Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) With just 199 days to go for the 2010 Commonwealth Games here, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the tourism ministry are working round-the-clock to turn the capital into a world-class heritage tourism hub.
The ASI is excavating two new sites in the heart of the megapolis for the benefit of visitors.

“Work on the sites will be complete before the Commonwealth Games,” the ASI said.

“A large swathe of the area between Gargi College and Kamala Nehru College in the Siri Fort area is being excavated. The 14th century Islamic settlement dating back to Allauddin Khilji - of the Khilji dynasty - is rising like a Phoenix from its own ashes. We will complete excavation and landscaping of the area for visitors before October,” superintending archaeologist, Delhi Circle, K.K. Muhammed said Thursday.

Another site is the Jahanpanah area in south Delhi near Saket which was buried but is now being excavated.

Outlining the government’s plans to spruce up the historic city that dates back to nearly 1,500 BC, the archaeologist said the focus would be on experiential culture and heritage tourism for the nearly 100,000 visitors expected to converge on the city.

“We are beautifying 46 monuments in the capital for the Commonwealth Games with illumination, signages, audio visual guides, better infrastructure and face-lifts for the Games,” Muhammed said at a two-day tourism conference.

The conference, ‘1st Delhi Tourism Conclave: Unleashing the Potential of Delhi’, has been organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Delhi Tourism at the Indian Islamic Cultural Centre.

According to a survey by the CII and the Delhi government, the capital will draw nearly 32 percent of the total tourists to India during the Games and the average length of their stay will be nearly 12 days during the Games against the general average of 2.75 days.

The Games might be a catalyst to a growth of 26 percent in the number of inbound tourists to India in 2010, a project report said. In 2009, estimates say, 5.1 million tourists visited India.

“We want the tourists to experience the feel of India - especially Delhi,” the award-winning archaeologist said.

Another mega archaeological project that the government has taken up is to refurbish the museum inside the Purana Qila (Old Fort) and develop audio-visual guides for tourists who are keen to know the fort’s history.

“The site has eight levels of settlement - the oldest dating back to 1,400 BC. It is said to be the ancient epic capital of the five Pandava brothers - the Indraprastha, mentioned in the Mahabharata,” Muhammed told IANS.

“Contrary to many claims that Indraprastha was a myth, the site was home to a village kingship. Grey ware pottery of the era excavated from the site lends credence to the fact that it was Indraprastha. The old fort came much later. The area has been a continuous human settlement for at least two millennia,” Muhammed said.

Among other monuments under renovation for the Commonwealth Games are Tughlaqabad, Qila Rai Pithora, Qutab Minar, Sher Shah’s Gate, Adilabad, Siri Fort Wall and the Khairul Manzil Mosque.

The department will equip six major world heritage monuments, including the Qutab Minar, Purana Qila, Red Fort, Jantar Mantar, Salimgarh Fort and Safdarjung’s Tomb with new spacious washrooms.

The tourism ministry will also appoint tourism officers as guides at monuments, who will walk tourists through the history. The department is also planning three major exhibitions on “Buddhism, Temple Architecture, and Masterpieces of Indian Art” during the Games.

The Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage and Dastkar, an organisation for the promotion of ethnic crafts and arts, are helping the ASI and the government make Commonwealth tourism “an experiential event”.