The villages in Korea district can look forward to being handed over a unique responsibility by the district administration rarely heard in the rural pockets of the entire country.
The villages having sites of archaeological significance would be assigned the task of their preservation with the formation of ‘Village Heritage Committees’, District Collector Avinash Champawat said while chairing a meeting of the Archeology Federation at the District Collectorate here.
He said that there are a large number of historical places in the district which are in the need of preservation and the committees to be formed would be assigned the task of developing facilities for tourists while also ensuring their publicity to draw tourists.
Champawat said that the archaeological remains which are lying scattered in the rural and urban localities of the district would be kept in the district museum so that people can visit and have a look at them .
He said that the district is replete with pre-historic rock paintings, rockcut caves, marine based fossils besides remains at the archaeological sites. ‘The District Archaelogical Federation' had been formed to preserve such heritage.’
The Collector said that an archaeological museum had been constructed in front of the Old Colletorate in Baikunthpur for the conservation of the archaeological remains.
He appealed to the people of Baikunthpur to donate items of archaeological significance they might be having at home such as idols or remains to the museum so that they could be preserved.
Champawat also directed officials to carry out a survey of the areas with archaeological significance, do photography and videography of the places and also do numbering of the idols at the archaeological sites.
The apart, the Collector directed to gather information on popular legends and history of the archaeological sites through the medium of Block Education Officers.
A senior Block-level Teacher Balmik Dubey informed in the meeting that the historical sites had been identified as per their archaeological significance which include-- Harchowka and Ghaghra Mandir, Murailgarh Bhanwarkhoh, Koteshwar, Dhawalpur, Sati Mandir, Jogimath, Nanhbhan Devgarh, Chipchipi, Sukhri Talab, Jhapar Pahari, Jivasma at confluence of Hasdo and Hasiya river, Rockcut caves at Harchowka, Ghaghra, Gangirani, Shiv Gufa at Kachar, Cave of Jatashankar, Sitamadi, Rock Painting at Ghudsar Badra and Kohvaur, Prachingarh at Koreagarh, Murailgarh, Sendrigarh, Devgarh, Bhedagarh, Machigarh, Shivgarh, Kanhargarh.
Aamong natural sites they are—Water falls at Amritdhara, Ramdaha and Gaurghat, Guru Ghasidas National Park, Hasdo Kachar, Chandan Nursery, Gaje, Jhumka, Bardar Reservoir.
Similarly among historical sites there are—Chagdevi Bhagwanpur, Kailash Mandir, Bharatpur, Mahamaya Mandir, Chanwaridand, Mazar of Baba Bholansah, Gangirani, Mahamaya Mandir, Sonhat, Neelkanth Daser, Premabaug Shiv Mandir, Bajarpara Hanuman Mandir, Jagannath Mandir near Ram Mandir Palace, Sati Mandir, Jogimath Keshganwa, Omkaheswar Dham Kailashpur.
Among popular fairs there are-Gangirani, Sirauli, Amritdhara, Kailash Mandir and Urs Mela in Sonhat have been identified. President of Municipal Council Manendragarh Dharmendra Patwa urged to include Siddh Baba Mandir in Manendragarh also to the list.