HYDERABAD: The Ramappa Temple was constructed in 1213 CE, during the reign of Kakatiya empire, by Recharla Rudra, the general of King Ganapathi Deva. Though the presiding deity here is Ramalingeshwara Swamy, the temple was named after the sculptor, Ramappa, who executed all works in the temple in a span of 14 years. The temple complexes of Kakatiyas have a distinct style and technology, exhibiting the influence of their architecture.
The Ramappa temple too is a manifestation of this. The temple is situated on a six-foot-high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings. There is a hall in front of the sanctum sanctorum with four pillars. These pillars were skilfully placed with mathematical perfection. The roof is built with bricks that are so light they float on water. The pillars in the temple produce different musical notes when tapped in certain places.
The temple also survived an earthquake during the 17th Century, thanks to the sandbox technology used in laying the foundation. The sculptural art and decoration, specific to the Kakatiyan empire, have an outstanding universal value. European merchants and travellers were mesmerised by the beauty of the temple and the famous Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo had remarked that the temple was the “brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan.”
How greats preserved and popularised the site
The contribution of great modern writers and poets in promoting the temple has been enormous. In 1957, former Prime Minister of India PV Narasimha Rao wrote “Symphony in Stone” among his essays in “Illustration of India” and got it published to promote the importance of the temple site. Mandala Malla Reddy, believed to be a descendant of Recharla Rudra, gathered a lot of data and compiled a book. From Gnanpeeth awardee Dr C Narayana Reddy, who wrote a musical story titled ‘Ramappa,’ dedicated to Dr Puttaparthi Sreenivasacharyulu who spent his entire life on archaeological research, to Indian archaeologist Ghulam Yazdani, many people did their bit in protecting the temple.
One stone at a time
Efforts for getting the heritage sites tag started soon after the establishment of the Kakatiya Heritage Trust in 2009 by BV Papa Rao, former IAS officer
2012 On the occasion of 800 years since the temple came into existence, heritage activists and others lighted 10,000 candles at the site to spread the word on the need to conserve it
2014/15 Though the temple was listed tentatively for nomination in 2014, it was only after the formation of Telangana, when Papa Rao became an advisor for Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, that a dossier was prepared with the help of historians, in 2015
2016 The dossier was sent to the GOI, requesting it to propose nomination of the temple. However, the PM was reportedly not keen on promoting this temple back then
2016/17 Efforts to nominate the temple failed owing to heavy competition among world heritage sites
2018 A team from UNESCO experts visited the temple
2019 A nomination dossier was sent, after which experts from ICOMOS visited the site. In November 2019, Papa Rao and his delegation went to Paris, where they explained about the outstanding universal value of the temple site
2020 The nomination was considered and was taken up in the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee which was hosted at Fuzhou. They finally inscribed the temple in the list
What it means
The Ramappa Temple will, from now on, get financial assistance for protection of its cultural and natural heritage
It will get international assistance that can support projects related to emergency, conservation and management, and for preparatory assistance under the national tentative list
The site will also have access to global project management resources if a repair is needed. The site, by default, will also receive protection under the Geneva Convention, in events of war
India will also receive expert advice from the World Heritage Committee to support activities for the preservation of the site