Ramayan, Mahabharat part of brand UP

The Ramayan and Maha-bharat will now be a part of Uttar Pradesh branding. The Akhilesh government plans to build tourist circuits related to these two epics in 2016. Of the total seven new tourist circuits being planned, Jain and Sufi circuits are also on the anvil. The move is designed to dilute the pro-Muslim image of the Samajwadi Party and make the UP government seem more broad-based when it comes to religion.

According to a senior official in the tourism department, the government is preparing a Ramayan and Mahabharat tourist circuit that will connect places that find a mention in the epics. The Mahabharat circuit will have Meerut (Hastinapur) as its focal point and will include Mathura and Vrindavan. The Ramayan circuit will begin from Ayodhya and extend up to Chitrakoot.

The government plans to develop the hospitality infrastructure in these places and organise tours that will give in-depth information to tourists, both foreign and domestic. “We plan to prepare literature related to the epic, the importance of these places in the epics and also organise permanent exhibition in the circuit. The recent Mahabharat festival organised in Lucknow can be termed as a trailer of sorts,” the official said. The state government also plans to develop Jain and Sufi circuits in the state.