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LUCKNOW, INDIA, April 11, 2005: The narrow lanes could get roomier and the squalor on the roads a thing of the past. Ayodhya is set for a facelift, with the Uttar Pradesh government deciding to repackage the temple town to change its image of a communal flashpoint, as the Western media has described it, to a tourist destination for both foreign and domestic. The state has planned a massive complex near the bank of the Sarayu. The beautification drive includes a new township, which is already coming up on the town’s outskirts. Visitors can view a chronological account of Ram’s life and see on screen key events from the Ramayana in different Indian and foreign languages. A museum, to protect copies of invaluable ancient scripts that trace the cultural history of Ayodhya, is part of the plans. The state government, which is waiting for central approval for the US$45 million project, is also planning a handicraft colony near the river. A team of senior state tourism officers visited the temple town and inspected a 30-acre plot allotted for the beautification efforts. “Ayodhya has more history than what it is now known for,” said Partha Sensharma, the director-general of Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. “The object of the project is to showcase that for the tourists.” “We welcome the project,” said Mahant Gyan Das, the chief of the All India Akhara Parishad. “We believe there is a need to tell the world about the importance of Ayodhya in India. The projects will help change the image of this temple town.”

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