Vrindavan, 2018.03.20 (VT): Vrindavan’s famous Parikrama Marg, a stretch of about ten kilometers that surrounds the town was once a beautiful pathway with trees along the sides and the sparkling Yamuna flowing beside it, has now lost much of its charm where trees are hardly seen.
The Yamuna has retreated to few kilometers away as if to avoid the pollution, concrete structures, population, dirt, noise and ruthless demolition of ghats in the name of restoration.
The pathway that is has been used over the centuries by thousands of devotees to circumambulate this holy city all round the year has been treated very carelessly by the developers and a lack of governmental oversight.
For decades, devotees’ pleas for the restoration of the Parikrama Marg did the rounds in many big and small social organizations, but concrete action was minimal until a huge project was launched under Prime Minister Modi’s special scheme called HRIDAY.
The responsibility for its restoration was handed over to The Braj Foundation, one of the NGOs known for restoring many lila sthalis in and around Braj. When the Foundation was appointed as the “city anchor” of Mathura for Modi’s ambitious scheme HRIDAY, it decided to work towards the restoration and beautification of Vrindavan’s Parikrama marg.
Despite facing several challenges at every stage of the project, the Foundation continued to work on it. As a result a 100 mtr model site was ready and they did quite a commendable job.
It has a very aesthetic look with a clean and green passage way for those who want to do Parikrama in a relaxed mood, not having to worry about the traffic speeding past by you. Ornamentally designed electric poles will be placed to lit the path during the night, stone carved benches and folk art on the walls will added attractions. Instead of a brick way, sand and mud will be spread and safety railings all along the sides will be some of the other key features. They are also planning to restore the ghats to complete the look.
However some have raised objections to this new development which looks more like an encroachment on the road leaving less space for the vehicles to move. There were also plans to place drinking water facilities at various spots, washrooms, waste bins, souvenir shops, tourist information centre and shades for summer months. The plan also included guards to be appointed every two-three kilometers to keep a watch on the area but since the project is still underway hopefully these important areas will not be forgotten by the foundation.
The Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, has approved to extend this model further up to 3 kilometers. The district authorities led by Mr. S.K. Mishra, VC at Braj Tirth Vikas Parishad, Mathura have decided to clear all ancient ghats of encroachments which will be another big step towards Vrindavan improvement. This will give TBF ample space to rebuild and restore the ghats that are in dilapidated condition now.
The newly constituted Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation is taking appropriate measures to ensure effective implementation of this project. If the project HRIDAY is rolled out without any delays and obstacles then it will certainly be one of the biggest developments toward the betterment of Vrindavan. For sure it will please The Divine Couple since Vrindavan is the Hriday swaroop of our beloved Radharani.
To read more about PMs HRIDAY scheme, click here.
http://news.vrindavantoday.org/2017/01/parikrama-marg-renovated-heart/
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