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UP does a facelift on Hindu temples

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh has taken up large-scale beautification of some major Hindu pilgrimage centres, including the three contentious shrines at Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi.

A hefty allocation of about Rs 400 million has already been made out of the tourism funds for the purpose, on the plea that overall beautification of areas around the shrines would attract more tourists. Says UP's tourism and public works minister Kalraj Misra, "You see, we are not spending anything on the upkeep or renovation of any of the temples, which are managed by their respective autonomous committees; what we intend to do is provide better ambience and clean environment and more comfort to millions of people visiting these places every year."

Besides Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi, a facelift has also been undertaken at Vindhyachal, which draws an equally large number of Hindu devotees from different parts of the country.

While Misra described it as part of their special tourism promotion drill, "since what we have in UP attracts more of pilgrimage tourism", the BJP's opponents are apprehensive over the government's 'real designs' behind the whole exercise. Their suspicions are particularly over the Rs 95 million beautification project in Ayodhya, where construction of the much talked about the Ram temple on the debris of the razed 16^th century Babri mosque continues to remain on the party's agenda. "It is only a beginning; I am sure their real intention is to erect a temple," says Samajwadi Party state chief Ram Saran Das.

According to Das, "The BJP is incapable of thinking beyond the temple because despite its neo facade, communalism continues to remain deep-rooted in the party." He wants to know why all the money in the name of tourism was being pumped only into these places "when there were much more important places of historical interest lying in utter neglect.'

BJP leaders, however, do not see why anybody should doubt their intentions. "We do not believe in double talk, when we say we are doing this for tourism promotion we mean it," points out Misra. And even from the nature of the work being carried out in Ayodhya, it is quite evident that it has nothing to even remotely do with the construction of the contentious temple.

Interestingly, what was conceptualised as 'Ram Katha Park' well before the demolition of the mosque in 1992, was taken up after nearly a decade. Of course, the original site has been changed from near the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid to a two-acre plot of acquired land, more than a kilometre away. The disputed area was acquired by the central government shortly after the demolition, and remains under the protection of paramilitary forces under whose surveillance the 'darshan' at the makeshift temple was also regulated.

A senior tourism official said, "The whole concept is based on creating a huge garden cum cultural complex devoted to Ram and the various legends associated with him; this would include an open-air theatre."

Her further adds: "With Rs 15 million having already been released out of the Rs 95 million allocation, we are confident of completing the first phase of the task by the end of June; the next phase would include reconstruction of the old and worn out brick-paved lanes and bylanes of the temple town, renovation of bathing ghats along the Saryu river." For the millions who throng here for religious dips on auspicious days, the state government also plans to build modern changing rooms.

Similar work is proposed on top priority around the Kashi-Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, as part of a Rs 100 million project, while a Rs 105 million exercise has already begun in Mathura, while new roads, cemented bathing ghats, new drinking water facilities together with beautification of some historical monuments was being undertaken under yet another Rs 100 million project in Vindhyachal. "You go and see the difference that we have been able to make -- with new cement concrete or modern auto-paved roads, improved lighting and cleaner environment," boasts Kalraj Misra.

Significantly, Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has been, of late, focussing much attention on Mathura, Varanasi and Vindhyachal. While the latest meeting of the BJP state executive was held in Mathura, Singh made it a point to visit both Varanasi and Vindhyachal shortly thereafter. And much of his time was spent on offering prayers at the temples in both these places.

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