. II)
Table of Contents
In ‘Why Ramappa Temple Nominated as UNESCO World Heritage Site (Pt. II)’ will discuss about the Ramappa Temple of Palampet at length. History of Kakatiya Dynasty and description, architectural excelance?of the Ramappa Temple and other relevant aspects will be documented in this post ‘Why Ramappa Temple Nominated as?UNESCO?World Heritage Site (Pt. II)’
Ramappa Temple at Palampet:
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The great temple of Ramappa Temple Nominated as UNESCO World Heritage is situated near the small village of Palampet in the Mulug Taluk of the?Warrangal District?at a distance of about 65 kilometers North-west of Hanamkonda. It is set in a background of beautiful hills, luxuriant vegetation, and an abundance of water. The magnificent lake nearby covers an area of nearly thirteen square kilometers and is formed by a ring of hills on their sides with a colossal bund only on one side in the North, an excellent testimony to the care and skill of the Kakatiyas in irrigation works of a high order. (Dr. G. Yazdani says: “Warangal, the metropolis of this dynasty, abounds in magnificent tanks, and the titanic dykes and sluice-gate of Pakhal, Lakhnaram, and Ramappa lake are object lessons even to the modern engineer.”).
It was an important center of the Kakatiyas, one of the major dynasties that ruled over the Deccan and shaped its history civilization, and culture.
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A brief resume of the history of the Kakatiya dynasty will serve to explain the real significance of the architecture and sculpture of these temples.
The Kakatiyas have a place of honor among the ruling families of medieval Dekkan “by virtue of their numerous conquests, their vast empire, their liberal patronage of arts and letters, and the great fervor with which they defended Hindu culture and Hindu institutions against the repeated onslaughts of Islam.”
The origin of the dynastic name Kakatiyas is quite obscure. According to some sources it is derived from a goddess by name, Kakati, (when the rulers worshipped), and according to others, from a town of that name. The earliest inscription of the Kakatiyas, so far discovered, is dated in Saka 1001 equal to A.D. 1079, although an inscription of the Western Calukyas of Vengi refers to a certain Kakartya Gunda, obviously one of their feudatories in the 10th?Century, who seems to have been an early ancestor of this family. Starting as feudatories of the Eastern Calukyas of Vengi they seem to have passed into a similar position under another dynasty, namely the Western Calukyas of Kalyani, whom they served loyally until circumstances favored their rise in the last quarter of the 11th?Century.
The first three kings of this dynasty as given in the later inscriptions of the Kakatiyas are mere names; and the beginnings of the Kakatiya rule may be said to have commenced with Prola II who attacked his master Taila III of the Western Calukya dynasty of Kalyani and, although defeated and captured him in battle, released him subsequently out of “devotion and love”, as stated in an inscription at Hanamkonda. Starting with little more than Warangal and its immediate vicinity Prola II conquered the greater part of the modern Telingana in Hyderabad State and laid the foundations for an independent and powerful kingdom. Prola II’s son, Rudra ruled from A.D. 1159-1195 and conquered the Eastern districts of the Andhra stretching as far as the Sea. The sacred Saiva shrine of Srisailam became the southern boundary of the Kakatiya Kingdom about this time.
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To the North and West, the Yadavas, another feudatory family of the Calukyas, who had also grown independent, formed an impenetrable bar to territorial expansion in that direction, and although in the North-east Kalinga and other regions were not under any strong ruler, the Kakatiyas never seriously attempted an advance in that direction.
Rudra was succeeded by Mahadeva, who had a short reign of about four years, and after his death, probably in a war with the Yadavas, came Ganapati the greatest ruler of this dynasty. He extended the territory of the Kakatiyas of this dynasty. he extended the territory of the Kakatiyas as far as Kanchi (Chingleput District, Madras State) and led expeditions even as far as Jambai in the Tiruchirapalli District, in Madras State. South India was at this time divided among a number of princelings, and a domestic intrigue in the petty kingdom of Vikramasimhapura or Nelore gave Ganpati an adequate excuse for intervention.
Ganapati was succeeded by Rudrama, his daughter, whom he brought up as a son from her childhood. Dressed in male attire she went about as a man and was even addressed as a man.?Despite trouble from the Yadavas, her neighboring kingdom, and the refractory attitude of one or two of her proud subordinates (who could not brook a woman’s rule) Rudrama managed to keep the kingdom intact and pass it on to her grandson Prataparudra, the last independent ruler of this dynasty. Prataparudra began his rule by asserting his authority over the length and breadth of all his ancestral dominion and bid fair to emulate Ganapati in his military achievement. But he had to reckon with a far stronger enemy than the rulers of these small kingdoms in the South. His general led victorious marches into the South and boasted of their groups against the Tamilian rulers of the South, but against the Muslims from the North, they found themselves unsuccessful. They assume quite a defensive attitude against the Muslims and behind the strong fort-wall and ramparts of Warangal, this defensive attitude looked fairly satisfactory when the besieging party was not large. But when the Muslims determined to subjugate the Deccan and set out in right earnest defeat was inevitable for the kingdoms of the South, and although the promise of tribute and subordination warded off danger for a time, these insincere and often broken promises led to the ultimate defeat and capture of Prataprudra in 1326 A.D. He was being led as a prisoner to Delhi when he committed suicide on the banks of the Narmada, unable to bear the burden of grief and the humiliation of defeat.
Recharla Rudra
The shrines at Palampet belong to the period of the Kakatiyas and constitute perhaps the finest examples of medieval Deccan Temples. The Temples of Palampet were the pious works of this chief, Recharla Rudra, in 1135 (1213 A.D) during the reign of Kakatiya Ganapatideva. His inscription running to nearly 204 lines engraved on four sides of a polished basalt pillar now erected in a small mandapa within the courtyard of the temples enumerates the glorious achievements of this feudatory family and commemorates the construction of the main Temple at Palampet in Saka 1135 by Rudra. It took around 40 years for the construction of the temple.
An inscription of General Rudra at Palampet speaks of his exploits in repelling many enemies like Nagati-bhupala who invaded the country. The details of his achievements are not clear, but from the meager evidence available it is evident that Ganapati’s predecessor on the Kakatiya throne, by name, Mahadeva met his death in a war with the Yadavas of Devagiri, and Ganapati himself was made a prisoner. During the transitional period till Ganapati was firmly planted on the Kakatiya throne, Rudra protected the kingdom from further dangers. Another inscription from a place called Upparapalli, not far from Palampet, states that Rudra bore with success the burden of the Kakati realm the high minister of the Kakati king Ganapati-deva.
Description of the Ramappa Temple (Nominated as UNESCO World Heritage)
? ASI-Ramappa Temple (Northern Side) View
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