Last week five cultural sites including one transnational property were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sites are located in countries like Saudi Arabia, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland.
The World Heritage Committee announced that Telangana’s Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The announcement was done in its 44th session the which was held online and chaired from Fuzhou (China).
The historic site was added to the prestigious list on the same day as Quanzhou: World’s Emporium in Song-Yuan China, the Trans-Iranian Railway, and Spain’s Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences.
Rudreshwara Temple, also known as Ramappa Temple. It is located in the village of Palampet, Telangana, around 200 kilometers northeast of Hyderabad. It is the principal Shiva temple in a walled complex built by rulers Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra. The temple was build during the Kakatiyan period (1123–1323 CE).
“Construction of the sandstone temple began in 1213 CE and is thought to have proceeded for about 40 years,” UNESCO said in a statement. “
The structure has carved granite and dolerite beams and pillars. A distinctive and pyramidal Vimana (horizontally stepped tower) is made of lightweight porous bricks, often known as ‘floating bricks,’ which helps to lighten the roof structures.”
The inscription of sites on the World Heritage List is scheduled to continue through July 28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elated following the big announcement of UNESCO. He took to Twitter to express his joy.
“The temple’s sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture. It is located at the foothills of a forested area and amidst agricultural fields, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu. Ramappa Cheruvu is a Kakatiya-built water reservoir, the choice of setting for the edifice followed the ideology and practice sanctioned in dharmic texts. The temples are to be constructed to form an integral part of a natural setting, including hills, forests, springs, streams, lakes, catchment areas, and agricultural lands.”
