10 yrs on, Sabha Mandapam yet to be rebuilt

Palampeta (Ramappa): Almost a decade after it was dismantled, the once beautiful

Sabha Mandapam

(meeting hall), which stood on the eastern side of the

Ramappa temple

, is still awaiting reconstruction. The mandapam, also known as Kameshwaralayam, was a huge tourist attraction.

The Sabha Mandapam was dismantled by the Archaeology Survey of India (

ASI

) in 2012 as it was deemed to pose a risk to visitors during the rainy season. In 2013, visitors to the five-day Kakatiya Festival held at the Ramappa Temple’s premises had expressed their disappointment over the missing mandapam.

In the year 2017, the ASI approved its reconstruction with some conditions. Contractors were asked to submit a plan with details of the technology to be used for reconstruction. However, more than four years after floating the plan, the meeting hall is far from reconstruction.

Completely made of stone, the mandapam is said to have been built by the Kakatiya kings using sand technology during the construction of the Ramappa temple.

About 1,000 lengthy stone pillars and beams were used to construct the meeting hall. The Ramappa temple saw a big inflow of tourists soon after the it earned the world heritage site tag from Unesco recently. However, all they get to see at the mandapam site is blocks of stone and sand.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.