NEWS: Proposed PVNR opencast coal mine near Venkatapur, Telangana, has raised concerns over the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ramappa Temple + Ramappa Lake.

ABOUT RAMAPPA TEMPLE

• Official name → Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple.
• Location → Mulugu district, Telangana.
• Built → 1213 AD during Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva’s reign.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site → 2021.
• Presiding deity → Ramalingeswara Swamy.

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

• Star-shaped platform → ~6 feet high.
• Lightweight bricks → used in gopuram construction.
• Sandbox foundation → mixture of sand + lime + jaggery + black myrobalan.
• Sandbox technique → helps absorb vibrations and improve structural stability.

MINING CONCERN

• Proposed mine → about 5 km downstream of temple + Ramappa Lake.
• Excavation → around 300 metres deep.
• Mining may alter groundwater levels and movement through geological faults + lineaments.
• Concern → changes in groundwater conditions could affect the temple’s sandbox foundation and structural stability.