India gets its 39th World Heritage Site! Telangana’s Ramappa temple conferred UNESCO heritage tag

Mulugu, July 26: The country which is famous for its rich cultural heritage has now got its 39th World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Committee has inscribed 13th-century Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

 

The decision was taken at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO on Sunday. The heritage site was proposed by the government as its sole nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage site tag for 2019.

  

 

 

According to the information, the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) could not be conducted in 2020 due to the COVID situation. The nominations for 2020 and those for 2021 were discussed in a series of online meetings. A consensus of 17 countries supported the move.

 

 

The UNESCO statement says that the sculptural art and decoration specific to the time and Kakatiya Empire have an outstanding universal value.

 

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, made the announcement on Sunday. He said in a tweet, “It gives me immense pleasure to share that UNESCO has conferred the World Heritage tag to Ramappa temple at Palampet, Warangal, Telangana.”

 

 

 

Soon after which, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed happiness on social media. He also urged the people to visit this majestic Temple complex and get a first-hand experience of its grandness.

 

 

 

Moreover, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao also hailed the decision of UNESCO to recognise the historical Ramappa Temple as the World Heritage Site.

 

“The Spiritual and cultural property developed by the Kakatiya Kings with a tremendous creativity, sculptural value has a very special place in the country’s cultural heritage," Rao said according to a release from CMO. He said under self-governance, the state government is making all efforts to revive and restore the historical, spiritual, and proud cultural heritage of Telangana.

 

 

Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by RecharlaRudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and worshiped by devotees. The temple’s sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture.

 

Ramappa Temple is held as a masterpiece of the Kakatiya style of temple architecture. The construction of the sandstone temple began in 1213 CE and is believed to have continued over some 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.

 

Aside from its architecture and elaborate carvings on the temple's walls, pillars, and ceilings, the most notable feature of this temple is that it was constructed using bricks that are so light that they can float on water.

 

 

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 mesmerised 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, an official release said.

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