Budget boost for temple tourism as Sitharaman announces world-class corridors; these temples will see revamp

Nirmala Sitharaman says Nalanda will be developed as a tourist centre and the Nalanda University will also be revived.

Outlining the 2024 Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the Centre has dedicated funds for the development of Vishnupad Temple Corridor and the Mahabodhi Temple Corridor in Bihar.

The Vishnupad Temple, an ancient Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is located on the banks of the Phalgu River in Gaya while the Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in Bodh Gaya.

She said the Centre is also looking at developing Rajgir and Nalanda. "I propose Vishnupath temple at Gaya, and Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya are of immense spiritual importance. We will develop corridors there on the model of the successful Kashi Vishwanath corridor to make them a world-class tourist destination,” the FM.

According to Sitharaman, Vishnu Path Temple at Gaya and Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar are of “immense spiritual significance”. “Comprehensive development of the Vishnu Path Temple corridor and Mahabodhi Temple corridors will be supported,” said the minister.

She said Nalanda will  be developed as a tourist centre and the Nalanda University will also be revived.

Tabling the first budget of Narendra Modi 3.0 government,  Sitharaman also announced setting up new airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in Bihar.

She also said requests of the Bihar government from multilateral banks will be expedited.

According to her, Rs 26,000 crore will be allocated for highways in Bihar, such as Patna-Purnia, Buxar-Bhagalpur and Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbhanga Expressway and an additional two-lane bridge over river Ganga in Buxar. A 2,400 MW power plant was also announced for Bihar, while an industrial corridor node will be built in Gaya.

Bihar is also part of the Purvodaya initiative announced by Modi 3.0 to step up development in the eastern part of the country. “We will formulate Purvodaya for all-round development of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh,” the finance minister said, saying that this project will focus on human resources development, infrastructure push and generation of economic opportunities in these states. According to Sitharaman, the aim was to make this region an engine for attaining the goal of Viksit Bharat.