By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Mr. Tukojirao Puar has said that in view of immense tourism potential in Burhanpur district, it will be developed as World Heritage.
Mr. Puar said that for this, a special destination package will be prepared and sent to the Union Government. He was laying foundation stone of a tourist facility road at Asirgarh on the outskirts of Burhanpur town on Friday.
He said that the State Government will soon initiate steps towards development of tourist places in Burhanpur establishing coordination with the Union Government. The Tourism Minister asked the collector to chalk out a plan for all-round development of tourist places in the district.
State Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Mr. Mohan Yadav said that tourism facilities would be expanded in Burhanpur district with the construction of Asirgarh tourist road. The tourists will also be able to visit famous Asirgarh fort. He announced to name this road after Shrimant Krishna Raoji Puar.
MLA Mr. Rajendra Dadu and former Member of Parliament Mr. Nandkumar Singh Chauhan also spoke on the occasion.
Zila Panchayat Chairperson Mrs. Gaurabai Darbar, Nepanagar Municipality Chairman Mr. Madhu Singh Chauhan, a number of people’s representatives and officers were present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, it may be mentioned here that Burhanpur is a mid-sized city in Madhya Pradesh state on the north bank of the Tapti River, 340 kilometres (211 miles) southwest of Bhopal. Burhanpur is a hidden jewel in the annals of medieval Indian Architecture. Its history is one battle, conquest and change, interspersed with burst of peace that allowed for a rich aesthetic to flourish.
Burhanpur was founded in 1388 AD by the Faruqi King, Malik Nasir Khan, on the north-western banks of the Tapti. The Faruqis ruled Burhanpur for the next two centuries. In 1601, the Mughal Emperor Akbar captured Burhanpur, and for a century thereafter, until Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, it remained integral to Mughal ambitions in the Deccan. The governor of the city was invariably an individual of elevated rank, often a Mughal prince. Asirgarh Fort, on the outskirts of the town, was known as Dakkhan ka Darwaza or the Gateway of the Deccan.
Burhanpur remains a city of great architectural importance, but its fame rests largely as a pilgrimage for the Bohra Muslims as well as for the Sikhs. ([email protected])