39th World Heritage Site of India:
India’s nomination of Rudreswara Temple, (also known as the Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Mulugu district, near Warangal in the state of Telangana has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa Temple) is the 39th World Heritage Site of India.
The decision was taken at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO on 25 July, 2021.
The 13th century Ramappa temple, 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.
About Ramappa temple:
The iconic Ramappa Temple showcases the outstanding craftsmanship of great Kakatiya dynasty.
The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva.The presiding deity here is Ramalingeswara Swamy. It is also known as the Ramappa temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.
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 distinct style of Kakatiyas for the gateways to temple complexes, unique only to this region confirms 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“.