Amid the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, likely to be completed by January 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Uttar Pradesh Government is taking various other initiatives to establish the identity of Ram in different parts of the State. Steps are being taken to generate a religious tourism circuit and also link parts of the Hindu god’s life from the Ramayana to social legends.
Last week the district magistrate of Prayagraj, Sanjay Kumar Khatri, inspected Shringverpur Dham, 45 km from the city, and described as the capital of the Nishad Kingdom. This is believed to be the meeting ground of Ram, who the Hindus believe is an avatar of Vishnu, and Nishadraj Guha, the king of the Nishads, a community of boat-people.
The Uttar Pradesh Government plans to develop the place as a religious and cultural centre that will tell the story of the two kings, with Guha washing the feet of Ram with Ganga water. Construction across three acres will be done by the Uttar Pradesh Projects Corporation Limited at the cost of ₹20 crore. An auditorium and Sri Ram library containing religious texts, is also to be built on the proposed site.
