Denied permission at temple, Sarabhai set to perform outside

Renowned dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai is all set to perform outside the Ramappa temple—a UNESCO World Heritage Monument—in Warangal district of Telangana on Saturday after Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region, G Kishan Reddy, “orally” denied permission for her performance Saturday inside the temple premises, according to members of the temple trust.

The Kakatiya Heritage Trust, which manages the temple, had applied for permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct the first Ramappa Festival to celebrate one year of the UNESCO recognition. “We invited Sarabhai to perform and she agreed. They (ASI) did not formally reply on the application for permission but the culture minister (Kishan Reddy) told us orally himself that they won’t be granting permission because it’s Mallika Sarabhai,” said BV Papa Rao, retired IAS and a trustee of the trust.

Meanwhile, Sarabhai told The Indian Express that she and her group would now perform “outside the site”. Official sources in ASI said that the organisers cancelled the performance and they have no role in the sequence of events.

Office-bearers of the Srimani Parampara Foundation, who were collaborating with the Kakatiya Heritage Trust for the event, remained unavailable for comment.