Vishal V. Sharma, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO in Paris, visited the Ramappa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Sunday. The temple is in Palampet village of Mulugu district, Telangana. He came to review the preservation and conservation work done by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the State government. Mr. Sharma was in Hyderabad for a programme at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and took time to assess the ongoing work in the district. He was joined by ASI officials H.R. Desai, Krishna Chaitanya, and Rohini Pandey-Ambedkar, along with INCOIS senior executive Nagoji Rao. Mr. Sharma previously served as Chair of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee during its 46th session, becoming the first Indian in that role. He also chaired the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Red Fort, where ‘Deepavali’ was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Highlighting his leadership, the Ramappa Temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2021. This visit reflects India’s strong commitment to protect its cultural treasures, said a press release.