Palampet (Mulugu district): The number of tourists at the Ramappa temple, the world heritage site in Palampet of Mulugu district in Warangal on Tuesday was way more than the usual weekend numbers. Area locals claim that tourists have been coming from different states ever since the place earned the tag from the Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).
Culture and tourism minister V. Srinivas Goud visited the place along with tourism officials as well as those from the Archaeological Society of India, and Heritage Telangana. Ministers Satyavathi Rathod, Errabelli Dayakara Rao, State Planning Commission vice-chairman B. Vinod Kumar, TRS MP Maloth Kavitha, MLC Pochampally Srinivas Reddy, Congress MLA Seetakka, former MP Sitaram Nayak and other officials also visited the shrine and paid obeisance.
Srinivas Goud said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had such implemented projects that were making the country proud at the global level. “The CM said that with the recognition of the Ramappa temple, the tourism sector would flourish and the future of the region would change. We have spent `7 crore on the Ramappa temple in the last three to four years. We are also planning to allocate funds for further development. There is a demand to set up the Kakatiya Heritage Tourist Circuit, we will try to bring it to the notice of the CM,” he said.
Sivakumar, in his 50s, came from Madurai in Tamil Nadu with his wife to visit the 800-year-old monument. “We landed here this morning. My wife and I are fond of heritage sites and often go on trips to explore such places. As soon as we got to know about Unesco’s recognition, we made an impromptu plan and came to see the temple. We will be heading back tomorrow,” Sivakumar said.
Esther Bharati, a police official from the Mulugu Excise department, said that the place was a haven for drunkards before. “I assisted the Unesco team about two years ago and it is a matter of pride to have such a site under my jurisdiction. We used to visit the temple and keep a vigil as people from the local villages used to come here to consume alcohol. We have learnt so much about this temple in our history lesson and it’s a privilege to serve here,” she said.
According to the Unesco report, a monument gets recognised as a heritage site when it has an “outstanding universal value and represents a masterpiece of human creative genius.” Even the temple builder, Recherla Rudrayya, acknowledged it and had a warning inscribed on the temple itself: “I can be an enemy to anyone. But, not this temple. Do not destroy it,” it says.
