The President of India Droupadi Murmu laid the foundation stone for the project ‘Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples’ at Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamivari Devasthanam, Bhadrachalam in the Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana.
She also laid the foundation stone for another project called ‘Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple’ at Mulugu in the state. Both these projects have been approved under the PRASHAD (National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
Addressing the gathering, the President noted that the famous temples of Telangana are visited by lakhs of pilgrims and they form the major component of domestic and foreign tourists. She said that tourism increases the livelihood opportunities and income of the people and also strengthens the local economy. The President appreciated the Ministry of Tourism for boosting the spiritual and cultural tourism by developing pilgrimage sites under the ‘PRASHAD’ scheme. Launched in the year 2014-15, the scheme aims to provide integrated infrastructure development to pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations in the country.
The project ‘Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples, Telangana’ has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism at an estimated cost of Rs 41.38 Crores. The components sanctioned include infrastructural interventions like Pilgrimage Amenity Centre, Parking Area development, Kalyan Mandapam, Street-scaping, Souvenir shops, Rain and Shade Shelters and Railings, E-Buggies facilities for Senior citizens and Divyaangjans, overall civil infrastructure improvement, Drinking Water and Toilet Facilities, Food Court, Solar Based Lightings, CCTV Surveillance and Digital Interventions.
The event at Bhadrachalam was graced by Tamilisai Soundararajan Governor, Telangana; G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture & DoNER; Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Minister of Transport, Telangana and Maloth Kavitha, Member of Parliament, Mahabubabad.
The President subsequently travelled to the Ramappa Temple in Mulugu district. The Ramappa temple of Lord Shiva, a perfect example of architectural brilliance, was built in 1213 AD by the Kakatiya rulers and has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. This heritage temple attracts over 10 Lakh visitors every year and has a high visibility amongst the tourist circuit.
Murmu also inaugurated the project ‘Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara Temple (Ramappa)’. This scheme which was approved by the Ministry of Tourism headed by Shri G. Kishan Reddy with the estimate of Rs 62 Crores. It aims to make Ramappa Temple, a world class pilgrimage and tourist destination, by providing state-of-the-art facilities for visitors while maintaining essence of heritage and tranquility of the site.
