Yogi 2.0 to push Uttar Pradesh as religious tourism hub

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh is set to turn into a religious tourism hub of the country with the Yogi Adityanath government, in its second term, planning to promote the temple towns of Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi on a national scale.
To achieve the goals, the BJP government has lined up several reforms and development works in the three tourist towns of the state, a government press release said.
The release said that special focus is being paid on the development of the Braj region, which comprises Mathura and Vrindavan. Having declared Mathura as a pilgrimage city, in September last year the Yogi government had banned the sale of meat and liquor within 22 municipal wards in the city where important religious shrines are located.
In the last term, the government had set up several tourist facilities. To carry forward the momentum, the country’s largest city forest is being created near Kalidah Ghat along the banks of the Yamuna river in Vrindavan. A tourist facilitation centre and Gita research institute and auditorium along with construction of Annapurna Bhawan is underway in Vrindavan, said the release.
Considered to be the birthplace of lord Krishna, lakhs of people from various states and other countries visit Vrindavan every year. The shape and size of Krishnotsav and Rangotsav celebrations in Mathura and Barsana have already been widened extensively in recent years. A ropeway is also being constructed in Barsana to increase footfall of tourists.
Similarly, in Ayodhya, the place where construction work on Ram temple is going on, 54 different infrastructure projects to spruce up various religious shrines, infrastructure such as roads, water supply and amenities around them and overall condition of the city are being undertaken at present. The government has set aside a budget of Rs 3,126 crore to commission these works which will give a complete makeover to the city.
The release said that the pilgrimage centres falling on the 84 Kosi Parikrama Marg are being developed simultaneously. Similarly, to transform Ayodhya into a Vedic city, the road network is being strengthened to link Panchkosi, 14 Kosi and 84 Kosi. An airport will also get functional in Ayodhya within a short period of time.
The Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor in Varanasi was constructed with a budget of almost Rs 700 crore and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year. Cruise service was started in the Ganga river to promote tourism. A new project has been undertaken to augment the 70-km long Panchkosi road in Varanasi, said the release.