Gonda (UP) | Efforts are underway to attract domestic and international pilgrims visiting Ayodhya to bordering Gonda district by developing the Tikri Forest and Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary.

Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, and local Lok Sabha MP, said developing this area could serve as an additional attraction for pilgrims visiting Ayodhya.

"The Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of 1,084 hectares, is part of the Ramsar project. This sanctuary provides refuge to Siberian birds and is bustling with over three dozen local species, along with migratory birds from Tibet, China, Europe, and Siberia during the winter season," he noted.

Singh said foreign birds begin arriving in the second half of October and stay for nearly four months before returning home. Some of these birds travel over 5,000 km.

Notable migratory species include Eurasian coots, mallards, greylag geese, northern pintails, northern shovelers, cotton teals, red-crested pochards, and gadwalls, he said.

The Parvati-Arga lakes were declared a bird sanctuary by the government in 1990.

The minister also mentioned that the Tikri Forest area, spanning approximately 7,500 hectares and rich in valuable trees like Sal and Teak, is being developed as an eco-tourism destination. Necessary budget allocations for this initiative will be made soon.

"Ayodhya's proximity makes these projects a unique attraction for pilgrims visiting Lord Shri Ram's temple. Visitors will enjoy nature along with their spiritual journey," Singh added.

Every year, thousands of devotees visit the birthplace of Bhagwan Ghanshyam, the founder of the Swami Narayan sect, located in Chapia village within the district, with a significant number of them from Gujarat.

District administration officials said the birthplace of Maharishi Patanjali, 'Kondar,' is also being developed as a tourist site.

A grand temple is under construction in the village near Wazirganj on the Gonda-Ayodhya highway. A six-and-a-half-foot-long, two-ton statue of Maharishi Patanjali in a seated posture, made from red granite, has been transported from Jaipur and will be installed in the temple soon.

According to officials, a two-lane road is also being constructed from the highway to the birthplace. Maharishi Patanjali's birthplace is expected to attract tourists on an international level.

Additionally, development work is rapidly progressing at the birthplace of Goswami Tulsidas, the author of Ramcharitmanas, located near Sukarkhet on the banks of the Saryu River.

"Gonda district has immense tourism potential due to the birthplaces and contributions of several great personalities, along with its proximity to Ayodhya. The district administration, in collaboration with the tourism department, is working diligently in this direction," District Magistrate Neha Sharma said.

She said efforts have begun to develop Parvati Arga Lake and Tikri Forest as tourist destinations. Gonda will soon establish its distinct presence on the tourism map.