Warangal: Key meet on Ramappa's UNESCO tag today

Warangal: After waiting for more than five, finally the fate of Ramappa (Rudreshwara) temple, the 800-year-old architectural marvel of Kakatiya era, that is vying for the UNESCO's World Heritage Site tag, is to be adjudicated when the World Heritage Committee (WHC) sits to discuss and deliver its verdict today.

The quest for UNESCO's World Heritage Site tag began early in 2016 when the Indian government proposed Ramappa temple as its nomination. The WHC, which found lack of clarity in the nomination, asked the government to re-do chapter-3 in the dossier and submit it before September 30.

The authorities resubmitted the chapter-3 engaging the services of Dr Choodamani Nandagopal, Art Historian, UNESCO Fellow Dean Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Jain University, Bengaluru. Later in 2019, India again proposed Ramappa Temple as its only nomination in 2019.

Based on the revised dossier submitted to UNESCO, the Secretary General of the ICOMOS Vasu Poshyanandan of Thailand assessed the structural and cultural elegance of the temple in September 2019. In November 2019, the Indian delegation which attended the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) meet in Paris, successfully defended India's only nomination for the prestigious tag.

Now, the ball is in the court of WHC's 44th Online Session (July 16 to 31) being hosted by China from Fuzhou. According to the agenda, the members will have a detailed discussion before voting for and against India's proposal to inscribe Ramappa temple as a World Heritage Site.

Ramappa's hopes hinge on its outstanding universal value in its construction. The floating bricks, sandbox technology and the black dolomite rocks used in the construction makes the temple special. The factor of safety measures taken by the Kakatiya architectural wing is unbelievable. Moreover, it's not all that easy to sculpt on black dolomite, the hardest rock in the world, unless you have expertise in metallurgical technology to make carving tools.

On the flip side, the temple has a few drawbacks such as lack of maintenance, non-availability of amenities that fit to the needs of international tourists, brochures and guides. The government's failure to reconstruct the dismantled Kameshwara temple, adjacent to Ramappa main temple, is also a moot point. These apart, WHC will also look into the administration's efficacy in handling the crowds during the fairs and festivals.

According to information, a few issues that are likely to play against the temple's chances is maintenance, the failure of the government to reconstruct the dismantled structure, absence of amenities that international tourists want, non-availability of brochures and guides and the efficiency of the administration to handle crowds during the fairs and festivals.

Against this backdrop, the State Government has decided to constitute a management committee at State-level and Palampet Special Development Authority at local level, a few days ago.

Speaking to The Hans India, historian Aravind Arya Pakide said, "We have our fingers crossed. Ramappa is all set to command a place in the elite group of world heritage sites.

It will definitely attract global tourists, resulting in a lot of development. Other temples such as Kotagullu that were crying for attention will also get a huge patronage. It will also trigger the local economy." There are 1,121 World Heritage Sites across the planet Earth. Of which 38 are from India the historian proudly said.