Indian Temple Museum To Come Up In Ayodhya As Yogi Government Approves Tata Sons' Rs 650 Crore Proposal

The Uttar Pradesh government has given the green light to Tata Sons' proposal to construct a museum dedicated to temples in Ayodhya.

The Indian Temple Museum, funded through Tata Sons' corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, is set to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 650 crore in Manjha Jamthara village, located in Sadar tehsil of Ayodhya.

An additional Rs 100 crore will be allocated for the development of basic infrastructure at the site.

State Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh provided the details of the cabinet's approval, saying that the land for the museum will be leased by the tourism department for a nominal fee of Re 1 per year for a duration of 90 years, Indian Express reported.

This arrangement is part of a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) involving the Union Ministry of Culture, the Uttar Pradesh government, and Tata Sons.

The UP Principal Secretary, Culture, has been authorised to sign the MoU on behalf of the state government.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh will oversee further decisions related to the project.

According to the state government, Tata Sons’ involvement will ensure the museum is constructed under skilled supervision.

Ayodhya has seen a significant increase in tourism, with an estimated 2-4 lakh visitors daily since the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple on 22 January.

In addition to the museum proposal, the cabinet approved several other initiatives including launch of helicopter services in Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Kapilvastu under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, which includes the construction of new helipads.

Furthermore, the cabinet sanctioned the development of dormant heritage buildings into tourist attractions.

Among these are Kothi Roshan Dulha in Lucknow, Barsana Jal Mahal in Mathura, and Shukla Talab (pond) in Kanpur.

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