BHUBANESWAR : The twin hills of Khandagiri and Udaygiri may soon have new development projects for visitors. The most important among these projects being an interpretation centre near Khandagiri.
The Tourism department has recently submitted a project proposal to the National Monument Authority (NMA), the heritage regulatory body under the Ministry of Culture, for destination development in an integrated manner. Apart from the interpretation centre, the site would get public amenities like drinking water facilities, a public convenience centre, lavatories, parking lots among other things.
With the twin hills being protected by ASI under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, the department needs NMA approval for carrying out any work in their vicinity.
Sources said the interpretation centre is proposed to showcase the journey of Jainism in Odisha through paintings, brochures and audio-visual elements. Jainism was practised by monks who stayed in the caves.
The site straddles the three peaks of Udaygiri (sunrise hill), Khandagiri (broken hill) and Nilagiri. It gets nearly 1,000 to 2,000 visitors per day and during the tourism season, the footfall varies between 3,000 and 5,000 daily. Despite the high tourist footfall, the site lacks functional public toilets and drinking water facilities for tourists.
Last year, following suggestions by experts, the ASI and local administration had closed the public road between Khandagiri and Udaygiri for heavy vehicles. The entire area was barricaded and the road between Khandagiri and Udayagiri was converted to a footpath. Besides the Khandagiri-Udaygiri project, the Tourism department has sanctioned 17 infrastructure development projects in seven districts worth `46.42 crore.