Temples in Varanasi to get a website of their own: Report

In a bid to bring out the rich cultural heritage of Varanasi on to the global level, the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to start a dedicated website featuring at least 150 temples, according to a report by the Economic Times.

Varanasi – the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi - is said to be one of the oldest existing cities of the world, and home to hundreds of temples spread, which help keep its rich heritage intact. However, very few of them like Sankat Mochan dedicated to Lord Hanuman, Kashi Vishwanath dedicated to Lord Shiva and Kal Bhairav are famous outside the city.

To popularize other lesser-known temples, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has proposed to bring their details online. For this, it is planning to start a website tentatively tagged as ‘Varanasi Ke Pawan Path’ (The Divine Route of Varanasi). Nearly 150 such temples have been identified to go online.

The proposed website will carry information on all these small temples, including their Googlemapped locations, contact numbers of their priests and 360 degree videos compatible with VR Headsets.

The step will also work to boost tourism in the city as it will help domestic and international tourists heading to the city to get information about these ancient temples.

The proposal mentioned in the ET report stated that “the foremost of attractions in this sacred city are its impressive temples, which are true edifices of a great and ancient culture vibrant and lively even today. The holy city is an important pilgrimage centre in India and for those visiting from outside the country as it reflects authentic India.”

The website will reportedly have user generated content such as YouTube videos, 360 degree videos, 3D animations of temples and should equally be discoverable through web, Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other popular search engines.