Ayodhya’s Saryu banks in for a Har ki Pauri-like makeover

LUCKNOW: The UP government has grandiose plans to remodel Ayodhya’s Saryu banks around Haridwar’s Har ki Pauri and has allocated Rs 10 crore for the project in the supplementary budget tabled in the assembly on Tuesday. A flight of steps takes pilgrims to Ayodhya’s Ram ki Paidi on Nayaghat where they bathe in the Saryu. In another funds boost for the temple town, Rs 6 crore has been allocated for the forthcoming ‘Deepotsav’, which is organized on Diwali since BJP came to power in 2017.
In another boost to tourism, Rs 20 crore has been allocated in the budget for the under-construction Mughal Museum in Agra.
Last year, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had renamed Faizabad district as Ayodhya and proposed Rs 101 crore for integrated development of the temple town.
On Tuesday, finance minister Rajesh Agarwal announced Rs 100 crore for development of various tourist spots in the state. Vindhyavasini Dham in Mirzapur too got a funds thrust with the government allocating Rs 10 crore for its development. The presiding deity, Vindhyavasini, is considered to be a manifestation of Durga and is family goddess (Kul Devi).
Situated on the banks of Ganga and strategically located between two prominent Hindu cities of Prayag (Allahabad) and Kashi (Varanasi), Vindhyavasini Dham is visited by lakhs of pilgrims every year.
The state government also allocated Rs 10 crore for Namisharanya in Sitapur district. Likewise, a budgetary allocation of Rs 2 crore was made for development of Raja Rao Ram Baksh Singh park in Unnao.