Ayodhya to get facelift as tourist hub

NEW DELHI: Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh temple town, which is one of the holiest places for Hindus, may soon see some makeover with the government aiming to make it a tourist hub attracting both domestic and foreign visitors. The blueprint includes giving a facelift to an existing memorial for a legendary Korean queen.

The tourism ministry has sanctioned a project to build the memorial dedicated to Queen Huh Wang-Ock by employing Korean architecture in the town, which is known also for its bitterly disputed religious site. According to Korean folklore, the queen was a princess from Ayodhya who sailed to Korea around 2,000 years ago and became the queen of the ancient Karak dynasty after marrying King Suro. Former Korean President Kim Dae-jung is believed to be a descendant of Queen Huh.

The current monument for the queen on the banks of the Sarayu was inaugurated in 2001.

Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while on a recent visit to South Korea, said he would push for further developing the memorial to promote the cultural ties between Korea and India.

The Central government has given the go-ahead to the Uttar Pradesh government and also handed over the proposed designs, which have been referenced from Korean photographs. “It requires funds of around Rs 5 crore. We have been working on this project since 2013, hopefully it will soon become a success,” a senior government official said.

The project includes a light and sound show as well.More than 112,000 Korean tourists visited India in 2013. Officials believe that a monument dedicated to a Korean queen could help improve the ties between the countries and also increase tourist inflow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pegged tourism as a big-ticket item that will not only boost the economy and infrastructure but also revive Brand India. Ayodhya is among the top three destinations in attracting domestic, mostly religious, tourists. The other two are Allahabad and Govardhan.

The government in fact has asked all states to suggest areas which could be developed into tourist or religious circuits. The UP government is seeking to promote Ayodhya as a tourist hub for not just domestic visitors, but for foreigners as well.