Agartala, Sep 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the redeveloped Tripura Sundari temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas worshipped by Hindus, in southern Tripura’s Udaipur on September 22, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said here on Monday.

The Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister will arrive in Agartala on September 22 afternoon and then go to Gomati district headquarter Udaipur to inaugurate the redeveloped Tripura Sundari temple, 65 km south of Agartala.

“After inaugurating the redeveloped temple and the beautified surroundings, Modi will offer puja at the Kali temple. After the inauguration and the puja, he will return to Agartala and then leave for Delhi. There will be no public address by the Prime Minister as per the schedule available as of now,” Saha told the media.

He said: “I have earlier invited the Prime Minister to inaugurate the redeveloped temple.”

“Senior officials, including Director General of Police Anurag, recently visited Udaipur to supervise the necessary arrangements for the Prime Minister’s visit. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, accompanied by other ministers, also visited Udaipur last week to oversee the probable arrangements for PM Modi’s visit and inauguration of the temple,” an official told IANS, refusing to be named.

The official of the Tourism Department said that under the PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry, the 524-year-old Tripura Sundari temple has been redeveloped at a cost of over Rs 52 crore.

The Tripura government also contributed Rs 7 crore to this project.

The Tripura Sundari temple in southern Tripura’s Gomati district is an iconic temple and is a symbol of the state’s rich cultural heritage. The Prime Minister’s inauguration of the redeveloped temple would be a testament to its significance, the official said.

The temple, built in 1501 by the state’s erstwhile king Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in Udaipur, is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in the country, and the third such shrine in eastern India after the Kali temple in Kolkata’s Kalighat and the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.

At the end of the 517-year rule by hundreds of kings, on October 15, 1949, the erstwhile princely state of Tripura came under the control of the Indian government after a merger agreement was signed between Kanchan Prabha Devi, then regent Maharani, and the Indian Governor General.

Meanwhile, replicas of all 51 Shakti Peeths are being constructed at an under construction 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar in Gomati district at a cost of Rs 97.70 crore.

The under construction park is situated four km away from the Tripura Sundari temple. Tripura Chief Minister laid the foundation stone and participated in the Bhumi Pujan of the 51-Shakti Peethas Park on July 13.

According to the Tourism Department official, the site of the proposed 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar is a quiet village in the Gomati district surrounded by lush greenery and a serene environment.

The area also offers a tranquil setting.

“The 51 Shakti Peethas Park is an ambitious religious tourism project that would be developed in Banduar village. This unique project aims to create an immersive experience for visitors by showcasing replicas of the 51 Shakti Peeth temples from across the Indian sub-continent, symbolising the rich cultural and spiritual heritage associated with Shakti (Devi) worship in Hinduism,” the official stated.

He said that the park would feature a range of amenities designed to enhance the overall visitor experience, including a food court with adequate seating, a souvenir shop, drinking water facilities, well-constructed roads with parking, public conveniences, guest accommodation, landscaped gardens, museums dedicated to mythology, and a range of entertainment activities.

–IANS

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