The 13th century Ramappa temple in Palampet, Telangana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 25, 2021 at the 44th meeting of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Fuzhou, China. The nomination for a World Heritage Site for the Ramappa and Kakatiya temples was made in 2014. The site was in consideration for the status in 2020 but the process got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this development, India now has 39 sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
To be inscribed as a world heritage site, it is imperative to meet at least one of the ten selection criteria. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) cited several shortcomings at the site in 2019, but a majority of nations (17 out of 21) that were to vote on the proposal supported India’s view about the site’s outstanding universal value. As such, it is a major diplomatic win for India.
Ramappa Temple
The Rudreswara (Ramappa) Temple is situated near Warangal. It was built by a Kakatiya General Recherla Rudra Reddy, during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva in the 13th century. The presiding deity of the temple is Ramalingeswara Swamy. Ramappa is the main Shiva temple in a larger walled temple complex that has many smaller temples and structures.
The temple is an example of intricate craftsmanship and elegant relief work. The foundation of the temple is made using ‘sandbox technique’ with flooring of granite and pillars of basalt.
Sandbox Technique
The sandbox technique involved filling the pit—dug up for laying foundation—with a mixture of sand lime, jaggery (for binding) and karakkaya (black myrobalan fruit), before the buildings were constructed on these ‘sandboxes’. The sandbox acts as a cushion in case of earthquakes, because most of the vibrations caused by earthquake lose their strength while passing through the sand by the time they reach the actual foundation of the building.
It is made of sandstone—the lower part is made of red sandstone while the white gopuram is built with light bricks that could float on water. It depicts decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite. The inner sanctum is made of lightweight porous bricks.
Criteria for Including a Site on the World Heritage List
A site must meet at least one of the following ten criteria to be included on the World Heritage List:
(i) to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
(ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
(iii) to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
(iv) to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage/s in human history;
(v) to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
(vi) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);
(vii) to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
(viii) to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
(ix) to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
(x) to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
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