Ramappa on radar for UNESCO tag

Warangal: The 800-year-old engineering marvel of Kakatiya dynasty Ramappa temple that appeared tantalisingly close to stay in race for the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site tag in 2018 is back with a bang this year with the Central government resolving it to promote as country’s lone nomination.

It may be noted here that the temple was in race for the World Heritage Site inscription last year. According to the UNESCO’s Culture Sector, Division for Heritage, the nomination submitted in the name of Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways – Rudreshwara (Ramappa) temple was incomplete as it failed to explain the importance of the nominated property in its international context.

Further the World Heritage Committee (WHC) had asked the authorities to re-do the chapter-3 of the dossier. Following which, the authorities sought the expertise of Dr Choodamani Nandagopal, 

Art Historian, UNESCO Fellow Dean Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Jain University Bangalore, in redoing the chapter-3 of the dossier.  
With the efforts of the State government and the Kakatiya Heritage Trust (KHT), the revised dossier was submitted to UNESCO. With the Central government preferring Jaipur as India’s nomination for 2018, Ramappa temple’s proposal had to fall back in the race.

“Ramappa temple is India’s only nomination for the year 2019. Thanks to the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who made it possible after pursuing the Centre,” KHT Trustee and former Advisor to Government of Telangana BV Papa Rao said. The KHT has been striving hard to get the world heritage tag for Ramappa temple, which is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), since 2012, he said.  

Prof M Pandu Ranga Rao, another trustee of the KHT, said: “Ramappa temple has all the ingredients to be inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site tag.” Dwelling at length on the prerequisites for getting heritage tag, he explained about some of the major components of the temple that are unique in character.

“The outstanding universal value of the temple is its construction. The floating bricks, sandbox technology and the black dolomite rocks used in the construction make the temple special. The factor of safety measures taken by the Kakatiya architectural wing is unbelievable. Moreover, it’s not all that easy to sculpt on black dolomite, the hardest rock in the world, unless you have expertise in metallurgical technology to make carving tools,” he said.