Govardhan Maharaj Utsav to be held in Oct every year, ministry sanctions Rs 50 cr for Govardhan Parikrama

Govardhan Teerth of Mathura would be turned into a world class tourist destination and the Govardhan Maharaj Utsav would be organised there in October every year, Tourism Minister K J Alphons said today after a visit to the holy city.

He was in Mathura to assess the requirements for development of facilities at a meeting with the officials of the Uttar Pradesh government, a statement from the ministry said.

Alphons also said that it had been decided, in-principal, to include tourism amenities at Kusum Sarovar, Mansi Gate, Chandra Sarovar for development of facilities for pilgrimage in the project.

In addition, provision for installation of CCTV, PA system, Wi-Fi system signages would also be included, he said.

The state government would be submitting a detailed project report in this regard, the statement said.

Govardhan Puja commemorates Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill on his finger to protect those who sought his refuge from Indra's rage. Govardhan Puja is the main ritual performed during Annakut and it is celebrated on the fourth day of Diwali.

Earlier, the UP government had submitted a proposal for development of infrastructure facilities at Govardhan Teerth in Mathura.

During the visit, the minister also announced Rs 50 crore for the development of Govardhan Parikrama.

Till date, projects worth Rs 118.23 crore were approved by the Tourism Ministry under PRASHAD Scheme during the last four years, which were under various stages of implementation in Mathura and Varanasi.

The developmental plan in Mathura was part of the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) launched in October 2017.

The total number of sites identified for development under the scheme at present were 24.

They were Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), Dwarka and Somnath (Gujarat), Hazratbal and Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Deogarh (Jharkhand), Guruvayoor (Kerala), Maa Chintpurni, Una (Himachal Pradesh, Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra) Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Varanasi, and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath and Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) and Belur (West Bengal).

Till date total 24 projects had been approved with estimated expenditure of Rs 727.16 crore and a total amount of Rs 267.44 crore released for these projects from 2014 to the current financial year.