Context: Recntly, India gets its 39th World Heritage Site in the form of Telangana's Rudreswara Temple (also known as the Ramappa Temple) has been given a world heritage site tag by the UNESCO.

Key Points

• Due to Covid, the meeting of the World Heritage Committee could not be conducted in 2020 and the nominations for 2020 and those for 2021 were discussed in a series of online meetings that were currently underway. 
• The discussion on Ramappa Temple took place on Sunday, the 25th July 2021.
• The decision was taken at the 44th session, where the consensus of inscription of the Kakatiya Rudeshwara (Ramappa) Temple was backed by 17 nations of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO. 
• The iconic Ramappa Temple showcases the outstanding craftsmanship of great Kakatiya dynasty.

About Ramappa temple

• Ramappa temple, a 13th century engineering marvel named after its architect - Ramappa.
• According to the ministry, the Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva. 
• The presiding deity here is Ramalingeswara Swamy. 
• It is also known as the Ramappa temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.
• The temple complexes of Kakatiyas have a distinct style, technology and decoration exhibiting the influence of the Kakatiyan sculptor. 
• It is a manifestation of this and often stands as a testimonial to the Kakatiyan creative genius.
• It stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.
• The distinct style of Kakatiyas for the gateways to temple complexes, unique only to this region confirm the highly evolved proportions of aesthetics in temple and town gateways in South India.
• European merchants and travelers were mesmerized by the beauty of the temple and one such traveler had remarked that the temple was the "brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan"

About World Heritage site

• A World Heritage site is classified as a natural or man-made area or a structure that is of international importance, and a space which requires special protection.
• These sites are officially recognised by the UN and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, also known as UNESCO.
• UNESCO believes that the sites classified as World Heritage are important for humanity, and they hold cultural and physical significance.

Note: There are 39 World Heritage Sites located in India. These include 31 cultural sites, 7 natural sites, and 1 mixed-criteria site.
Key facts

• The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General Assembly.
• Each World Heritage Site remains part of the legal territory of the state wherein the site is located and UNESCO considers it in the interest of the international community to preserve each site.
• To be selected, a World Heritage Site must be an already classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance.?