#TheAyodhyaVision: PM Modi’s ‘Ayodhya plan’ unfolds; Smart ‘Vedic city’ shaping up

National

Two weeks before, the grand plans for the development of Ayodhya were presented to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi which involves big projects like creating a ‘Ramayana Spiritual Forest’ in the PPP mode to depict stories from 14 years spent in exile by Lord Ram, a 65-km long Ring Road around Ayodhya and a 1,200-acre Vedic Township with state bhawans and foreign country bhawans on the lines of Chanakyapuri in Delhi.

The grand plan envisages Ayodhya’s glory to be re-established with a mingle of the historicity and contemporary features of an AMRUT and SMART city- a self-sustainable, contemporary, complying with natural laws and in absolute harmony with nature as a Vedic city. The theme of the presentation was “Ateet ki Bhavyta, Vartman ki Avasyakta aur bhavishya ki taiyari (restore past glory, factor in today’s necessities and prepared for the future)”. It also emphasized on the re-establishment of the luxuriance of Ayodhya as the head of the Saptpuris (seven holy pilgrimage centres of India), recreating it as the “first smart Vedic city of the world” and build the template of overall ecological balance outside the temple area to “revive the glory of the lost city”.

The township will feature solar energy, electric vehicles and eco-friendly principles and also will consist Brahm Sthan (Holy Spot) right in the middle which will be inspired from the Ram Temple’s dome. It also includes presentation for developing the ‘Maryada Pushottam Sri Ram International Airport’ and an impressive railway station to ensure the comfort of pilgrims visiting Ayodhya. To increase tourist flow to Ayodhya, local tourism circuits with Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj as well as including Ayodhya in the Ramayana Circuit and the Saptpuri circuit will be linked.

Panchkoshi Marg (circumambulation route) around Ayodhya with 208 spiritual sites, including Ghats, ponds, recreational spots and heritage sites were also presented in the big project. From this year Diwali, a cruise will also start in the Saryu river. The presentation also portrays 13km long main roads inside Ayodhya will be widened and Ramayan-era trees will be planted on both sides of these roads. The Smart City project in Ayodhya will also have an automatic traffic management system and six multi-level parking. It also presented dharamshalas for 30,000 pilgrims stay, developed banks of the Saryu river, beautification of the Guptar Ghat to Janki Ghat under the Swadesh scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry, embellishing 108 lakes and ponds of Ayodhya, setting up a grand tourist facility centre at Nayaghat and the upcoming Ram Katha Sanghralaya which will be upgraded to a digital museum.

The Uttar Pradesh government said that the dream is to make Ayodhya a foremost spiritual, religious and tourist city on the global stage, in line with Sanatan traditions and as a self-sustaining modern tourist place. PM Narendra Modi while remarking on the presentation said that the coming generations should feel the desire to visit Ayodhya at least once in their lifetime.