About

Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreswara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. An inscription in the temple says it was constructed in the year 1213 CE by Recherla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva. The Temple was designed by the architect Ramappa, and constructed between 1212 and 1234.
The temple suffered major damage due to an earthquake in the 17th century. It survived the earthquake due to its 'sandbox technique' of laying foundation.
The temple is in Palampet village, about 70km from Warangal. There are three temples in the complex. The main shrine is on an east-west axis, with a secondary shrine parallel to it on the north (Kameswara Temple), and a smaller shrine (Kateswara Temple) on the south. There is a Nandi pavilion facing the main shrine, on a slightly higher platform than the main shrine itself. There is also a gazebo structure with an inscribed pillar in the courtyard of the complex.

The main structure is in a reddish sandstone. It has a garbhagriha, an antarala, and a maha mandapam. The temple has a four-tiered pyramidal shikhara on a square base. It has an antarala with a sukanasi roof. The bricks used to make the shikhara are specially baked with wood chips to create a light and porous brick. The shikhara is capped by a kalasha.
The front of the temple had a brick super structure originally.

The temple faces east and has entrances on the north, east, and south accessed by a short flight of steps. Each of these entrances leads to a pillared porch projecting out of the square platform. The porches open up into a pillared maha mandapam with a low parapet wall. A bench runs on the inside of this parapet wall. In the center of the maha mandapam is a pillared canopy (ankana) made of black basalt which is rich in iron, magnesium and silica. It has four elaborately carved pillars and a carved ceiling all of black basalt. The surfaces of these pillars are polished to give them a highly reflective sheen. There is a low circular disc covering the base of this canopy - a characteristic of the Kakatiya temples. The porch and the sabha mandapam have pillars of the same sandstone as the rest of the structure, and these pillars are lathed but not otherwise ornate in design.

The is an overhanging eave which is connected to the pillars by way of elaborately designed corbels. The underside of the eaves are decorated with geometrical patterns.
The corbels directly above the steps of the porches feature female dancers in various poses - four on each side, making for twelve in all. The other corbels feature Yali figures. The female dancers have stylistically slender and elongated limbs and torso, and the fingers are elaborately carved to depict the mudras.

The entire structure is covered with floral and faunal designs. The parapet around the maha mandapam, in particular, features four levels of friezes – with a marching column of elephants as the bottom-most, large flowers as the next level, a procession of dancers and musicians at the next level, and a smaller set of flowers at the top.
The outer surface of the sanctum features deva-koshthas or niches, which would originally have held idols of Gods and Goddesses but which are currently empty. These walls are also covered with pilasters and carved figures drawn from both the religious and secular themes. The bases of the columns in the porches feature figures of dwarapalakas and dancers in reddish-brown sandstone.
The columns around the canopy in the center, as well as its ceiling are covered with delicate and detailed carvings drawing from the Ramayana, Shiva-purana, and other mythological themes, in addition to numerous figures of dancers and musicians.
Similar carvings appear on the lintel and doorframe leading from the antarala to the garbhagriha. The doorframe leading from the sabha mandapam to the antarala features elaborate carvings as well as a panel of medallions forming a perforated window. These medallions have figures of dancers and musicians carved on them.

The Kameswara Temple stands on a low platform on the north parallel to the main structure. It has a pillared sabha mandapam with a parapet leading to the garbha griha. The lathed pillars are of sandstone. The doorframe and lintel to the garbha griha feature floral, and faunal carvings in addition to musicians. There is a damaged nandi made of black basalt which stands in the foyer. There is no other use of basalt in the entire structure.
The brick spire which originally stood above the sanctum now stands damaged.

The Kateswara Temple is the smallest of the three temples in the complex. It is made of sandstone, and has a small ante chamber leading to the sanctum, a parapet wall, two lathed pillars, and a flat roof supported by block corbels.

The Nandi Mandapa stands in front of the main shrine on a high platform. It features a massive Nandi figure, in typical Kakatiya style, with its head turned sideways, and one foot poised to rise up. The door frame features carved images of dwarapalakas. There is a parapet around the pavilion with floral decorations, and a bench on the inside.

There is a small pavilion in the courtyard which has a basalt column with an inscription detailing the commissioning of the temple and administrative procedures.

Architecture

The figures of dancers on the walls and columns in the temple are modeled after the Perini dance form, also known as the Perini Sivatandavam or Perini Thandavam

The sandbox foundation technique is a construction method that involves filling a foundation pit with a mixture of sand, lime, jaggery, and black myrobalan fruit to create a cushion for the structure being built on top. The sand absorbs most of the vibrations from an earthquake, so the structure is less likely to be damaged.

Sawdust was used as a pore-forming additive for the clay-based bricks used in the construction of the temple. This increases the porosity of the bricks, making them lighter, without reducing their compressive strength. Porous bricks also improve water retention, and reduce thermal conductivity of the bricks.

The sanctum sanctum is always lit up with natural light from dawn to dusk, despite the fact that it is well inside the structure. This is achieved by careful positioning of polished black basalt pillars whose reflective surface redirects natural ambient light towards the sanctum.