Haryana is pinning its hope in Krishna Circuit to revive its tourism fortune. It is promising an integrated development of over 100 Mahabharata linked sites in and around Kurukshetra.
In the general perception, despite the big-bang emergence of Gurgaon as a leading international destination for business travel in the past one decade, Haryana as a tourism entity has not been among the more progressive states in the country. Having been the pioneer in roadside and highway tourism, many years ago, many of its efforts appear to have narrowed down to the management of SurajKund Crats Mela. There isn’t much of a buzz on its tourism offerings and one hardly gets to notice any ongoing definitive product development and innovation in the state. Statistics tell the story. As per 2014 state-wise footfall figures, while Haryana does not find a place in the top ten domestic tourist arrivals list, it barely manages to occupy the tenth slot in the list of foreign tourists arrivals (the Gurgaon impact is clearly visible).
But speaking at the inaugural session of the 30th edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar asserted that the state has definitive plans to bolster its tourism growth story in the coming years. And primary among themis development of destination Kurukshetra, with strong linkages to Mahabharta and Lord Krishna life, as an international destination. “Haryana, being a land of diversity, has Shivaliks in the north and Aravallis in the south; between the two ends lies the land (Kurukshetra) of Mahabharata. This provides an opportunity for developing a tourist circuit for the world,” he said.
The Ministry of Tourism has already approved Krishna circuit project and the circuit will link five important destinations linked with the life of Lord Krishna. The cost of developing this circuit is expected to be in the range of Rs.170 crore and it will mostly involve creating quality amenities in the chosen locations of the circuit. “Krishna circuit is going to emerge as a major religious attraction in north India which will be spread across Mathura to Kurukshetra,” commented Minister of Culture & Tourism Mahesh Sharma who was also present on the occasion.
Krishna circuit is being pursued as part of Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Swadesh Darshan’ programme and several reports suggest that Kurukshetra was a last minute inclusion in this circuit plan. Originally, it was supposed to cover major stretches in the state of Uttar Pradesh which are linked to Lord Krishna’s life. But now Mathura, Vrindavan and Kurushetra will be the major nodes of this circuit which the MoT is keen to develop as a defining international religious tourism offering. As part of this development, the government is also believed to be contemplating running a direct Shatabdi train between Kurushetra and Mathura. Meanwhile, sharing the details of the possible development of locations within Haryana covered by this circuit, the chief minister said the emphasis would be on integrated development. “There are 134 Mahabhartha linked sites in and around Kurukshetra and we are working for their integrated development. The circuit will entail a usual seven day itinerary for an international visitor and a sizeable part of this will be spent in our state. We will be improving wayside amenities for their convenience. We are committed to transform Kurushetra as a vibrant pillar of Krishna tourism circuit and it will definitely bolster Haryana tourism in the coming years,” Khattar emphasised.
According to Haryana CM, to rejuvenate its tourism sector, the state government is also mooting a plan to develop Kalka to Kalesar stretch which offers new opportunities in the religious tourism segment. He also stressed that the revival of Saraswati river bed is on the priority list of the state government which will open water related tourism options in the region.
