BHUBANESWAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s State unit president K V Singh Deo has urged the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to accord heritage site status to Harishankar-Nrusinghanath-Gandhamardhan located in Balangir and Bargarh districts.
In a letter to Minister of State of Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma, Singh Deo said the entire region is a cultural and spiritual sanctuary which has been maintained and preserved by the unfailing devotion of local communities.
The local communities, which include both tribals and non-tribals, have been instrumental in preserving the rich biodiversity that includes more than 500 species of medicina and aromatic plants as well as herbs, he said.
Since Gandhamardhan Hills, with the twin temples at Harishankar and Nrusinghnath, have historical connection to Buddhism as well as mythical links to Ramayana, the place must be conserved as a heritage site by the Government of India, the BJP State chief said.