Sun Temple in Odisha gets ASI’s ‘Adarsh Monument’ tag

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Jan 12, 2015 at 1:44 AM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Kolkata/Bhubaneswar, Jan 12:

The Sun Temple at Konark, the architectural marvel that Odisha is best known worldwide for, has been given the coveted ‘Adarsh Monument’ tag by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) along with three other monuments from eastern India.

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A total of 25 monuments out 3,680 protected monuments in the country have been selected under the Adarsh Smarak Yojona.

While the list includes some of the biggest crowd-pullers like Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Qutab complex and Red Fort, it has three other monuments Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad, Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar, Rang Ghar in Assam’s Sibsagar apart from Sun temple at Konark.

These monuments will be the focus in the international tourism promotion plan being developed by the central government.

The Ministry of Culture believes that these can be of immense interest to international tourists.

An official in the ASI’s regional director’s office (eastern region) said that the ASI is developing amenities of international standards, including washrooms, drinking water, signs, cafeteria, audio-visual centres, Wi-Fi connectivity, interpretation centres and encroachment-free areas around these monuments.