After Ayodhya, thrust on 5-star hotels in Sarnath and Kushinagar

Lucknow: At a time when SC has cleared the way for construction of the Ram Temple following the order on title dispute in Ayodhya , luxury hotel groups across India have sought Centre’s assistance in exploring UP’s Buddhist sites to tap into tourists from neighbouring South Asian countries.

Three big five star hotels, including one led by the Oberoi Group have made a dash to Niti Ayog, which on Friday approached UP government to help the firms promote tourism around Sarnath and Kushinagar.

The government roped in UP tourism department hours after Niti Ayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, who on a visit to meet UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath asked for the development of Buddhist circuit.

The Oberoi Group wants to set up its hotel on a minimum 20-acre land in Sarnath, where Gautam Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon apart from the Four Noble Truths, the middle path and eightfold path. “We have conveyed the request for Sarnath to Varanasi DM. Besides, we also have a landbank in Kushinagar, where Buddha attained parinirvana after his death. Since we have shelved the Maitreyi plan, we have a pool of 200 acres to assist any potential hospitality firm willing to set up shop here,” said principal secretary (culture) Jitendra Kumar. The government sources said that private hospitality firms also insist that they want to tap South Asian tourist influx into UP via Nepal border, saying casino shops and resorts by Chinese, Myanmar and Japanese companies on the borders have always been popular vacation spots among tourists, but lack of accomodation in the Hindi heartland was a deterrent to the development of tourism industry.

The UP government may also approach Nepal government to seek a common visa entry point at Lumbini for Buddhist pilgrims. Government officials said that an international airport is already coming up at Siddarth Nagar district in UP, 20 km from Lumbini. At present, Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra and Noida are the only districts where five star hotels exist.