(Eds: Correcting idiom)Lucknow, Oct 18 (PTI) The Taj Mahal, which has been inthe crosshairs of controversy, has finally found a pride ofplace in the 2018 calender brought out by the Uttar Pradeshgovernment.
The 17th century architectural marvel is included in themonth of July in the calendar brought out by the stateinformation department.
Also finding a place in the calendar is the GorakhnathTemple in Gorakhpur. The Gorakhnath Mutt is headed byChief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Apart from carrying images of important heritage andtourist spots of the state, the calender mentions the popularBJP slogan of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas - UP government kasatat prayas'. The pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modiand the chief minister also feature in the calenderprominently.
The world famous monument has recently been in thecrosshairs of controversy with BJP MLA Sangeet Som questioningthe monument's place in India's heritage, stressing thathistory would be re-written to erase Mughal emperors from it.
Som's comments came soon after the Yogi Adityanathgovernment reportedly omitted the Taj Mahal from an officialtourism booklet.
"Many people are pained to see that the Taj Mahal wasremoved from the list of places (tourist destinations). Whattype of history?" Som recently posed in a statement.
The BJP had distanced itself from the comment saying itwas Som's personal view and the party had nothing to do withit.
Following media reports, the state government had issueda press release stating, "Tourism projects worth Rs 370 croreare proposed, under which schemes worth Rs 156 crore fordevelopment of parks and various facilities are meant for theTaj Mahal and its surrounding areas in Agra."The chief minister was also prompt in clearing the air bystating, "It is immaterial as to who and how Taj Mahal wasbuilt...it was made by the saputs (sons) of Bharat Matathrough their khoon and pasina...it is famous the world overfor its architecture...is a historical monument and itsprotection and further development for tourism is theresponsibility of the government."He also said that he will visit the historical monumentand the Taj city of Agra on October 26 to review the tourismschemes there.
Prayagraj Triveni Sangam (Allahabad), Ram ki Paudi(Ayodhya), Barsane ki Holi (Mathura), Gurudwara NanakmatthaSaheb (Pilibhit), Devgarh Jain temple (Lalitpur), SarnathStupa (Varanasi), Rani Jhansi ka Kila (Jhansi), Sri KrishnaJanmsthan temple (Mathura), Vindhyachal trikon darshan(Mirzapur) and Kanshi Vishwanath temple (Varanasi) also find aplace in the calendar. PTI SAB SMISRY.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.