Substantial rise in religious tourism to Ayodhya after construction of Ram temple: Govt

In his response, he also shared the state-wise details of "77 Shaurya Gantavya sites", which are part of the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative, a project that seeks to promote battlefield tourism.

New Delhi: There has been a “substantial increase” in religious tourism to Ayodhya after construction of the Ram temple and the total number of visitors to the district has risen from more than 60 lakh in 2020 to over 16 crore in 2024, the government informed Parliament on Monday.

The November 2019 Supreme Court verdict had paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.

“As per information received from the state government of Uttar Pradesh, there is substantial increase in religious tourism to Ayodhya after construction of Ram Mandir. As per tourism statistics of Ayodhya, the total number of visitors to the district has risen from 6,022,618 in the year 2020 to 164,419,522 in the year 2024,” Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a written response to a query.

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He was asked whether the government has taken any steps for rejuvenation of religious sites for boosting tourism in the country.

The consecration ceremony at the temple had taken place on January 22 last year, when the temple was partially constructed and work is currently underway to complete the entire structure under the trust — Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra.

A massive number of devotees had visited the temple soon after it was thrown open to the public.

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Settling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the apex court in a historic verdict backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the town in Uttar Pradesh.

Shekhawat also said the Ministry of Tourism under the ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) scheme provides financial assistance to the state governments and Union Territory administrations for development of tourism infrastructure at important pilgrimage and heritage destinations.

“A total of 47 projects has been sanctioned in 27 States/UTs with estimated cost of Rs 1594.40 crore,” he said.

In response to another query, the Union minister said, as informed by the Ministry of Defence, the Ranbhoomi App and the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative have been launched to open areas of historical importance and valour for the citizens of India, which signify the sacrifice made by people in the Indian armed forces.

In his response, he also shared the state-wise details of “77 Shaurya Gantavya sites”, which are part of the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative, a project that seeks to promote battlefield tourism.

These include 11 sites in Jammu and Kashmir, including Gurez Sector, Baramulla and Uri; 14 in Ladakh, including Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Demchok and Padum Valley; seven in Sikkim, including Doklam; and 21 in Arunachal Pradesh, including Bomdila, Tawang and Kameng Region.

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