Jain Shrine Near Ramappa Temple Needs Urgent Conservation”
Hyderabad: Heritage activists have warned that a Jain shrine near the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ramappa Temple in Palampet, Mulugu district, needs urgent conservation.
On Sunday, E Sivanagi Reddy and Arvind Arya visited the shrine. They found it overrun by vegetation and called on the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to act quickly.
Arvind Arya, secretary of the Warangal-based Team of Research on Culture and Heritage (TORCH), said the shrine shows Kakatiya-period architecture. Therefore, it deserves careful preservation.
The temple has a garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) and an ardha-mandapa (entrance hall). It features a stepped pyramidal Kadamba nagara shikhara with a protruding sukanasa at the front. Although small, the temple stands on a simple adhisthana with plain walls. Moreover, perforated jalis decorate the entrance.
The lintel displays a row of miniature shikharas, typical of 13th-century Kakatiya style. Inside, a pedestal with lion sculptures holds the lanchana, the symbol of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara. Unfortunately, the original idol is no longer visible in the garbhagriha.
The activists urged the ASI Hyderabad circle to include the shrine in its list of protected monuments. They stressed that immediate conservation is essential to safeguard its historical and architectural value.
