Uttar Pradesh/Lucknow:. Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said that after Kashi and Ayodhya, the state government is committed to make the entire Vindhyachal including Mirzapur district of Maa Vindhyavasini temple the next big tourist destination of Uttar Pradesh. In the current year, the number of visitors will be more than one crore, whereas in the year 2024, more than 78 lakh devotees had visited.
On Sunday, the state's Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh issued a statement saying that in the first six months of the year 2025, more than 64 lakh devotees visited the temple. That is, an average of 10 lakh devotees arrived every month. He said that with this increasing influx of pilgrims, other major places of the district including Vindhyachal Trikon Yatra (Vindhyavasini Devi Temple, Ashtabhuja Temple and Kali Khoh Temple) have also become more vibrant. According to tradition, devotees circumambulate the temples of Maa Vindhyavasini, Maa Ashtabhuja Devi and Maa Kalikhoh. Due to the record crowd in Vindhyavasini, more than 38 lakh devotees have reached the Ashtabhuja temple located on the nearby hill this year so far, while in the year 2024, a total of 55 lakh visitors came here throughout the year. At the same time, thousands of devotees are reaching the Kalikhoh temple located in the cave these days.
'Work on eco-tourism along with Vindhya Corridor'
Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said that the Uttar Pradesh government is committed to establish Vindhyachal as a tourism symbol. The devotees coming here will get to see a unique confluence of religious faith, natural beauty and cultural heritage. The government is rapidly working on various eco-tourism projects along the Vindhyachal corridor. The aim of these efforts is to make the devotees experience the natural and cultural beauty of Mirzapur along with divine darshan.
He informed that the government is also redeveloping the Ashtabhuja and Kali Khoh temple area in a corridor style. Roads, ghats and transport facilities are being upgraded for better connectivity. Multi-level parking, toilets, crowd management areas and passenger facilities are being prepared there. Construction of new ghats and paths on the banks of the Ganga is also planned, so that devotees can make religious pilgrimages by connecting many ghats. Special platforms are also being built to make the evening Ganga Aarti more grand.
Now devotees are reaching in every season: Mukesh Meshram
Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture Mukesh Kumar Meshram said that now those days are gone when crowds used to throng Mirzapur to see the waterfalls only during the rainy season. At present, devotees and tourists are reaching Vindhyachal throughout the year, where both religious and natural attractions are attracting them.
It is noteworthy that the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department is working on ambitious projects for tourism development in Mirzapur. The hills of Vindhyachal and the natural sites of Mirzapur have been included in the tourism plan. Efforts are being made to give new experiences to tourists by developing waterfalls, forests and trekking paths. Rural home-stays, nature walks, traditional handicrafts and local cuisine are also becoming a part of tourism. The local community is getting the benefit of employment and income from these efforts. Facilities like trekking, hiking and camping have been developed for those fond of adventure activities. At the same time, the inclusion of Salkhan Fossil Park of Vindhya region in the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage is also increasing the popularity of the region.
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