Tripura CM lays foundation stone for park on 51 Shakti Peethas

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, on Sunday, laid the foundation stone of an ambitious Rs 97.70 crore project to set up a 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar in Tripura to boost spiritual heritage.

The Chief Minister accompanied by Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury and other leaders took part in the foundation stone laying ceremony and Bhumi Pujan.

Tourism Minister Chowdhury said that the world's biggest Nataraja statue would be installed and replicas of 51 Shakti Peethas would be set up in the proposed park.

These 51 Shakti Peethas now exist across Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, besides different parts of India.

The Minister said that the Tripura government, with the financial assistance from the Union Tourism Ministry, undertook the ambitious Rs 97.70 crore project to set up a 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar, nearly 68 km south of Agartala.

The proposed park has a religious significance as Banduar is just four km away from the 524-year-old Tripura Sundari temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas worshipped by the Hindus in southern Tripura's Gomati district of Udaipur town.

According to a Tourism Department official, to develop and protect the spiritual heritage, the Union Tourism Ministry has recently approved Rs 97.70 crore to set up the 51-Shakti Peethas Park.

The proposed 51-Shakti Peethas Park site at Banduar is a quiet village in the Gomati district, surrounded by lush greenery and a serene environment.

The area also offers a tranquil setting. Under the PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme and Asian Development Bank funding, various tourism projects, including eco-tourism, worth Rs 350 crore are being implemented in Tripura, the official said.

Chief Minister Dr Saha earlier said that to make the tourist destinations in the state more attractive for the tourists, he has urged the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) to provide necessary financial assistance for the commissioning of a seaplane service at Narikelkunja in Dumboor lake in Gomati district.

He recently raised the proposal during the second meeting of the high-level task force constituted by the DoNER Ministry under the convenorship of the Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma for the promotion of tourism in the northeastern region. Dumboor Lake is a water body located 115 km south of Agartala. The beautiful lake is on the confluence of rivers Raima and Sarma. Boating facilities are available in Dumboor Lake.

In one of the islands, 'Narkel Kunja' has been developed, which is one of the best tourist destinations in Tripura.