The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Sunday recognised Telangana’s historic 13th century Ramappa temple in Mulugu district as a world heritage site.
Consensus has been reached on the ongoing virtual meeting of the World Heritage Committee. This was announced by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the union, G Kishan Reddy, on Sunday.
A consensus of 17 countries supported efforts to have the temple recognized as a World Heritage Site. The Committee is made up of Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand and Uganda. While Norway opposed the inscription, Russia led the effort.
“It is my great pleasure to announce that UNESCO has awarded the Ramappa Temple in Palampet, Warangal, Telangana the World Heritage Label.” Trade Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy reacted on Twitter.
“Excellent! Congratulations to everyone, especially the people of Telangana. The iconic Ramappa Temple showcases the outstanding craftsmanship of great Kakatiya dynasty. I would urge you all to visit this majestic temple complex and get a first-hand experience of its grandness,” PM Modi reacted to the development on Twitter.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his delight on Sunday that the historic Ramappa Temple has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. He said Telangana’s spiritual and cultural heritage reflected the creative and architectural competence of the Kakatiya rulers and had a special place in the state. The prime minister said the self-governing state government was trying to restore its historical, spiritual and cultural glory.
The Chief Minister congratulated the state and government representatives on their efforts to this end. He also thanked the members of UNESCO and the central government of the country who have helped the Ramappa Temple achieve World Heritage status.
“This is the first World Heritage Site in Telangana. Our next goal is to preserve the status of a World Heritage City for our capital Hyderabad,” Minister for Local Government and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao wrote and congratulated everyone involved in the effort on Twitter.
History OF Ramappa Temple
The Ramalingeswara Temple, also called Ramappa Temple, is located in the village of Palampet in Venkatapur Mandal in the district of Telanganas Mulugu (Old Warangal). The temple is named after its main sculptor Ramappa. It is one of the few temples in the world to have named its sculptor.
According to Telangana Tourism the temple dates back to 1213 AD and was built under the patronage of Kakatiya ruler Kakati Ganapathi Devas under the authority of his commander Rudra Samani Ranakude in the province of Atukuru. It was built on a 6 foot high platform in a cruciform plan in a valley and took 40 years to complete.
The temple architecture features elaborate carvings on walls, columns, and ceilings, but the most notable feature of the temple is that it was built from bricks that were illuminated as if they were floating on water. The chambers of the temple are crowned with Shikharam and surrounded by pradakshinapathas.
The Rudreshwara Ramappa Temple was on the provisional list of UNESCO on 15 April 2014. The dossier was prepared by the government of Telangana state. It was the city of Jaipur’s dossier submitted to the World Heritage Centre in 2018. The temple is a masterpiece of Kakatiyan-era architecture, using technical innovations in the form of floating brick and sandbox foundations, selected building materials, and masterful stone sculpture.
It was prioritised for the registration process in 2019, and experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) assessed the dossier in September 2019. Additional requests for information were made to WHC in October 2019 and February 2020. The decision to include the information was to be announced on the 44th session of the World Health Assembly in Fuzhou, China, in May 2020. However, the meeting was cancelled due to the sudden eruption of COVID-19.
