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Plans afoot to tap heritage realty in Punjab |
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Written by Puneet Pal Singh Gill, Tribune News Service,Bathinda
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Friday, 01 February 2008 |
 No other state has managed what Rajasthan has, marrying the charm of its forts, palaces and havelis with the comforts of luxury hoteliering to convert it into heritage realty.
And yet, it isn’t for lack of architectural precedents! From Madhya Pradesh to Gujarat and even in the south, there are enough examples of private entrepreneurship having triumphed over local ennui.
And now Punjab, which has had a poor history in promoting tourism, might just follow that example. With several forts and palaces strewn across its rich plains, the state tourism department is putting in place an aggressive plan to commercialise returns from its heritage.
Already, the Nabha Foundation, which has been set up by Uday Khemka, grandson of Ripudaman Singh, the last independent ruler of Nabha, in collaboration with the Punjab government, is working on a plan for the conservation of Nabha Qila on a 99-year lease. There it wants to showcase the process of development of heritage in a manner that is useful to the community.
The Bathinda fort, which has stood since the period of Raja Deb (3rd century), one of the ancestors of Vinaipal is, an endangered structure now and badly needs restoration. The first woman ruler of India, Razia Sultana, was imprisoned in this fort. Due to its history, if this monument is promoted by the state government, it can be turned into a centre of attraction for the tourists.
In Patiala, Punjab Tourism has handed the 300-year-old Rajindra Kothi to the Delhi-based Neemrana group to develop it as a heritage hotel. This will make it, when it opens this year following extensive conservation and restoration work, the state’s first heritage hotel.
In Sangrur, Punjab Tourism has asked the department of health to transfer the 200-year old Kothi of the maharaja of Jind to the tourism department. This 40-acre property too will be developed as a heritage hotel.
Besides heritage tourism, religious tourism has a great potential in Punjab. The Golden Temple attracts a large number of devotees from all over the world. Sirhind, a great Sufi centre on the GT Road, can be a potential destination for Muslims from all over the world. A visit to Malerkotla, where there is a large Muslim population, can be a learning experience. Kapurthala has a beautiful Moorish mosque, besides beautiful palaces designed by French architects.
Many other cities and towns that have the potential for economic growth by leveraging its local art, craft and architecture for development purposes, tourism can also be promoted for tourism and can become major revenue earners.
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