On a tranquil Sunday, nestled amidst the Kalyaneshwar Temple’s sacred and historical aura in Telangkhedi, Nagpur; Dr Choodamani Nandagopal, Art Historian, interacted with ‘The Hitavada’. She shared her insights on temple architecture and her vision for cultural studies in India. She and her team were the ones whose proposal led UNESCO to declare the 13th-century Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, located in Palampet village, Mulugu district, Telangana, as India’s 39th UNESCO World Heritage Site for India in July 2021. Speaking about the criteria she included in the proposal for Ramappa Temple, she says, “Criteria are an important part of submitting a proposal to UNESCO, and the contents of the criteria I added were missing from previous proposals.” She added that the criteria for the Ramappa Temple included the representation of human creative genius, the interchange of human values within cultural areas, architecture, landscape design, and the exceptional testimony of cultural tradition—both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

 

After joining the first-level team, which already included Professor Panduranga Rao and Suryanarayana Murthy, an architect, working on the Ramappa Temple, she, along with live sketch artists and photographers, dedicated an year to researching the temple. She then wrote a detailed book titled ‘Ramappa Temple - The Crest Jewel of Kakatiya Art and Architecture’, which was submitted as a proposal to UNESCO. Each member of the team with their expertise contributed to completing the nomination dossier. Speaking about future plans, she said, “Our team is considering Shravanbela Gola in Karnataka, as there is no Jain UNESCO site yet. For any site to be proposed, stakeholder approval is essential. The State Government needs to express interest by writing to the ASI and the Government of India, initiating the necessary preparations.” She explained that stakeholders, which can also include priest community if it is a temple site, are then consulted and document is prepared, which the State Ministry of Culture will submit to the ASI and the Central Government. Afterward, the Government will approach UNESCO for recognition, leading to International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and UNESCO sending their delegations. She asserts that there are many subjects and concepts in the fields of art history, archaeology, and architecture that can be further explored and need more attention.

 

Offering advice to students and young researchers, she says, “First of all, one should be properly grounded in the science and art of temple architecture; then it sparks interest within oneself. Temple architecture is like a mother science to all other art forms. Whatever literature, religion, or art form one explores, it is somehow related to temple architecture.” She explains, “When one chooses to study art history, architecture, painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and literature, I call this combination cultural studies. For cultural studies, history is essential. An introduction to all these topics broadens one’s thinking and understanding. When something fascinates someone, they begin to explore it in detail.” She also mentions that merely having an interest in art history is not enough; students must seriously dedicate themselves to the study. “Many people think that anyone can write about art history, but just as the study of science follows a process of understanding in stages, art history also has its own methodology, interpretation, expression, and nuances that need to be properly understood,” she concludes.