Souvenir shops to open in Kurukshetra

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Kurukshetra, August 27

Devotees and visitors who come to Kurukshetra from different parts of the country will be able to take back with them souvenirs and Kurukshetra prasadam soon, as the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has decided to start its own souvenir and prasad shops and counters in the city.

Will Help promote historic city

The objective behind starting shops and counters is to create an atmosphere and motivate local shopkeepers and sweets shop owners to start providing and promoting the same souvenirs and prasad to the tourists. It will help in branding and promotion of Kurukshetra. Upender Singhal, Honrorary Secretary, KBD

As per the information, the KDB has decided to start shops and counters at the tourist information and facilitation centres (TIFCs), Shrikrishna museum, Aarti Sthala at Brahama Sarovar, and Jyotisar, besides setting up the carts in the vending area outside the Brahma Sarovar.

A KDB official said every year, lakhs of tourists visit Kurukshetra but they have not been able to take back souvenirs and prasad. In 2020, ‘roasted chana ladoo’ was finalised, to be promoted as ‘Kurukshetra prasadam’ due to its longer shelf-life and meetings were held with the sweet shop owners so that the roasted chana lodoo could be given as prasad. But soon, the Covid pandemic hit the tourism sector and it couldn’t get the desired promotion. Now, it will be reintroduced by the board itself.

The honrorary secretary of the KDB, Upender Singhal, said, “Devotees or tourists who go to Mathura, bring peda as prasad. Similarly, the tourists visiting Agra get replicas of Taj Mahal and people want to take back something for Kurukshetra too as the holy city is being developed as a religious tourist destination. At present, different kind of chariots and idols of lord Krishna are available in the market which people purchase, but we want to create some particular souvenirs that can be associated with Kurukshetra.”

“With the help of Kurukshetra University and the National Institute of Design (NID) Kurukshetra, the board has decided to get models of the souvenirs prepared. The souvenirs of Virat Swaroop installed at Jyotisar, Krishan-Arujuna Chariot situated at Brahma Sarovar, Bhadrakali temple, Sthaneshwar Mahadev temple, and Dhadichi statue, which will be installed at the Sannihit Sarovar have been selected and these will be available in different sizes and materials. Besides these, with the help of ‘Mapmyindia’ a map of 48-kos tirthas is also being prepared and it will be available in the form of a souvenir,” the KDB honorary secretary said.

He said the objective behind starting the shops and counters was to create an atmosphere and motivate local shopkeepers and sweet shop owners to start providing and promoting the same souvenirs and prasad to the tourists. It will help in branding and promotion of Kurukshetra. There are three TIFCs (at Pipli, near Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi and Arjun Chowk) of which only the TIFC at Pipli is in operation. The board is trying to start the operations of the remaining two at the earliest, and one TIFC will come up at Jyotisar soon.