Ayodhya Makeover: Cruise & Houseboat Facility On Saryu River Post Monsoon
As the monsoon season culminates, Ayodhya will have cruise and houseboat facilities on the Saryu river for pilgrims and tourists.
Months ahead of the Ram Temple inauguration in January, one cruise boat will begin operations in October, while two others and a houseboat service will start in January, said a government statement on Saturday.
The temple is likely to be inaugurated in January 2024. The government statement said that one of the cruise boats named ‘Kanak’ and the houseboat ‘Pushpak’ are being built and will be ready in time so that many tourists and pilgrims get a chance to witness the spectacular Ayodhya ‘Deepotsava’ from the middle of the river and the cruise boats. The houseboat will further boost Ayodhya’s establishment as a world tourist circuit, said the statement.
Apart from Ayodhya Cruise Lines, Alaknanda Cruise Lines is preparing to operate on Saryu in Ayodhya. The Alaknanda Cruise Lines is already operating in the Ganga in Varanasi. The cruise boat of Alaknanda is being built in Ayodhya itself, said the statement.
The statement quoting the director of Alaknanda, Vikas Malviya, said that the cruise boat in Saryu will be different from the one in the Ganga in Varanasi. The double-decker luxury cruise in Ayodhya will have more advanced tech than the Varanasi one. It is being built under a covered shed at Guptar Ghat in Ayodhya. It is being built at the cost of ₹11 crore and will be 25 metres long and 8.3 meters wide. Also, it will be solar-powered so there’s no pollution of the river. The first deck of the cruise will seat 100 tourists while the second deck will be kept as an empty standing deck from where tourists and pilgrims may enjoy a better view.
The Kanak cruise boat is being built in Kochi in Kerala and once operational, it will move to and fro between Guptar Ghat and Naya Ghat — a 10 km distance. It will have selfie points, and digital galleries to show Ramayan-based audio-video content, it will be air-conditioned and serve different cuisine to guests, said the statement.
The statement added that the central and the state government are working on development projects worth ₹32,000 crore to scale up Ayodhya into a cultural city.