Phase 2 of Delhi’s Bharat Darshan Park to cover 17 monuments from across India

The park currently features 21 replicas of prominent monuments, made using 350 tonnes of scrap material collected from various municipal yards, from 13 states and union territories

With the upcoming Bharat Darshan Park in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh nearing completion, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has already begun planning for phase 2 of the project, identifying 17 monuments from 17 states and union territories to recreate in the park using scrap material.

A worker prepares a replica of India's monuments made from scrap at Bharat Darshan Park located at Punjabi Bagh in New Delhi. (ANI)

The park currently features 21 replicas of prominent monuments, made using 350 tonnes of scrap material collected from various municipal yards, from 13 states and union territories. The park, which is spread over 8.5 acres, is likely to be inaugurated by October end.

Mukesh Suryan, the mayor of the south corporation, said that the work on creating the replicas has finished and that they are currently involved in creating pathways, finishing electrical work and developing green areas. “We are working round the clock to throw open the park by month end and then we will try to cover the monuments from remaining states in the remaining space,” the mayor said.

The corporation is also setting up a 1.5-km-long walking track, an amphitheatre for holding cultural events and a food court.

Officials said with a plan to feature at least one monument or cultural icon from each state, the second phase of the park will focus on the northeastern states: the Unakoti caves from Tripura, Rang Ghar from Assam, a Naga house replica from Nagaland, Mizo dance form from Mizoram, wood masks from Sikkim, Behdienkhlam festival from Meghalya and figurines of Manipuri dancers. Twang Gate from Arunachal Pradesh, which was expected to be covered in phase 1, will also be taken up in the second phase, said officials.

Among the other monuments selected for phase 2 include the Thiksey monastery from Ladakh union territory, Nishant Bagh from J&K and Masroor temple from Himachal Pradesh.

The civic body has also selected Narnaul’s Chor Gumbad from Haryana, Basilica of Bom Jesus from Goa, Lepakshi temple from Andhra Pradesh, Sirpur temple from Chhattisgarh and race boats from Kerala.

A senior official working on the park development said that they have a set a deadline of October 25 to complete the phase one work. “If both the phases are considered together, there will be 39 replicas of monuments or cultural icons with representation from each state and union territory. The park will also have food court featuring cuisines from various states so that visitors get a wholesome experience,” the official said.

The project had run into controversy earlier after a replica of the Golden Temple in Amritsar had to be dismantled in June following objections by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (DSGPC).

The civic body replaced it with the Char Dham replicas from Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Jagannath temple in Odisha, Dwarkadhish in Gujarat, and Rameshwaramin Tamil Nadu, which have been placed in the four corners of the park, an official said. “To represent Punjab, a replica of the Sheesh Mahal may be set up in the second phase,” official said.

After the Waste to Wonder park at Sarai Kale Khan, the Bharat Darshan Park will be the second such park featuring replicas of monuments prepared from salvaged junk material from municipal corporation yards. “Since the number of monuments and area of the park is much larger than Waste to Wonder park, the entry fee is expected to be at least ₹100 per person,” the official said.