Even as the entire country is going gaga over Karnataka elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is back to business after hard fought campaign trail. Modi is on a a two-day Napel visit. The visit takes prominence because he will be at the birthplace of Sita, Janakpur. He offered prayers at Janaki Mandir and addresseda public gathering.
Modi’s visit takes religious importance, if not anything else. There will be a major thrust in the revival of the Ramayan Circuit. According to Nepal government’s press release, the two prime ministers will jointly initiate two projects–Ayodhya Bus Service and the Ramayan Circuit–on the Janaki temple premises. The Janakpur sub-metropolis will then accord a civic reception to Modi at the Barhabigha Rangabhoomi ground.
Prime Minister at the Launch of Bus Service Between Janakpur-Ayodhya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday, 11 May.
Addressing the people in Janakpur, Modi said, “India and Nepal will work towards building ‘Ramayan’ circuit between both the countries. This will act as a foundation for strong people-to-people contact between the two nations.”
All you need to know about Ramayan Circuit
Ramayana Circuit is one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism. Sitamarhi, Buxar, Darbhanga in Bihar are among the fifteen sites identified initially for development under this circuit in the country.
A committee under the Ministry of Tourism jotted down 15 destinations in the Ramayana Circuit in an effort to promote religious tourism. The destinations are chosen according to the places where Lord Ram is believed to have travelled across India.
Every circuit under the Swadesh Darshan scheme is administered by separate committees. These committees are the responsible for forming the blueprint of their respective circuit. The destinations under the circuit will be developed by bridging infrastructural gaps like provision of drinking water, accommodation facilities, etc. Then the 15 places will be connected to form a circuit.
The 15 destinations are — Ayodhya, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh, Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga in Bihar, Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh, Nandigram in West Bengal, Mahendragiri in Odisha, Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, Bhadrachalam in Telangana, Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, Hampi in Karnataka and Nashik and Nagpur in Maharashtra.
The first step towards the development of this circuit was taken by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, when he agreed to clear 20 acres of land to build a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya. The scheme will be a joint effort of the states and the central government. It has a larger aim of providing job opportunities to local artisans, as it promotes local art and craft.
Mithila – Abadh Ramayan Circuit
The impact of Sita and Ram on the culture of Nepal and India is so strong that parents wants to make their son as Ram and daughter as Sita as they are ideals of our life. No other character on the earth has ever influenced the life of the people as much as them. Therefore, our common culture is often called Siya-Ram Sanskriti. Presently, Janakpur is in Terai region of Nepal; while Ayodhya is in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. However, the cultural and emotional ties between the people of the two countries are not confined to their boundaries.
Reflecting this deep- rooted relationship, the Janakpur- Ayodhya, promotion of tirthatan (tourism) in Ramayan/Sitayan circuit regions, and boosting up regional economy through the development of the twin cities of Janakpur and Ayodhya is being planned after the last visit of the Nepal’s Prime Minister.
Significantly, the Indian government has recently included Nepal under its Leave Travel Concession (LTC) arrangement. As such, nearly five million central government employees of India who enjoy grant of leave and ticket reimbursement facilities under LTC while travelling in India could also get such facilities if they travel to Nepal.
Sita-Ram Lok Sansikritik Yatra is being planned between Janakpur and Ayodhya on Janaki Naumi day, the birthday of Sita and/or Ram Naumi Day, the birthday of Ram to seek greater participation of the common mass of the population in this event.
Such Yatra could touch those spots between Ayodhya and Janakpur through which Ram came to Janakpur during his swayambar (marriage) with Sita. Similarly, the Yatra could also be conducted through that trail through which Sita and Ram returned to Ayodhya from Janakpur after their swayambar.
In order to encourage tirthatan/tourism industry in the region, such events as Janakpur Mahotsav could be organized in Ayodhya and Ayodhya Mahotsav and in Janakpur each year. Through such activities, the local food, dress, dance, songs, handicrafts, apart from the publications/manuscripts on the life of Sita and Ram, could be exchanged between the two places. Besides, both the Janakpur and Ayodhya municipalities could make efforts to get the twin city agreement between Janakpur and Ayodhya renewed.
The twin city agreement was signed at the government level between Nepal and India for three years at the initiative of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Nepal for the second time in 2014. Provisions had been made in the agreement for the development of infrastructural facilities, including roads, education, and hygiene and sanitation sectors.
Unfortunately though, due to the lack of political “will” on the part of the political leaders and passive attitude of the bureaucracy in both the countries, the dream project for the development of Janakpur and Ayodhya could not roll further. But now it is being renewed with both the countries Prime Minister’s keen on promoting the spiritual tourism.
As Sita and Ram serve as the foundation for Nepal-India relations, it is needed to focus on connectivity between Janakpur and Ayodhya, apart from developing them as twin cities. Such activities will not only enlighten the people spiritually, but it would also help promote socio-cultural relations between the two countries. Hence Prime Minister Naarendra Modi has flagged off the bus service from Janakpuri – Ayodhya , astretch of 622 kilometres distance.
Other Religious Circuits
Krishna Circuit, Buddhist Circuit and Spiritual Circuit are three of the other 12 circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, which seeks to boost religious tourism in India.
As of now, 10 destinations have been finalised under the Krishna Circuit, which will pertain to his journey in India. The 9 remaining circuits, though not for religious tourism, aim to connect all major cultural heritage spots and other touristy spots of India, making travel-planning easier.
When the scheme is developed, India can also allure international visitors for a visit. One of the many aims, which were proposed in the 2014-2015 Budget, was to enhance the Incredible India 2.0 Campaign, making India an attractive tourist spot and hence, gaining good revenue out of the tourism market.
A similar scheme, the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD), with the same objectives as the Swadesh Darshan scheme, aims to develop 13 pilgrimage cities across India.
