The World Heritage Volunteer initiative was launched in 2008 by UNESCO to encourage young people to undertake concrete actions and play an active role in the protection, preservation and promotion of world heritage. This program consists of action camp projects organized by organizations or institutions involving national and international volunteers. The projects will provide empowering and enriching opportunities to young people and enable them to go beyond boarders to some of the most outstanding places in the world. National and International volunteers work together with the local communities to preserve our common culture and natural heritage.

The theme of the World Heritage Volunteers Campaign-2023 (WHV Campaign) – 2023) is Work on the Future-World Heritage.

On 25 July 2021, “KakatiyaRudreswara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana” recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the occasion UNESCO  World Heritage Volunteer (WHV) – KakatiyaRudreshwara (Ramappa) camp – 2023 KakatiyaRudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple Campaign is being organized from 2022 in the temple premises.

This is year also World Heritage Volunteer (WHV) – KakatiyaRudreshwara (Ramappa) camp – 2023 was organized by Kakatiya Heritage Trust from 02^nd Oct 2023 to 13^th Oct 2023.

It is to impart the geo technical aspects and construction technology of great Kakatiya’s to international and national heritage lovers in addition to art and architecture, would help in understanding the great heritage value.

Participants in the program were  trained and explained by the experts on the  diversity of the temple, the engineering aspects and the construction techniques of the great Kakatiyas. Heritage walks, heritage classes, quizzes, cuisine, paintings and performing arts awareness raising activities with local youth, school students and community are undertaken  to increase  awareness about Art, Architecture, Geo-Heritage.

Prof.Er. VedakumarManikonda, Chairman, Deccan Heritage Academy and Forum for a Better Hyderabad was invited to participate as a resource person in this program and give a lecture on heritage protection and conservation.

On this occasion, as part of the heritage walk organized after the program, Prof.Er. VedakumarManikonda, Kakatiya Heritage Trustees Professor M. PandurangaRao, Shri. J. Sridhar Rao, representatives of Telangana Tourism Department, Archaeology Department, volunteers and others visited PandavulaGutta.

Rudreshwara (Ramappa) temple is a masterpiece of the Kakatiyan style of temple architecture, representing the unique combination of ingenuity in stone sculpting and engineering experimentations. The use of sandbox foundation and floating bricks, as well as thoughtful selection of materials and perfect planning allowed to reduce the load on the temple structure, making it earthquake resistant and remaining intact even after 800 years of construction. The sculptures of the Rudreshwara (Ramappa) temple manifest Kakatiyan’s indigenous geotechnical knowledge in stone chiseling as well as their deep understanding of construction technologies. These let the Kakatiyans use one of the hardest rocks, namely dolerite giving it a fine lustre finish and mirror like polish. The bracket figures (raginees and naginees or yalis) show outstanding beauty and creativity represents the Kakatiyan dance customs, interprets the regional lifestyle and is based on the Puranic texts. The Rudreshwara (Ramappa) temple is in exceptional testimony of the Kakatiyan Dynasty and illustrates its artistic, architectural and engineering achievements within the wall temple compound and its wider setting.

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