Telangana’s Ramappa Temple bags UNESCO World heritage tag; Here’s everything you need to know

Telangana’s Ramappa Temple, a 13th-century engineering marvel and a place of worship, has attained the UNESCO World Heritage City tag, the Culture Ministry said on Sunday. The temple is named after its architect, Ramappa. The government proposed the site as its only nomination for UNESCO World Heritage site this year.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy in a tweet giving away this news expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for his guidance. Calling the iconic Ramappa Temple a showcase of the “outstanding craftsmanship of the Kakatiya dynasty”, PM Modi asked his countrymen to visit the place of historical importance and get “first-hand experience of its grandness.”

Several other leaders like the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaramanan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed their happiness for India’s achievement. Ramappa temple is located in Mulugu district in Telangana, with Warangal as the nearest town.

Due to the Covid-19 situation, this year the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO could not conduct their yearly meeting and the nominations for 2020 and those for 2021 were discussed over virtual meetings. Discussion over the Ramappa temple and if it qualifies for the World Heritage site list took place today. Over 21 members in the WHC with China as the Chairholder selected the Telangana temple.

Architecture of the Ramppa temple

The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD when Recharla Rudra of the Kakatiya dynasty was the empire of that place. He was a general of Ganapati deva, the Kakatiya scion. The temple’s presiding deity is that of Ramalimgeswara Swamy. Its sculptor Ramappa executed the works of the temple for four decades. The temple is an exhibit of the culture of the Kakatiyas with its distinct decoration and technology used for building the place. It stands as a testimony to the Kakatiya creative genius.

The temple stands on a six feet high platform with walls shaped like a star. Its walls, ceilings, pillars are adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiya sculptors.

A statement by the Cultural Ministry said that the distinct style of its gateways, unique to where it belongs, establishes that the sculptor had highly evolved proportions of aesthetics in South India. European merchants and travelers were mesmerised with its beauty and one such traveler remarked called it the “brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples in the Deccan.”

How to reach Ramappa Temple and what to see around?

The nearest airport to Warangal is Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. It is 160 km from the city. Warangal is a major railway junction on the Hyderabad-New Delhi and Chennai-Kolkata route. There are also long-distance deluxe buses from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Tirupati, Chennai, Hubli, Anantapur, and Belgaum.

One needs to take interconnecting buses to reach Ramappa temple from Warangal. You can hop aboard a bus to Mulug from where you can take a bus to Palampet. The bus will drop you at the entrance of the temple.

After visiting the Ramappa temple you can also visit the Warangal Fort, Bhadrakali Temple, Kakatiya Musical Garden, Padmakshi Temple and Kakatiya Rock garden in close proximity