Lucknow, Feb 16 (IANS): As part of its spiritual tourism policy, the Uttar Pradesh government has been renovating ancient temples in various districts.
Around 300 temples in all the 75 districts of the state are being renovated. A sum of Rs 50 lakh for each of these temples has been allocated for the refurbishment and renovation. In case of big temples, a separate fund of up to Rs 2 crore each has been allocated.
The work to renovate the temples was reportedly undertaken soon after the formation of Yogi government 2.0.
Uttar Pradesh tourism and culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said, “Several temples are centuries’ old and required repair but remained neglected under successive governments. The Uttar Pradesh government decided to restore the glory and fame of the temples. The district administrations and people’s representatives were directed to send the list of the temples in their areas that required renovation.” Then, the list was handed over to the construction agencies to prepare the estimate of the works.
Some of the reconstructed and renovated temples include Bateshwar Dham temple in Agra district, Rupani Devi temple in Firozabad, Aamani Baba temple in Aligarh, Kailash temple in Etah, Taragarh temple in Hathras, Lalpuri temple in Mainpuri and Laxmi temple in Mathura, Hathiram Baba temple in Ayodhya.
The Shiva Baba temple in Ambedkar Nagar, Mahadev temple in Barabanki, Ram Janaki temple in Amethi, Jalhidham temple in Gonda, Baba Bihari Das temple in Bahraich, Maa Pateshwari temple in Balrampur and Jharkhand Mahadev temple in Gorakhpur are also on this list.
The minister said, “We have hired architects for the restoration works in the temples. The funds were released accordingly to the agencies to complete the restoration work.”
The minister further said that “Apart from the structure of the temples, their premises and boundary walls have also been reconstructed. Sheds have been erected, arrangements for drinking water have been made and benches installed in the temple area. The link roads connecting the temple to the nearby highways or villages have been repaired to facilitate the visit of pilgrims and tourists. Guest houses are being constructed near prominent temples.”
The infrastructural development around these temples will facilitate the movement of tourists in the area.
“These temples are centres of religious and cultural activities. Along with performing religious rituals, the local people assemble for cultural activities, including bhajan, kirtan and Ram katha,” he said.
All the while, the accent was on the quality of work and adherence to standards was ensured before making payments.
“After completion, a technical team was sent by the tourism and culture department to check the quality of the works and submit a report. Funds were released to the construction agencies according to the technical team’s report,” Jaiveer Singh said.
He further said the UP government has made the restoration work in the temples a continuous process.
“After the works in the temples have been completed, the officers and people have been directed to send a list of the remaining temples in their areas,” he said.
The minister said that “We have also constituted a district tourism and culture council in all the 75 districts to monitor the construction, organise festivals and cultural activities on the temple premises. The village committee has been given musical instruments for revival of traditional bhajans and kirtans in temples.”
Singh further said constitution of the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, Vindhya Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad, Shree Ayodhya Jee Teerth Vikas Parishad, Shree Devipatan Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad and Shree Shuk Teerth Vikas Parishad will give momentum to renovation of the temples and development of religious spots in various districts.
The minister said that the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was the flagship project of the state government plan to renovate and rebuild the temples across the state.