The Domakonda Fort project, Kamareddy, Telangana, India, has been conferred the UNESCO Asia – Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation – Award of Merit for 2022.
13 projects from 6 countries were selected by UNESCO from a total of the 287 entries they received this year.
The UNESCO representative at the awards ceremony said that the Domakonda Fort is a private initiative that has successfully restored cultural space for the community, and the project has generated appreciation for creating community pride.
For the conservation of Domakonda Fort, Conservation Architect Anuradha Naik, B.Arch. (Hons.), M. Arch., RIBA, RIAS, FRSA, FRAS, was appointed chief consultant.
The project is a private initiative undertaken by Anil Kamineni, one of the descendants of the erstwhile Domakonda Samasthan family, and his wife Shobana, with required permissions from the Archeological Department.
Naik commenced work at Domakonda Fort in 2011 and has completed most of the work by 2022. Local craftsmen were trained to a high level of proficiency and locally sourced material used to the greatest extent. Naik said that “the past decade has charted a challenging but very worthwhile journey, and this recognition by UNESCO is inspirational”.
“The conservation work is an ongoing process which was started a few decades ago by my father K Umapathy, and there is still work to be done”, according to Anil Kamineni.
“The process is truly sustainable with linkages between arts, crafts and culture, which is being promoted through our Domakonda Fort & Village Development Trust”, said Shobana Kamineni.
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