Ramappa under UNESCO expert's scanner

Ramappa (Mulugu): The Ramappa temple, the engineering and architectural wonder of Kakatiya era, that withstood the test of time for more than 800 years, has on Wednesday been put to test again only to get its name inscribed on the coveted list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

A large contingent of officials including the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Joint Director General Thanwiz Sharma, State ASI Director Dinakar Babu, Superintending Archaeologist of the ASI Milan Kumar Chauley etc descended on Palampet village, the abode of Ramalingeshwara Swamy temple, popularly known by its sculptor Ramappa.

On a cloudburst day, it is no surprise that all eyes were focused on the man of the moment - the Secretary General of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Vasu Poshyanandan, who is on a two-day visit to evaluate the India's only nomination for the World Heritage Site tag for the year 2019.

Vasu was watching the sculptural elegance of the temple and tower on the sanctum sanctorum. Barring the official contingent, the authorities permitted entry neither to the tourists nor to media until late afternoon to allow the experts to go through the structural and sculptural ingenuity of the temple.

Based on the dossier submitted to the UNESCO seeking world heritage site tag for Ramappa temple by the Kakatiya Heritage Trust (KHT), Vasu Poshyanandan made an assessment of the structural and cultural elegance of the temple.

He documented (video and photography) the significance of every structure and the importance of the sound, which is heard inside the temple. It took him about 3 hours and 45 minutes to inspect the sculptures and monuments on the temple premises. Retired IAS officer B V Paparao explained about the sculptures on the temple.

It is learnt that Vasu brooded some time studying the intricate details of the carvings and appeared flabbergasted seeing the sculptural elegance of the 'Nandi'. He had also gone through the three outstanding values of the temple - the sandbox technology used in the foundation of the temple, the low-density bricks used in the shikhara and the various colours on a single stone construction. Vasu who will be here on Thursday as well is expected to interact with the locals after completing yet another round in the temple.

District Collector C Narayana Reddy said, "Vasu scrutinised all the details included in the dossier of the temple submitted to the UNESCO thoroughly. He documented all the unique features of the temple."