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India gets its 39th World Heritage Site

Vinayak Barot
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New Delhi: In yet another landmark achievement, India’s nomination of Rudreswara Temple, (also known as the Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Mulugu district, near Warangal in Telangana, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The decision was taken at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO on July 25. Ramappa Temple, a 13th-century engineering marvel named after its architect, Ramappa, was proposed by the government as its only nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage site tag for the year 2019.

“Just inscribed as World Heritage Site: KakatiyaRudeshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana in India. Bravo! “ UNESCO announced in a tweet on July 25.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness on UNESCO declaring KakatiyaRamappa Temple a World Heritage site. He also urged the people to visit this majestic Temple complex and get a first-hand experience of its grandness.

Reacting to a tweet by UNESCO, the Prime Minister said “Excellent! Congratulations to everyone, especially the people of Telangana.

The iconic Ramappa Temple showcases the outstanding craftsmanship of the great Kakatiya dynasty. I would urge you all to visit this majestic Temple complex and get a first-hand experience of its grandness.”

The Union Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his guidance and support as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conferred the World Heritage inscription to Rudreswara Temple, (also known as the Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Mulugu district, near Warangal in the state of Telangana.

“It gives me immense pleasure to share that @UNESCO has conferred the World Heritage inscription to Ramappa Temple atPalampet, Warangal, Telangana. On behalf of the nation, particularly from people of Telangana, I express my thanks to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi for his guidance & support” tweeted G Kishan Reddy

The Minister also took the opportunity to congratulate the entire Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and thanked the Ministry of External Affairs.

“I congratulate the entire team of @ASIGoI for their untiring efforts towards making the Ramappa Temple a World Heritage Site. I would also like to thank the Ministry of External Affairs for their efforts under the guidance of Hon’ble PM @narendramodi”

 

G Kishan Reddy Minister observed that owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting of the World Heritage Committee(WHC) of UNESCO could not be conducted in 2020 and the nominations for 2020 and those for 2021 were discussed in a series of online meetings that are currently underway. The discussion on Ramappa Temple took place on Sunday, the 25th of July 2021.

Reddy stated that there were 21 Members in the World Heritage Committee with China currently as the Chair of the Committee and credited the success to PM Narendra Modi’s goodwill with UNESCO member countries during his tenure.

 

A brief description of the Rudreswara(Ramappa) Temple

The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by RecharlaRudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva. The presiding deity here is RamalingeswaraSwamy. It is also known as the Ramappa temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.

The temple complexes of Kakatiyas have a distinct style, technology, and decoration exhibiting the influence of the Kakatiyan sculptor. The Ramappa Temple is a manifestation of this and often stands as a testimonial to the Kakatiyan creative genius. The temple stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars, and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.

The sculptural art and decoration specific to the time and Kakatiyan Empire have an outstanding universal value. The distinct style of Kakatiyas for the gateways to temple complexes, unique only to this region confirm the highly evolved proportions of aesthetics in temple and town gateways in South India.

European merchants and travelers were mesmerized by the beauty of the temple and one such traveler had remarked that the temple was the “brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan”.