Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Friday said that ‘Saraswati Janmotsava’ would be celebrated as an international festival in the year 2018 and preparations for this event would begin soon.
The Chief Minister while addressing the closing ceremony of three-day ‘Saraswati Mahotsava Samaroh’ organised by Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board in Pehowa said that all pilgrimages and routes along the banks of Saraswati river and 134 pilgrimages and tourist attractions within 48 kosas of Kurukshetra would be developed through the Board.
Apart from this, the Central Government has granted a sum of Rs 120 crore for developing tourist spots and pilgrimages in Kurukshetra under the Krishna Circuit, he added.
He also announced grant of Rs 5 crore for the Board.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the ‘Maa Saraswati Annapoorna Bhandara’ and took a round of an exhibition organised by the Forest Department and Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board.
The Saraswati river, considered sacred in Hindu religion, finds mention in ancient Hindu scriptures like the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, Ramayana and others, giving credence to the belief that it existed during those times.
Making efforts to convert mythology into reality for the people of the state since it came to power in Haryana, the Manohar lal Khattar Government had last year constituted Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB) with an objective to initiate, promote and support research in the field of Saraswati heritage and also to assist in its preservation and restoration of the mythological river.