Underlining commitment of the government to preserve historic monuments, Minister of State for Education, Culture and Information Priya Sethi said historic buildings, shrines and temples are integral part of the rich culture of the region and all out efforts would be made to restore these sites to their pristine glory.She appreciated the work of organizations like INTACH which are contributing towards conserving and reviving the sites of historic importance.“Our city is known for its historic temples, shrines and gurudwaras and these monuments are part of the unique composite culture of the land which binds together people of different faiths,” she added.Priya Sethi visited historic old Panjbakhtar temple and inspected the restoration work underway in the temple.Senior Leader Yudhvir Sethi also accompanied during the visit.
On the occasion a conservation assessment report on wall paintings of the Panjbakhtar Mahadev temple prepared by the INTACH was presented to the Minister. The report for preservation of art work, wall paintings has been prepared with the support of the Department of Tourism and Culture.
Receiver of the temple Suresh Sharma, Director, Command Area Development Hemant Kumar Sharma, Convenor, INTACH Jammu Chapter S.M. Sahni, Eminent Environmentalist Dr. C.M. Seth, Kamal Ganjoo, members of INTACH Jammu chapter and prominent citizens were present on the occasion.
The Minister took a round of the temple and inspected the development and restoration works underway. Special prayers were performed at the ancient Aap Shambu Lingum.Priya and Yudhvir Sethi took keen interest in the wall paintings, embedded silver coins in marble chess floor, Heritage langar house, Garden Goushalla, Ancient Talab for rainwater harvesting, Garden lights, Benches and Water points.
Yudhvir Sethi described the temple as one of the oldest heritage religious site of the city and highlighted on the importance of restoring and reviving the heritage sites of the region. He said unique Dogra cultural and historic sites can become good tourist attraction points and would go a long way in reviving tourism in the area. He said need of the hour is to develop and promote locations in the region which can attract the visiting Shri Vaishno Devi Ji pilgrims, adding that tourism sector can help in providing job opportunities to locals besides contributing to the state’s economy.Priya Sethi said the new government has given fresh impetus to the Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex, Artificial Lake on Tawi, developing modern parking space and Gondola project in Bahu area. She said these projects would go a long way in attracting tourists to the city of temples.