A VISIT TO WARANGALFORT AND RAMAPPA TEMPLE
Pesarattu Dosai came hot on my desk. It was golden brown in color, garnished with onions, and stuffed with various chutney. The waiter was happy as he fed us a little. We reached for the dip in the sambar and bit the red pepper and lost the spicy spices that our taste buds got. For a moment, we forgot the crowd around us, the hustle and bustle of the ships, and the loud voices. We were staying in a small but clean hotel in the town of Warangal and were on our way to Warangal Fort or Warangal Kota as it is called the Rappa Temple.
I finally took my eyes off my plate and glanced around me. Large photo prints look great on walls. They shout to get the visitor’s attention but they look kitsch. The giant Nandi stared into my eyes while another monument with several pillars stood out in the garden. It doesn't look like the pictures that attracted me here at first. We had decided on Warangal Kota all of a sudden. It all started with the black and white pictures I had seen in an old magazine. There were statues scattered all around and fenced in with large stone pillars.
Warangal Fort,Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal
The footnote tells us that it was the 12th century Warangal Fort or Warangal Kota built by the Katatiya dynasty. The obelisks were over 100 feet [30 m] high and symbolized the “gates of glory” called the Kirti Thoranas. Scattered images lay in the middle of an open space in the sky. The Shiva Temple was surrounded by ornate pillars, shorter than the Kirti Toranas. These long gates of glory enticed me to visit Warangal Kota, a Katia area.
Warangal Fort,Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal
Our trip from Hyderabad took us to rural areas. At first glance, all the valleys seemed to resemble one another. For any traveler, it was easy to dispose of the dusty canyon by which one could pass. However, the lost temple or the broken relics of the fortress told a different story. We found a few such villages on the way to Warangal Fort which had its own legend.
The fortress of Bhongir for example found on a hill once was the famous 10th-century Bhuvanagiri fort of Western Chalukyas. A typical village, Kolanpuka, was the capital of the same family and had a renovated 2,000-year-old Jain temple, shone with marble. We drove by, crossed a bus of enthusiastic schoolchildren on a journey, and stopped at a cave temple, Yadavagirigutta. We met a few artisans in Pembarti village who showed us their brassware. The legends of Ramayana passed us by as we crossed the Jalgaon where King Rama apparently had killed Maricha, who was in the form of a deer.
Is Hanmakonda and Warangal the same ?
It's like Hyderabad and Secundrabad, ”said my driver, Salim, interrupting my song as we entered Hanamkonda or Hanmakonda. Warangal is considered to be its twin city and was less than 10 miles away. My guidebook stated that Hanamkonda was the former capital of the Katatiyas and was later transferred to Warangal. Cities however come together as we pass crowded markets and dusty areas. Hoardings screamed for attention, but I did not see the monument. Large sacks of onions and potatoes were piled up in open markets. There was nothing near the historic city I could paint in my mind.
The Katatiya were the ancient rulers of present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and it is possible that their early rule also led to the arrival of Buddhism in the region. Some historians refer to a particular period during the seventh century. Hieun Tsang or Xuanzang, a Chinese traveler referring to the kingdom of Danakaktiya. Even Marco Polo talks about Warangal later in his journey. The name of this empire comes from its association with the city known as Kakatipura or in their worship of the goddess Kakat. Kakatipura is thought to be the modern Warangal.
Salim stood outside the university and showed the image of the Kirti Toranas or the gates of glory. There was a history at the end of all the roads. Salim paused again in front of the line and followed him. The narrow, narrow path led to the temple of a thousand pillars built in the 12th century. We spoke to a local man who said that a well had been found here earlier and that it is believed that the temple was probably built on water and that it took more than 70 years to build.
The ASI board provided us with additional information. The temple built by Rudra Deva 1 in the 12th century was dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The pillars were adorned with mandapa and between the great temple and the mandapa was Nandi's large court. The priest explained, “The Catians wanted the first rays of the sun to fall upon the Wall, so that the temple faced East, some facing South and West. Nandi was on the other side facing East as well. The temple was being repaired, and photography was in short supply.
We were on our way back to Warangal Kila and Salim stopped again, this time at the Bhadra kali temple, located on a small hill. It was believed that she was the patron goddess of royalty. The goddess here was worshiped by Pulakesin-II of the Chalukya Dynasty in the 7th century and later revered by the Katatiyas.
Warangal Fort, Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal
We followed the road around its bend until it led us to a solid stone wall that led to a completely different country. The arches were adorned with statues and yalis carved in stone. We were inside the old Warangal Fort. I had no idea it was actually all the accommodation here. As we entered the old fortress, I realized that we were the only visitors.
Warangal Fort, Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal Warangal Fort, Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal
The four Kirti Toranas guarded the Shiva temple. A few elephants, another Nandi, a yalis, a few pillars, sculptures, Gaja Caesar, and even an old throne enclosed by the Kirti Toranas, are open in the sky. The temple here is called “Swayambhu” (meaning self-contained) and was venerated by the famous emperor of Kakatiya ‘Prat.
How did Warangal get its name ?
I went to a map and read a little history of how Warangal got its name. “This is Warangal, formerly known as Orugallu or Orukal, referring to a single rock or hill where the castle is located. It is also called Ekasilanagaram. ” The map states that the fort was built in the 12th century by Prola Raja and her son Rudra Deva, but was ruled by Ganapathideva. The most important ruler of the Katatiyas however was not the king, but the queen Rudramma Devi who ruled here.
Warangal Fort, Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal
Warangal Fort or Warangal Kota
Warangal Castle had three fortified towers and was surrounded by two layers of walls and a third track. The four gates look at the cardinal directions and the east and west gates are still in good condition. With 45 towers and pillars spread over an area of 19 kms, there was also a ditch around the castle. The fort had fallen into disrepair and was apparently destroyed by Malik Kafur as the kingdom fell to the Delhi Sultanate.
Warangal Fort, Warangal Kota, Kila Warangal
The silence at Warangal Kota or the castle was refreshing as we spent time marveling at the sculptures. We saw the Khush Mahal, which was built much later in the 15th century by a local ruler, Shitab Khan, who was probably under the rule of the Bahamas. It is completely different from the construction of the castle. We climbed to the roof and stared at this ancient site. A few cars passed by us as school children were walking in a gay area. The fields were green and the air was fresh. It was amazing how a wealthy capital, the seat of power where wars were fought and conquered, today is a city of forgotten memories, living only in textbooks. The Kirti Toranas stayed in our minds - the pillars of ancient glory lost modern civilization.
What isspecial about the Ramappa Temple?
We continued our journey from Warangal Kota to Palampet where the beautiful Ramappa lake flowed to meet the 13th-century Ramappa temple. The Rappa Warangal Temple also known as the Katatiya Rudreshwara Temple is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sun was about to set when we reached Palampet and the lake, built by the Katatiya, was known as Ramappa Cheruvu and was dipped in red and purple at sunset. The Shiva temple is a complex, walled-in structure made of sand. It took more than 40 years to build and the inscription called the name of Katatiya General Recharla Rudra. The temple is believed to have been built during the reigns of the emperors Rudradeva and Ganapathi Deva. Yet the name Ramappa named after the temple is the name of the architect who built the temple.
The Rappa Temple was restored during my visit and like all monuments in ASI, sunset was an hour of witchcraft. However, one of our supervisors said that the ceiling was made of lightweight hollow bricks called “floating bricks.” Pillars and beams were adorned with elaborate paintings, especially by dancers and musicians, and these were considered trademarks of Kakatiya's art form. I wish I had had more time there but it has been more than a decade (I left in 2008) since I went there and I hope I can reschedule the trip once the tour opens in these regions after the disease.
Warangal Fort or Kila Warangal is located in Telangana and is 140 km from Hyderabad and Palampet where the Ramappa temple is located and another 40 km from Warangal. There are many hotels to stay in Warangal and you can plan your trip for at least three days, remembering the many places you can see in Warangal and surrounding areas. However I will do something different in some of these little obscure places that are a repository.