President Droupadi Murmu has laid the foundation stone of a project called ‘Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple’ in Mulugu district in Telangana state.
Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, is located in the village of Palampet approximately 200km north-east of Hyderabad.
The site was inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List last year in 2021. It is the latest inclusion in the India’s List of such sites. Currently, 40 Indian sites are in World Heritage List.
The sandstone temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and was built during the Kakatiyan period (1123–1323 CE) under Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra. The construction began in 1213 and is said to have continued till 1253.
UNESCO’s description of the site says, ‘’The building features decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite with a distinctive and pyramidal Vimana (horizontally stepped tower) made of lightweight porous bricks, so-called ‘floating bricks’, which reduced the weight of the roof structures. The temple’s sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture. Located at the foothills of a forested area and amidst agricultural fields, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu, a Kakatiya-built water reservoir, the choice of setting for the edifice followed the ideology and practice sanctioned in dharmic texts that temples are to be constructed to form an integral part of a natural setting, including hills, forests, springs, streams, lakes, catchment areas, and agricultural lands’’.
The development project aims to make Ramappa Temple, a world class pilgrimage and tourist destination, by providing state-of-the-art facilities for visitors while maintaining essence of heritage and tranquillity of the site.The scheme has approved three sites for interventions namely:
- 10 Acre of Site (A) with Interpretation Centre, 4-D Movie Hall, Cloak rooms, Waiting halls, First -Aid Room, Food Court, Drinking Water and Toilet Facilities, Bus and Car Parking, Drinking Water and Toilet Facilities, Souvenir shops.
- 27 Acres of Site (B) with Amphitheatre, Sculpture Park, Flower Garden, Road Developments, Drinking Water and Toilet Facilities, E-Buggies facilities Senior citizens and Divyaangjans
- Ramappa Lakefront Development.
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