Sarnath, one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites where Buddha preached his first sermons, will soon have a multi-functional park for convenience of tourists and Buddhist pilgrims.
This multi-functional park will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 179.90 lakh in an area of 18,250 square meters near Dhamek Stupa along with facilities for food and drink, social activities, exhibition pavilions and others. The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) has sent a proposal for the park to the tourism department.
Every year lakhs of tourists and Buddhist pilgrims from India and abroad visit Sarnath, but due to lack of any organised and convenient park they have to face many difficulties. In view of the inconvenience being faced by the visitors, the government has planned to develop a multifunctional park in Sarnath.
The VDA vice chairman, Abhishek Goyal said that the multi-functional park has been proposed to be developed in an area of 18,250 square meters, which will have landscaping based on Lord Buddha along with sculptural court, exhibition pavilion, fountain pond, food court, vendor zone for handicraft products including ODOP and GI products, and stone benches for sitting. The park will also have a large open space, stage for social functions, Swiss cottage and green room for special occasions. Heritage lights will be installed on the path-way for lighting, he added.
The rich historical and spiritual history of Pilak, which is situated in the scenic area of Jolaibari, South Tripura District, is being promoted by the state government of Tripura. This historic location is a part of a network of Buddhist and Hindu tourist attractions close to the tri-border region of Tripura, Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal), and Myanmar’s Rakhine State (previously Arakan).
The cost of construction of this multi-functional area or park has been estimated at around INR 179.90 lakhs. A proposal has been sent to the tourism department for this multi-functional area. After the proposal is approved, necessary action will be taken to start the construction work, he added.The development work is already going on in Sarnath with the World Bank funded INR 100 crore work under the pro-poor tourism development project to ensure world-class facilities for pilgrims and tourists and also to generate employment for the people living in its vicinity.
The VDA is supervising the project of the tourism department. Earlier in July 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid foundation stone of the project while inaugurating and laying stone of multiple projects worth over INR 1,800 crore at Dr Sampurnanand Sports Stadium in Sigra area.
