Goa govt to develop two heritage tourism circuits

In a bid to showcase Goa's historical sites to the tourists, the state government has started developing two heritage tourism circuits.

State Archives and Archaeology Department has been working on creating these tourism circuits in which the visitors would be taken to different historical monuments and architectural landmarks, an official said on Wednesday.

"The first circuit will cover the Saptakoteshwar temple at Narve village in Bicholim taluka and the monuments surrounding it, including ancient caves, water tanks, springs, temples and ruins of Jain community settlement," Varad Sabanis, Assistant Superintendent Archaeologist, told PTI.

Saptakoteshwar temple was built on the orders of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji in 1668. It is located 35 kms from Panaji, he said.

He said Saptakoteshwar temple restoration work has already begun and it is expected to complete before April next year.

"The second tourism circuit would be created in Sankhalim area in north Goa. It will showcase a Jain temple, a Sun temple and memorials of Jain monks," he said.

The tourism circuits would be developed in association with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), he added.

According to the official, boards would be installed at these sites to give information to visitors about these places.

"The idea behind developing these circuits is to promote heritage tourism in the state. People visiting Goa are not much aware of these historical sites," he said.

Goa attracts around six million tourists every year, mainly to visit the famous beaches in the state.