LUCKNOW: A day after consecration, the offerings to Ram Lalla was the tune of over Rs 3 crore owing to the massive influx of visitors to Ayodhya to have a glimpse of the deity. If the trend continues, it is an indication towards a likely boost to Uttar Pradesh’s economy, say several national and international estimates.
A recent paper by the SBI Research claimed that owing to the Ram temple and initiatives being taken by the state and central government in Ayodhya to catapult it into a major tourist destination, the state of Uttar Pradesh could see tax collections of as much as Rs 5,000 crore in 2024-25.
A respectable leap taking the state nearer to the target of US$ 1 trillion economy. The report adds that Ayodhya will be the most important factor and with the anticipated growth in tourism, UP could become richer by about Rs 4 lakh crore this year.
Even as per the Foreign stock market research firm Jefferies, Ayodhya is likely to surpass Vatican City and Mecca in terms of the number of visitors. Notable, a day after consecration a massive crowd thronged the temple town and over five lakh devotees took darshan of Ram Lalla with an equal number waiting for their turn.
The report says that Ayodhya is expected to attract around five crore devotees annually, making it a major tourism destination not only within UP but also in India.
In fact, one of the most prosperous shrine Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh attracts 2.5 crore devotees annually while generating an annual revenue of Rs 1200 crore. Similarly, Vaishno Devi shrine gets around 80 lakh visitors every year generating an annual revenue of Rs 500 crore.
One of the major tourist destinations, Taj Mahal receives around 70 lakh visitors annually with a revenue of 1,000 crore. According to an government official, over a lakh devotees are expected to visit Ayodhya daily and the number could go up to three lakh a day as well. “If each person spends around Rs 2,500 during the visit, the economy of Ayodhya would be up by Rs 25,000 crore”, he said. The PM has asked the ministers to visit the temple in March.