Historian urges government to take steps to get Lepakshi temple included in UNESCO heritage list

Gorantla-based historian MyNaa Swamy urged Director Department of Cultural Affairs R. Mallikarjuna to appoint an expert committee and prepare a status report for the permanent recognition of the Lepakshi Veerabhadra temple complex in the UNESCO heritage list. Speaking to the media here on Sunday, the historian said that he met the director in Vijayawada and discussed the appointment of the expert committee.

UNESCO announced the inclusion of the Lepakshi Veerabhadra Temple complex in the provisional list of UNESCO Heritage Sites on March 30, 2023. However, the State and Central governments are expected to conduct a detailed study of the architectural features of the temple, its sculptural wealth, the beautiful mural paintings, and the world’s largest monolithic bull (Nandi) statue and submit a report to the Central government. MyNaa Swamy said that he had also submitted a letter to the official, explaining that the biggest mural painting of Veerabhadra Swamy in Asia, the beautiful sculpture of Padmini — the ideal woman, the sky pillar that does not touch the ground, the wonderful sculpture of Bhikshanamurthy Shiva, the 7-headed Nagalingam (big serpent), and the huge statue of the stone bull are enhancing the reputation of Lepakshi.

Published - February 23, 2025 05:06 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit.