Kakatiya Rudreswara Temple – 39th UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hello Readers!

In today’s blog we will be discussing the Rudreswara Temple of Telangana. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) listed the temple on the “world heritage site” list on July 25, 2021. We will talk about the features of the temple, various heritage sites of India in the world heritage list and other significant points related to it.

Kakatiya Rudreswara Temple also known as Ramappa Temple is located at Palampet, Mulugu District, Wrangal, Telangana. During the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO the temple was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. It will be India’s 39th World Heritage site and the 1st from Telangana.

The extended 44th session is being held in Fuzhou, China. The session began on July 16 and will conclude on 31st July.

Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple

• The temple was built in 1213 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Empire. Recharla Rudra Reddy, a General of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva constructed it.
• It is also known as Ramappa temple after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 20 years. The presiding deity in the temple Ramalingeswara Swamy.
• The temple is built on a 6 foot high star-shaped platform, with elaborate carvings on the walls, pillars, and ceilings attesting to the Kakatiyan sculptors’ expertise.
• The Kakatiya temple complexes feature a distinct design, technology, and decoration that show the influence of the Kakatiyan sculptor.
• The presiding deity in the temple Ramalingeswara Swamy.

Benefits of being listed in the World Heritage Site

• The temple will receive financial assistance for the protection of its natural and cultural heritage.
• The site will have access to global project management resources. In the case of a war, the site will automatically be protected under the Geneva Convention.
• The World Heritage Committee will also provide India with professional assistance in order to support actions aimed at preserving the site.

World Heritage Site

A World Heritage Site is defined as a place of “outstanding universal value.” This refers to “cultural and/or natural significance that is so remarkable that it transcends national boundaries and is of universal relevance for current and future generations of humanity.”

Countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention pledge to conserve and protect their natural and cultural heritage. They submit a list of properties of “outstanding universal importance” for nomination to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Site consists of 21 members. 

There are around 1129 UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the world.

The first World Heritage Sites in India were Ajanta Caves – Maharashtra, Agra Fort – Uttar Pradesh, Ellora Caves – Maharashtra and Taj Mahal – Uttar Pradesh in 1983.

With this we come to the end of this article. We discussed all the relevant points related to the Rudreswara Temple and its listing in the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. We also mentioned other heritage sites of India in the list.

We will back with more such blogs. Till then keep reading and stay tuned with hranker.com.