Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam of Tamil Nadu has won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation.
- It has become the first temple in Tamil Nadu to be given the prestigious award from the UN body.
- The use of traditional methods in renovating temple structures and re-establishment of rainwater harvesting and historic drainage system, to augment water and prevent flooding, fetch this award to the temple
- The temple is situated on an islet between Cauvery and Kollidam rivers.
- It has seven prakaras and 21 towers, including the 236-feet-high rajagopuram.
- There were about 42 applications from 43 countries for the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
- The other monuments which received the award in India are Mumbai's Christ Church and Royal Bombay Opera House under Award of Merit category
List of other Awardees
Award of Distinction:
- Brookman and Moir Streets Precinct, Perth, Australia
- Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai, China
Award of Merit:
- Christ Church, Mumbai, India
- Royal Bombay Opera House, Mumbai, India
- Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, India
- Great Hall and Clock Tower Buildings, Arts Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand
Honourable Mention:
- Bomonjee Hormarjee Wadia Fountain and Clock Tower, Mumbai, India
- Gateways of Gohad Fort, Gohad, India
- Haveli Dharampura, Delhi, India
- Wellington Fountain, Mumbai, India
- Aftab Cultural House, Isfahan, Iran
- Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and Rectory Building, Singapore
New Design in Heritage Contexts:
- Jingdezhen Ceramic Industry Museum, Jingdezhen, China
- Macha Village, Gansu Province, China
- Persian Gulf University – Faculty of Art & Architecture, Bulshehr, Iran
UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards
- UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards are given since 2000
- The objective is to motivate the protection of Cultural Heritage sites, which are initiated by any individual organization under private sector or institutional organization.
The Awards consist of five categories
- Award of Excellence.
- Award of Distinction.
- Award of Merit.
- Honourable Mention.
- Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts
