The historic Rudreshwar Temple, popularly known as the Ramappa Temple near Warangal, has received prestigious World Heritage status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The decision was taken at the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on Sunday.
Built 800 years ago by Recharla Rudra, a general of the Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva, the Rudreshwar Temple is known as the Ramappa Temple in honor of the sculptor, who worked on the project for 40 years.
After the virtual meeting, UNESCO has tweeted its decision with a picture of the temple located in Mulugu district of Telangana, about 210 km from Hyderabad.
PM thanks UNESCO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Union Minister of Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy thanked UNESCO and the Archaeological Survey of India for helping them get the heritage tag.
An engineering marvel, the Ramappa Temple is an expression of a distinctive style, technique and decoration, which stands as a testimonial to the Kakatiya creative genius. The temple stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform, with intricate carvings adorning the walls, pillars and ceilings which attest to the unparalleled skill of the sculptors.
European traders and travelers were mesmerized by the beauty of the temple and one such traveler remarked that the temple was ‘the brightest star in the skyline of medieval temples of the Deccan’.
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