New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Chhattisgarh government plans to develop the Mahamaya Devi temple at Ratanpur in Bilaspur district on the lines of Kashi Vishwanath and Mahakal Lok corridor to promote religious tourism, ThePrint has learnt.
The Mahamaya Devi temple is one of the important religious sites in Chhattisgarh and is visited by lakhs of devotees, especially during Navratri.
A proposal was presented by NBCC, a state-run real estate developer under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, before Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in January.
The plan is to develop the area around the existing temple complex, which is spread over 34 acres, into Kashi- and Mahakal-like corridors with modern facilities to accommodate over one lakh devotees.
Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu has been leading the initiative for the development of this temple complex and had asked NBCC to prepare the development plan for the temple corridor.
“This initiative aims not to only preserve the temple’s historical essence but also to provide a revitalised and enriching experience for visitors. This will significantly boost religious tourism in the state,” the Bilaspur MP told ThePrint.
“The NBCC had presented the plan before the Chhattisgarh chief minister last month. NBCC will work as a project management consultant to redevelop the temple complex area with essential facilities such as hotels, restaurants etc. The project will cost around Rs 200 crore.”
While the details are yet to be finalised, Sahu said that options are being explored to arrange funds for the project. Last year, the proposal was presented before Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to explore the possibility of arranging funds under the central government schemes such as the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PM-PRASAD).
According to senior Chhattisgarh government officials, the plan is in the initial stages and the details will be worked out in discussion with the temple’s trust. “The plan presented by NBCC has not been finalised. It is in the initial stages of discussion; no decision has been taken so far,” a senior state government official said.
Dhirendra Tiwari, advisor (planning and policy) to the CM Sai, said that the government is focusing on promoting tourism, especially religious and cultural tourism, in a big way in Chhattisgarh.
“It is part of our Viksit Chhattisgarh vision document. We are in the process of planning for development of popular religious destinations such as Ratanpur, Dongargarh, Danteshwari, Chandrahasini, Kudargarh as one of the ways to promote tourism,” he said. “Ratanpur will be the first temple corridor development project in the state. The project is in the initial stages and will be finalised soon.”
If everything goes as per plan, this will be the first temple corridor project by the NBCC, which till now has largely developed housing and commercial projects across India.
Apart from developing housing and commercial projects in the country and abroad, NBCC is working on redevelopment projects and completing stalled housing projects by private developers.
“After the implementation of redevelopment projects (7GPRA, East Kidwai Nagar and New Moti Nagar) in Delhi, we are working on redevelopment projects in other parts of the country. We are now looking at projects to redevelop old religious places into new modern corridors,” NBCC CMD K.P.Mahadevaswamy told ThePrint.
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Corridor to plan Ratanpur on religious tourism map
Spread over 34 acres of land, the temple complex currently has the temple of Mahamaya Devi, 22 rooms where nearly 20,000-plus lamps are lit, especially during Navratri, three dharamshalas, office space, etc. The plan is to redevelope the entire areas except the main temple.
As per the NBCC proposal, the plan is to develop a four-storey Jyoti Kalash centre, two hotels, redevelopment of the two large water bodies, museum, shops, parking facility and office space for temple trust among others.
The land belongs to the trust that is responsible for the day-to-day management of the temple complex, said state officials. The plan was shared with the trust last month.
“The plan was discussed with us. We want the temple complex to be redeveloped as lakhs of devotees visit this temple, especially during Navratri,” Sidh Shakti Peeth Shri Mahamaya Devi Mandir Trust president Ashish Sigh Thakur confirmed to ThePrint.
One of the key components of the proposal is the construction of a four-storey Jyoti Kalash or building where nearly 40,000 lamps can be lit simultaneously.
“The temple is famous for jyoti kalash (lighting of the lamps). On behalf of devotees, temple management lights lamps for a period of nine days during Navratri. Nearly 20,000 plus lamps are lit for this duration. We have a team of over 200 people for this. According to the NBCC plan, the new building will have space for nearly 40,000-50,000 lamps. We have given a few suggestions to NBCC regarding the redevelopment plan,” Thakur said.
The plan is also to widen the approach road to the temple complex, he added. “The plan is to widen the existing 15-foot road to 60-foot.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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