Gollala Gudi Temple Added to India’s National Monuments List

Key facts

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared Gollala Gudi in Palampet, Mulugu district, Telangana, a site of national importance.
• This brings the total number of ASI-protected sites to 10.
• Gollala Gudi is located near the Ramappa temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and dates to the Kakatiya period.
• The temple shares similar architecture and construction material with Ramappa, built without binding mortar.
• The Telangana state government has handed over 16 acres to ASI to create a complex for three temples: Ramappa, Shiva, and Gollala Gudi.
• As a nationally important monument, it is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
• ASI will undertake conservation, regulation, and maintenance of the site.
• ASI has completed documentation using Lidar and has created fencing and scaffolding to protect the dilapidated structure.
• About 60% of the stones are intact, and ASI plans to dismantle and rebuild the temple using the same plan.
• One condition for Ramappa temple's UNESCO inscription in 2021 was to consider the temple complex as a whole, including these two temples.