In the run-up to 'Ardh Kumbh Mela' — a religious congregation for Hindus, which comes once every six years — the city of Allahbad, which is the next venue, is being spruced up. After the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government recently provided the city over Rs 300 crore to improve its infrastructure before the 2019 fair, plans to give a facelift to the Allahbad museum are on the way.
While Kumbh mela happens in rotation at four locations, Ardh Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year. This is why it holds equal importance as the Kumbh mela. It will be the first such religious event after Yogi Adityanath taking over as Chief Minister, and the state wants to make it a mega one.
According to sources, the central and state government have both shown keen interest in making the city ready for tourists, who will start thronging the city by the end of 2018. In preparing the city for the onslaught, local authorities want the museum — one of the oldest in the country and one located at an archaeologically-rich site — to be turned into a tourist attraction.
"We want to spruce up the museum before the Ardh Kumbh that starts in January 2019. We want to make the corridors air-conditioned, install false ceilings and set up digital display boards inside the museum for visitors to have a better experience. There are other items on the list as well, as it will be one of the main tourist attractions during the mela," said Sunil Gupta Director I/C Allahbad Museum.
The museum, located 70 km from the site of Kaushambi, a town in Uttar Pradesh which is archaeologically important as it was excavated in Allahbad district in 1997. Many artifacts from the site have been kept at the Allahbad Museum as well.
Museum authorities are now asking for a special kumbh package from the Ministry of Culture to help them give a facelift to the museum. They are confident of receiving help from the centre, given the culture ministry's keen interest in the event.
Allahbad district is also getting a facelift before the big event, with authorities starting with the construction of roads. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has accepted a proposal for construction of a brand new passenger terminal at the Allahbad defence air base before Ardh Kumbh.
