Bihar Tourism to develop 'cultural village' in Nalanda

Bihar Tourism is developing a 'cultural village' in Nalanda with an investment of Rs 20 crores. Work on the state and central government funded project has already started and is expected to be completed by 2008-end. Rashmi Verma, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Bihar, said, "We are building a 'cultural village' in Nalanda showcasing the art, culture and spiritual heritage of the region. The project is being developed in two phases. In the first phase, we will make open air theatre haats, showcasing the handicrafts and other cultural offerings of the local artisans, while the second phase will see the construction of a guest house having 40 rooms, a meditation centre, exhibition hall, auditorium and museum."Bihar Tourism is also keen on promoting wellness tourism aggressively in the state. For starters, it is revamping the Barabar cave in Nalanda, which has the distinction of being the oldest meditation centre in the world. Plans are also afoot to develop an international meditation centre, tourist information offices and tourist facilities for better connectivity in the vicinity. "This is in keeping with the growing demand, especially from tourists from America, South East Asian countries, Germany and France, who have evinced keen interest in our cultural heritage and Buddhism," offered Verma.According to her, Bihar Tourism is looking to adopt a multi-pronged strategy of upgradation and development of infrastructure in the state. "The 20-room guest house at the yoga university in Munger is getting renovated and 12-15 cottages having two rooms each will be constructed by 2008-end. Besides, a 20-room resort is being developed at Valmikinagar, and is expected to be ready by mid-2009. Considering the proposed resort's proximity to a lake, we are looking to offer water sports and other adventure sports activities as well," maintained Verma.Apart from that, with a view to encourage rural tourism, Bihar Tourism is also looking to promote the village of Nepura as a rural tourism destination. As per plans, it will develop a resort, tourist information centres, as well as promote the handicrafts by local weavers and artisans."In 2007, we had one lakh foreign tourist arrivals and for 2008, we are aiming for a five-fold increase in the figures. N order to achieve our target, we have a complete marketing plan in place, including participation in international tourism fairs, organising familiarisation trips and print and electronic media campaigns," said Verma.