ETW Staff – Mumbai
Jharkhand, where religious tourism is one of the mainstays, is promoting the annual ‘Shravani Mela’ held at Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar as a major tourism draw. The month-long event attracts more than 30 lakh tourists and devotees. This year, the state tourism department has taken several measures to ensure a hassle-free experience for the devotees and tourists attending the event.
Jharkhand Tourism has been promoting this annual fair to attract more tourists to the state. Shravani Mela is organised at the temple town of Deoghar in the Hindu month of Shravan. Deoghar is situated in the Santhal Parganas division of Jharkhand. The fair, which showcases the culture, traditions and heritage of the state, is attended by devotees and tourists, both domestic and international.
Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Dr Alok Prasad, general manager, Jharkhand Tourism Development Coproation (JTDC) said, “This year we have taken a number of initiatives and are trying our best to make Shravani Mela a big success. The state government has run a promotional campaign prior to the event inviting people from all walks of life to visit Jharkhand and Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar and seek the blessings of Lord Shiva.”
The tourism department has set up 11 tourist information centres (TICs) across the state (seven in Deoghar and three in Ranchi) including one at Sultanganj in Bihar for the convenience of the devotees. The TICs will help tourists in hotel reservations, booking of vehicles, medical assistance and other related services. The entire town has been lit up by LED lamps for the purpose and the security arrangement in and around the temple complex has been beefed up.
To promote the other tourist destinations of the state, the tourism department has tied up with local tour operators and private bus/ taxi operators to offer packaged tours during the fair. “The buses are taking the tourists to some of the important tourist spots of the state like Tapovan, Shilpgram, Basukinath, Nandan Pahar, Trikut Parbhat, Maluti, and other places. The department has also made a short-film of 12 minutes. Till the first week of August, rough estimates reveal that almost 30 lakh devotees have visited the shrine,” added Prasad.