The UNESCO conferring World Heritage inscription to the historic Rudreswara temple, famously known as Ramappa temple, in Mulugu district of Telangana, has brought immense cheer to different sections - political leaders, heritage activists, and common people who hope that the monument would now get international fame.
State Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavati Rathod, MLA D Anasuya alias Sitakka, other leaders, and public representatives visited the temple and performed puja on Monday in the wake of it getting the World Heritage tag.
Rathod, who walked around the temple premises, said she would take all the possibilities for developing the temple to the notice of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The temple, around 200 km from Hyderabad, would witness amazing development following the recognition from UNESCO, she said.
The state government would further develop the 800- year-old Kakatiya era temple premises and provide all amenities to those visiting the temple, she said. Mulugu district Collector S Krishna Aditya said that the UNESCO tag is recognition to the district and to Telangana.
He said tourism would get a boost in the region and that the temple would attract international tourists. The temple has seen a sudden surge in tourist arrivals on Monday morning (a day after UNESCO conferring the World Heritage inscription), the Collector said.
The main temple was restored, but besides that, there are other structures that need to be focused upon, he added.
The ASI would, obviously, now focus on improving their infrastructure (restoration, restructuring), he said. Infrastructure at the temple premises has been
improved recently and the state government is willing to spend more funds on the temple, he said.
Founder-trustee of Kakatiya Heritage Trust (KHT) and former IAS officer B V Papa Rao, who pursued the matter and also attended a meeting with UNESCO officials in 2019 in Paris, said it was a decade long journey for them that culminated with the UN body declaring the Ramappa temple as a World Heritage Site on Sunday.
He recalled that the then Culture Minister (in undivided AP) J Geeta Reddy formed a committee in 2010 with KHT as the coordinator. KHT's efforts gained momentum with the formation of Telangana (in 2014) and the Trust has started a nomination campaign in 2016, Papa Rao,who served as an advisor to the Telangana government told P T I.
Ramappa temple could become India's nomination to UNESCO in 2019 with CM Chandrasekhar Rao taking it up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
Papa Rao, who explained the various developments in the efforts to get UNESCO recognition to the temple, said the inscription is only a milestone but not the end of the journey. The recognition on the world stage is a matter of pride for Telangana citizens.
"As a native of Warangal, I feel proud," said D K Reddy, a resident of Warangal.
Ramappa temple is around 60 km from Warangal.
Besides Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, state Congress president and MP A Revanth Reddy and state BJP president and Lok Sabha member Bandi Sanjay Kumar hailed the UNESCO recognition of the temple.
UNESCO has conferred the World Heritage inscription to the historic Rudreswara Temple, also known as the Ramappa Temple, at Palampet in Mulugu district of Telangana, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Sunday.
The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and worshiped by devotees. The presiding deity is Ramalingeswara Swamy. It is also known as the Ramappa temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.
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