राम राज बैठे त्रैलोका।
हर्षित भए गए सब सोका॥
“When Sri Ram ascended the throne and took over the administration of the kingdom, all three worlds – heaven, mortal and underworld – became incredibly joyful and all their sufferings vanished.” (Ramcharitmanas)
The historical day of January 22, 2024 will bear witness to the arrival of Bhagwan Sri Ram in Ayodhya. For 500 years people have waited for this auspicious day which will mark the advent of blessings, happiness, wealth and most importantly prosperity for all, especially for the people of Ayodhya. It will signify the arrival of Amrit Kaal and a milestone in our quest for complete independence from the mindset of slavery.
Pran Pratishtha at Shri Ram Janambhoomi comes with economic affluence in Ayodhya. Under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Ayodhya has undergone unprecedented historical and economic developments. After a long civilisational struggle for over 500 years, Ram Lalla will ascend to His rightful place at the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.
Religious activities and economic growth have gone hand in hand since time immemorial. In Bharat’s civilisational journey, factors like culture and religion have significantly contributed to social upliftment and economic development, where the epitome of human intelligence can be seen in how its people, over the years, developed a cultural model synonymous with economic development.
Bharat’s civilisation is deeply rooted in its spiritual and religious beliefs. Temples here have nurtured and preserved its unique cultural and spiritual character. Developing centres of spiritual and religious significance have a direct impact on the social environment, economy, spiritual tourism and the overall progress of that respective area.
On December 13, 2021, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, which being one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world and a prime centre of culture and religion, attracts tourists and pilgrims from around the globe. To improve and preserve this heritage site, a corridor was constructed to connect Ganga Ghats to Vishwanath Shrine at a cost of Rs 339 crore. Apart from facilitating ease of accessibility, this project also acted as an economic development project. The socio-economic development witnessed an economic boom in the area.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Index, the number of devotees visiting Kashi Vishwanath Dham shot up from 69 lakh in 2019 to 13 crore in December of 2023. This cultural renaissance in Varanasi boosted local employment by 34 per cent, which resulted in a major hike in the per capita income. The hotel & tourism sector experienced a 65 per cent hike in their income, proving that spiritual tourism is new-age tourism. Investment in developing Kashi Vishwanath Corridor witnessed a multiplier effect on Varanasi’s economy and continues to do so till date.
Fillip to Ayodhya’s Economy
As we inch closer to the historical Pran Pratishtha of Ram Mandir, Ayodhya is gearing up to witness a massive number of devotees and with it new streams of income and investments. According to the Ayodhya Development Authority, the city is set to witness three to seven lakh of devotees every month following January 22, 2024.
This massive influx of tourists will bolster the hotel industry as well as the travel sector including railways and aviation resulting in the overall financial progress of the locals. To ensure smooth and efficient coordination for economic development projects in Ayodhya, a dynamic dashboard has been created by the Ayodhya Development Authority. Over 252 projects worth Rs 28,000 crore have been carried out in Ayodhya by 34 executing agencies.
According to Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, the newly inaugurated Ayodhya Dham Station is proposed to connect Ayodhya with other parts of the country, which will be worth Rs 2,300 crore. Trains like Vande Bharat & Amrit Bharat are introduced for better connectivity. The Maharishi Valmiki International Airport project alone costs a whopping Rs 1450 crore. It is spread in 65,000 sq feet, which will later be expanded to 5 lakh sq feet.
Within Ayodhya, four prime roads have been renamed as Ram Path, Dharam Path, Bhakti Path and Shree Ram Janambhoomi Path totalling 13 km of distance.
The Ayodhya Development Authority has come up with creative theme-wise projects such as Clean Ayodhya, Healthy Ayodhya, Modern Ayodhya, Cultural Ayodhya & Efficient Ayodhya.
The Green Field Township in Ayodhya proposes to have a tourism facilities hub, a Vedic city and spiritual gateways to the city in association with holy Saryu ghats, modern infrastructure (transport and public health engineering) and a solar-powered smart city. Heavy infrastructural investments in the city are bound to have a multiplier effect on Ayodhya’s economy. Government expenditures in Ayodhya will result in a crowding-in effect which occurs when Government spending encourages greater private investment, therefore drawing significant private capital further stimulating economic growth.
Any country which wants to be at the pinnacle of socio-economic development must preserve and maintain its cultural, civilisational and historical legacy, as the legacy inspires and motivates the generations to come. Today, the core reason for the tremendous growth of Bharat in the world order is that the “New-Age Bharat” is growing on the principles of our grand “Old Ancient Bharat”. It is building on its own cultural model and yet progressing in the area of digital technology as well. The amalgamation of heritage with new age development is Bharat’s strength which is set to take it ahead of most in the 21st century. Maharishi Valmiki described ancient Ayodhya as one of the wealthiest and happiest empires terming it as a Ram Rajya which stands as the example of an ideal state, and now with the ceremony of Pran Pratishtha we are ready to witness the re-establishment of Ram Rajya.
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