HIGHLIGHTS
Yogi government is planning to promote UP’s religious sites for tourism in a big way.
He had formed the Brij Tirath Vikas Parishad just two months after Rampur assuming office.
Lucknow :
The UP government is planning to rejuvenate the almostbarren Govardhan Parvat, which has huge mythological significance for Hindus, by reviving flora of Dwapar Yug along its 21-km perambulation path. Indian Agriculture Research Institute has been roped in for the project in Mathura.
The Yogi Aditya Nath government is planning to promote the state’s religious sites for tourism in a big way. Yogi had formed the Brij Tirath Vikas Parishad just two months after Rampur assuming office.
The CM, who is also the chairman of the parishad, has tasked it to find five varieties of trees: kadamb, karoli, tamal, pakkad and tilkan and develop the vegetation around Govardhan Parvat to resemble what has been described in the sacred texts.
Myhtology has it that Lord Krishna picked up Govardhan hill, and held it above his head with his little finger for seven days to protect villagers from incessant rain, a result of the wrath of Indra.
“In Hindu mythology, kadamb was the favourite tree of Lord Krishna, who used to play the flute and play with his friends under its shade. We’ve sent our research team to find this tree in Rajasthan’s Karoli Dham area. The entire Govardhan project is being monitored by the CM,” said Brij Tirath Vikas Parishad CEO Nagendra Pratap.
In a recent report to the CM, the parishad said the hill’s green cover had shrunk over the years and it was necessary to preserve its sanctity as it was intrinsic to Hindu culture and mythology.
The government has sanctioned Rs 226 crore as the first instalment for the project. Forest officials blame brackish water of the Yamuna in Mathura for poor vegetation on the hill. The parishad now plans to use water harvested from neighbouring Bharatpur district in Rajasthan for irrigation around Govardhan Parvat, said Pratap.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Rohan Dua, TNN / January 04th, 2018