BJP likely to spend Rs 245 Crore to develop Ramayana Circuit in Ayodhya

The development is expected to add fuel to the controversy surrounding the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute
The development of Ramayana circuit will take place under Centre's Swadesh Darshan scheme
The circuit would incorporate high-end audio-visual facility depicting the life of Lord Ram on water-screen video projection

In a bid to boost spiritual tourism, the Modi government is all set to spend about 245 crores to build a Ramayana circuit in and around Ayodhya.

The move that has become a political talking point has come in the wake of the elections in Uttar Pradesh,scheduled for next year, in 2017.

Along with Ayodhya, the tourism ministry has identified Nandigram, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot in the state where it will develop facilities highlighting the life of Lord Ram (manifestation of Lord Vishnu), displaying various religious proofs of events from his era.

The establishment is expected to add fuel to the controversy surrounding the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute, an issue that has been dragged on in courts for decades now, but continues to stir controversy till date.

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Right-winged political parties and intransigent Hindu groups have long been demanding for a temple to be built at the site where activists demolished the 16th-century mosque in 1992.

Bharati Kashyap Sharma, the ministry of tourism's assistant director general told Mail Today, "We have already identified these four cities with a primary focus on the ancient city of Ayodhya."

She added, "The MoT will develop massive tourism infrastructure facilities around these religious destinations. We have also finalised the tentative cost for the project."

India today quoting a source revealed that the detailed project report (DPR) was prepared in the last week of June and was also approved in-principle in Uttar Pradesh.

The development of the Ramayana circuit will take place under Centre's Swadesh Darshan scheme. This scheme envisions the construction of theme based tourist circuits in the country.

Minister of Culture. Mahesh Sharma. Image Source: Indiatoday.in

The first meeting of the national panel on the circuit was led by tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma on June 14. The meeting also had tourism secretary Vinod Zutshi as well as related experts and other senior officials from the ministry in attendance.

According to a copy of the DPR, the Ramayana circuit will have 11 destinations spread across six states.

Apparently, areas such as Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga in Bihar, Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, Bhadrachalam in Telangana, Hampi in Karnataka and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu are also expected to be added later.

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The circuit would incorporate high-end audio-visual facility depicting the life of Lord Ram on water-screen video projection. There would also be state-of-art outdoor seating arrangements or open-air theatre for the visitors. The latest technology will be used to create life-like images in order to make the circuit all the more appealing.

The Lord Ram gallery theme will depict his life primarily with 10 different episodes – Valmiki and Tulsi Ramayan, Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Lanka Kanda, Uttara Kanda, Lav-Kush Kanda and Ram Darbar.

Similarly, the entire Aranya Kanda (jungle where Ram, Laxman and Sita lived during exile) will depict the lives of three gods while displaying Sita's rasoi (kitchen) apart from an AV creation of the golden deer being hunted by Lord Ram.

"The final attraction will be in the corridors where a mechanical 'Pushpak Viman' (flying vehicle in which Ravana kidnapped Sita) and Ravana will be shown fighting Jatayu. This will be depicted via wall-to-wall screens in the final section of the corridor," quoted India Today from the project report.

-This report is modified by Bulbul, a staff-writer at NewsGram.

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