Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board plans to install Goddess statues along NH, riverfront

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, June 30

The Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB) has come out with a plan to install elevated statues of Goddess Sarasvati along National Highway-44 in Kurukshetra and at the riverfront being developed by the board to attract tourists.

One of the four riverfronts, ‘Sarasvati Vatika’ is being developed near Pipli in Kurukshetra. The riverfront project is coming up at a cost of Rs 3.68 crore and it will be completed in three phases.

Four riverfronts to come up

• The HSHDB, constituted by the state government to rejuvenate, preserve heritage and development of sites linked with Sarasvati River, has decided to develop four riverfronts.
• Of these four riverfronts, two are near Pipli and Pehowa in Kurukshetra and one each in Kaithal and Yamunanagar.
• While the work at Pipli, Pehowa and Yamunanagar have started, the work in Kaithal is at tendering stage.
• Sarasvati crosses NH-44 near Pipli in Kurukshetra and lakhs of commuters cross this location daily.
• The board has decided to develop one of the riverfronts at this location for the promotion of the river and make people aware about the history and heritage of Sarasvati.

Vice-chairman of the Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board Dhuman Singh Kirmach said, “Efforts are being made by the board to rejuvenate the river and tell people about the importance of Sarasvati in the region. A riverfront ‘Satasvati Vatika’ is being developed near Pipli, adjacent to the Delhi-Ambala National Highway. It will attract people travelling on the national highway towards the riverfront. We have decided to install elevated statues of Goddess Sarasvati along the highway and at the riverfront. Commuters will be able to spot the statues from a fair distance and we are hopeful that it will help the board in increasing the footfall once the project is completed.”

Besides the statues, the board has also planned to use the walls of the flyover near Pipli to show all major sites along the Sarasvati from ‘Aadi Badri’ in Yamunanagar to Kutch in Gujarat through wall paintings. “Directions have been issued to the Superintending Engineer of the Sarasvati Heritage Circle to prepare a proposal and estimates for the installation of the elevated statues and wall paintings so that further action can be taken. There is also a plan to install a grand ‘Sarasvati Dwar’ at Pipli on the pattern of the welcome gate constructed in Ambala for which we will take up the matter with the national highway authorities. The project will take some time as it will require permission and a lot of formalities,” the vice-chairman said.

Kirmach said, “Kurukshetra is being developed as a religious tourist destination and as a result, lakhs of tourists reach here every year. The prime objective behind developing the riverfront and increasing attractions near Pipli is to attract more tourists to Kurukshetra and make people aware of its rich heritage. At the Saraswati riverfront in Pipli, there will be facilities such as boating, walkway, cafeteria and a park in the first phase and then a temple of Goddess Saraswati will also be constructed in the second phase and there is also a plan to develop a Sarasvati museum in the third phase.”