Footfalls at the Anjanadri hill in Gangavati taluk of Koppal district, popular as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, seem to have increased ever since construction began for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The number of visitors has increased in the last two years. Nearly 10,000 people visit the place daily during holidays now.
Anjanadri hills in-charge administrator Aravind Suttagundi says devotees from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other states are visiting the hilltop temple in large numbers.
The state government is also pushing for the development of Anjanadri.
An amount of Rs 100 crore was earmarked in the recent Budget to develop Anjanadri hill as a tourism destination.
According to sources, land has been identified by the district administration for acquisition to create amenities around the temple.
Five acres of land have already been acquired and there is a proposal to acquire another 14 acres, he said.
Koppal district tourism department assistant director N Hemanth told DH that the department will appoint a consultancy to prepare a detailed project report for the overall development of Anjanadri hill.
Once the consultancy submits its report, the department will invite tenders for the works to be taken up around the hill, he explained.
Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority commissioner Siddarameshwara Swami said Anjanadri hill comes under the purview of the Authority.
The authority has its own master plan and there are regulations and guidelines for taking up developmental works at the world heritage sites.
Permission will be accorded to construct buildings or for other works without harming the monuments, Swami said.
Regulations in the master plan will be followed strictly while giving permission, he said.
While experts say these developments will boost the economy and tourism in the area, they caution that any activity here should complement the ecosystem.
Direct train demand
Keeping in mind the mythological connection, Koppal MP Sanganna Karadi had written a letter to the South Western Railway general manager, requesting a direct special train between Anjanadri and Ayodhya as these two holy places need to be developed simultaneously for the convenience of devotees and tourists.
However, in a written reply to a starred question in Parliament on Wednesday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the introduction of a train between Gangavati and Ayodhya is operationally not feasible due to the non-availability of terminal facilities at Gangavati, terminal constraints in Ayodhya and pathway constraints en route.
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