Yogi govt to develop Pandava-era temple site

Pratapgarh (Uttar Pradesh), March 22 The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh plans to develop the Baba Bhayaharan Nath Dham in Pratapgarh as a centre of religious tourism.

Baba Bhayaharan Nath Dham is an ancient Shiva temple, situated in the village of Katra Gulab Singh, on the banks of the Bakulahi River.

The temple enshrines a Shiva Linga and it is believed to have been set up by the Pandavas at this place.

Legend has it that the Shiva Linga of Bhayaharan Nath was established by Bhima, after killing the demon Bakasur.

Saints, Shri Naga Baba and Shri Dandi Baba, stayed at this place, worshipped Shiva and served this temple for many years.

Baba Bhayaharan Nath Dham is located in the Vishwanathganj Assembly constituency in Pratapgarh district.

Members of the temple committee said that the state government has allocated funds to the tune of Rs 49.25 lakh for the development of the dham.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had laid the foundation stone of tourism development projects worth Rs 180 crore in 373 Assembly segments of the state under the "Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana" on Saturday.

General secretary of the dham, Samaj Shekhar said, "The Pandav era famous Bhayaharan Nath Dham is the "centre of development of nature and society in the area."

He added that people of the dham and adjoining areas have been making sincere efforts to develop the Bhayaharan Nath dham.

He further said that after the state government's decision to develop the dham as a religious tourism centre, there will be more opportunities as devotees and visitors from all across the country would be visiting the Pandava era temple and creating employment avenues for the locals.

As the temple is located on the border of Pratapgarh and Prayagraj, the plan is to develop the dham into a major key tourism centre till 2025.

( With inputs from IANS )