Fairs at ‘tirthas’ in five Haryana districts to be revived

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, August 22

To boost religious tourism, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has now decided to identify and revive fairs and religious events that used to be organised at different ‘tirthas’ (pilgrimage sites) decades ago.

There are 134 ‘tirthas’ under the 48-kos land spread over Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal, Panipat and Jind districts of the state.

A KDB official said that while the government and KDB have been trying to promote Kurukshetra as a major tourist destination, the majority of tourists reach Kurukshetra on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya, solar eclipse, Gita Mahotsav and to perform post-death rituals only.

WILL BOOST LOCAL ECONOMY

Besides attracting more tourists to Kurukshetra, the revival of religious events and fairs will financially help the local people who set up shops during fairs. —Madan Mohan Chhabra, Honorary secretary, KDB

The aim of reviving the old fairs and events is not only to boost religious tourism but also the economy.

International Gita Mahotsav is one of the major events that the KDB organises at Brahma Sarovar. In 2019, over 40 lakh people had attended the festival and craftsmen had sold crafts worth crores of rupees during the ‘mahotsav’.

Madan Mohan Chhabra, honorary secretary, KDB, said, “A large number of ‘tirthas’ have become extinct over time. Similarly, the fairs and events that used to be organised decades ago are not being organised.