HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday said that it would supervise conservation and development of the Ramappa Temple in Mulugu district which received UNESCO's World Heritage Site tag a couple of days ago.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijayasen Reddy, taking cognizance of reports in the media that the temple needed measures for its protection said that there was a need for developing the temple into an international tourist destination after the recognition it secured from UNESCO. The uniqueness of the temple is that it is named after its sculptor Ramappa who spent 40 years of his life in chiselling this architectural wonder about 800 years ago during the reign of the Kakatiyas.
The bench asked the government to constitute a committee with the district collector and representatives of the ASI and Archaeology Department. It directed that the state should meet on August 4 to prepare a road map for developing the temple. The court said that the committee should visit the temple and go through various aspects that needed development. The committee should submit its report to the court within four weeks.
The bench cautioned the government that if there is any slackness in attending to the work needed to develop the temple, it would have to face flak from the entire nation. It would be in their own interest if the officials fix deadlines for themselves to develop the temple in all aspects. It reminded the government that the temple was very precious from the historical point of view.
The bench felt that it is a matter of pride for the state to get international recognition for the temple and asked the government to meet UNESCO's deadline of December end to take all necessary conservation measures and adjourned the case to August 25.