BHUBANESWAR: THE Mahendragiri Hill in Gajapati district has been proposed to be included in Ramayana Circuit under Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism. Under Ramayana Circuit, the Ministry has proposed to include 11 destinations in six States including Odisha. This was decided at the first National Committee on Ramayana Circuit meeting that was held in New Delhi by the Ministry on Tuesday. Mahendragiri, according to historians, is a place where Pandavas had stayed for a short time during their exile. It is recognised as a tourist destination by the Tourism Department, Government of Odisha. However, the heritage destination does not boast of any tourism amenities despite the fact that it gets a footfall of at least 5,000 annually.
There are three temples on the top of the hill which are named after the Pandavas and their mother Kunti. The hill houses temples of Bhima, Yudhistir and Kunti, which are tagged as protected monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. These temples were constructed between fourth and 10th century AD. Under the Ramayana Circuit, new tourism amenities are expected to be set up. This apart, the expert committee on Krishna Circuit, another component under Swadesh Darshan scheme, has approved inclusion of Puri in it. Krishna Circuit includes places likes Mathura, Kurukshetra and Dwarka. Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been i d e n t i f i e d f o r development. Tourism Minister Ashok Panda said the department is yet to get any details of both the circuits. He informed that under the Coastal Circuit component, the Ministry has sanctioned a `89-crore special circuit for Odisha which covers Gopalpur, Tampara, Barkul and Satpada. Besides, the Ministry has so far sanctioned `10 crore under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme that is being implemented in Puri by India Tourism Development Corporation. It had last year allotted `52 crore for Puri under the scheme.