WARANGAL: Having been recognised as a world heritage site, there is a nationwide interest in Ramappa temple, especially its history and sculptures.
History has it that Palampet village in Mukugu district’s Venkatapur mandal emerged as a prominent town during the Kakatiya period. Numerous temples built during that time stand testimony to the exquisite Kakatiya sculptures. There are ten other temples in Palampet along with Ramappa.
The temples, including Shaiva and Vaishnava, around the Ramappa shrine, are called 'Parivara alayalu'. However, there is no appropriate historical evidence of when they were constructed.
One temple even has Lord Krishna sculptures. Most of these sub-temples collapsed as the foundations were not as strong as Ramappa.
Following the UNESCO recognition, there are now hopes that Palampet would regain its lost glory. The fact is that most of the development works taken up here remain in a neglected state.
The Ramappa temple attracts around 1,500 tourists every day, including two to three foreigners. The number is likely to increase hereafter. Keeping in mind the renewed interests, the state government is finalizing plans to turn Palampet into a lively tourist spot. This implies that not only would several pending works be completed but there is also a possibility of more projects coming up in the vicinity.
Around Rs 40 lakh was sanctioned for an eco-park with 4,000 varieties of herbs in Ramappa in 2019 but the works are yet to take-off. The double road from Ramappa arch to the lake embankment began in 2018 at a cost of Rs 6 crore but the works were left midway. Even the ambitiously planned stone statues of Kakatiya rulers on the lake embankment remain on paper.
Additionally more works are needed, including construction of toilets, vast parking space, increasing the number of tourist cottages and jetty boats.
