India’s two more inclusions to World Heritage Sites

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• 2 new inscriptions were made from India on the UNESCO World Heritage List during its 44th session recently held in Fuzhou, China.

• ‘Kakatiya Rudreshwar Temple’ of Telangana was the first to be registered followed by ‘Dholavira: A Harappan City’ from Gujarat. With these new inscriptions, India now has a total of 40 World Heritage Sites overall.

• Kakatiya Rudreshwar Temple, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, was constructed in 1213 CE during the Kakatiyan period under rulers Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra as a place to worship Ramalingeshwara Swamy.

• Unlike other ancient monuments, the temple was actually named after its sculptor Ramappa.

• The roof of the temple is said to be built with bricks so light that they can float on water. The foundation of the temple was laid using the Sandbox technology which helped it survive a major earthquake during the 17th century.

• The beauty of the temple was so mesmerizing even to the European travellers that the famous Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo had once said that it was the “brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan”.

• As for the ancient city of Dholavira, it is one of the most well preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. It was first discovered in 1968 and is said to be the fifth largest Harappan site.

• The most prominent characteristics of this site are its water management system and a multi-layered defensive mechanism. Artefacts of copper, shell, stone, jewellery of gold, terracotta, ivory have also been found at the site.

While the Harappan city of Dholavira has borne witness to the entire trajectory of the rise and fall of early civilization of humankind, the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple stands as an outstanding marvel of the Kakatiyan culture. Both sites make great contributions to the shared heritage of humanity.

Eric Falt, UNESCO New Delhi Director, congratulating the Govt. of India and the people of India