New Delhi: After Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government recently omitted Taj Mahal, India’s iconic monument, from the state’s official tourism brochure last week, a section of people claimed that the UP government is starving the world heritage site of funds and support because it was built by Muslim invaders.
Earlier, the country’s biggest tourism draw was not allotted any cultural heritage funds in the state budget for the coming year and now the latest move by the government has sparked protest in the country.
Media reports claimed that the Taj has already taken a beating with its attendance figures falling considerably and air pollution slowly turning its ethereal white marble yellow.
Indian National Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi likened a tourism brochure without the Taj Mahal to a Hamlet-less Hamlet.
“If it is a booklet on tourism and it excludes Taj Mahal, at one level it is a joke and at another level it is tragic. It is like saying we will have ‘Hamlet’ without the Prince of Denmark,” Singhvi told reporters on Monday. He called the omission “a clear religious bias which is completely misplaced.”
Adityanath’s government countered criticism by saying that the state, supported by funds from the World Bank, had slated $22 million to the monument for new gates, beautification and a multilevel parking structure.
“The Taj Mahal is the seventh wonder of the world. It has always been a priority not only for Uttar Pradesh but for the entire country of India,” said Awanish Awasthi, Adityanath’s principal secretary. “It will always be central to all our tourism policy but there were some other new projects we wanted to feature.”
The white marble mausoleum, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and is considered one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. India’s famed poet Rabindranath Tagore called it “one tear-drop . . . on the cheek of time.”
The Taj Mahal has long been one of India’s prime tourist draws for foreign visitors, but its tourist numbers have dropped steadily since 2012.
Golden State Warriors player Kevin Durant sparked controversy when he described the poor conditions around the Taj Mahal in blunt terms after a visit there this summer while on an official National Basketball Association tour.
Tourism officials in the Uttar Pradesh city of Agra, where the Taj is located, said that the hint that the monument may be neglected by the current administration in favor of Hindu religious sites was unfortunate, given its needs.
“The current state government is not supporting Agra as a tourist destination because of its Mughal monuments. Money for tourism development has not been announced. Their focus is on religious tourism,” said Rajiv Saxena, secretary of the Tourism Guild of Agra.
The Adityanath government has focused on promoting places such as the ancient city of Varanasi, a site for Hindu pilgrims, and Gorakhpur, where he is the chief priest of a large temple, critics have said. The previous state government had launched plans for a Mughal museum and an orientation center at the site, but it is unclear whether those will be fully funded going forward, Saxena said.
“Government programs have to be backed by the annual budget. If there is no allocation in the budget, it will die a fast death,” he said.
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