Ramappa Temple, decoded

The Ramappa temple in Mulugu, Telangana

The Ramappa Temple of Warangal, also referred to as the Rudreshwara Temple, is a symbol of Kakatiya heritage. The Kakatiya kingdom was one of the last surviving dynasties, before the takeover by the Delhi Sultanate. As the Chalukya dynasty began its decline, Kakatiya art came to the fore," shares retired professor Dr Varsha Shirgaonkar. This temple was recently tagged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and today, along with Asiatic Society of Mumbai Literary Club, Shirgaonkar will be helming a talk that dives into the history, heritage and architectural impact of this dynasty that existed in the 12th century.

Dr Shirgaonkar

Meenal Kshirsagar, chairperson of the ASM literary club who worked on the programming for events, believes it was timely to organise a talk on this lesser-known temple site. "For art historians especially, this monument is an exciting one. The Ramappa Temple has an interesting characteristic, called the floating bricks that were lightweight structures that only absorbed water after eight hours of soaking. I will also be talking about similar sites made by the Kakatiyas, like the Thousand Pillared Temple and Warangal Fort," adds Shirgaonkar. The talk will discuss a manuscript in the possession of Asiatic Society, titled Prataprudra Yashobhushanam, written by the court poet of Pratapudra Deva, the last ruler of the kingdom. For attendees with queries and comments, the session will also be followed with a 20-minute Q&A session. "Many remains of places like Warangal Fort, need to be researched; elements like the religious motifs, symbols and coins too. I will try to showcase a few guidelines that younger generations can pick up through this session," she concludes.

On: Today, 6.30 pm onwards
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