E-Paper
Boon for devotees: CM to open Barsana rope way on August 25
The long awaited ‘rope way’ will provide massive relief to devotees from August 25 onwards, as they will easily reach Radha Rani temple, also popular as Ladliji Temple in Barsana, known as village of Radha Rani and hosting the famous ‘Latha Maar Holi’ every year.
Agra Devotees will no longer have to climb over 200 stairs to reach the Radha Rani Temple located on a hillock in Barsana, as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the much-awaited ‘rope way’ in Barsana on August 25, on the eve of Janmashtami this year.
The long awaited ‘rope way’ will provide massive relief to devotees from August 25 onwards, as they will easily reach Radha Rani temple, also popular as Ladliji Temple in Barsana, known as village of Radha Rani and hosting the famous ‘Latha Maar Holi’ every year.
The trial has been done for this ‘rope way’ project executed by the Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode at a cost of ₹15.89 crore.
Two towers have been built for the project and a dozen trollies, imported from Indonesia, Germany and China are all set to move between them, are already here in Barsana, claimed official from Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA).
Two stations, lower and upper will connect the 300- metre long rope way which will have trollies covering the distance within three minutes . Price of the ticket is yet to be decided . Each trolley will carry maximum six visitors and three trollies will be operational at a given time.
A new set of stairs is being laid alongside the rope way track so that those capable of walking can climb 275 stairs to reach the spot near the platform along side the tower.
The idea for rope way cropped up in 2016 during Samajwadi Party regime in the state but required clearance from the National Green Tribunal because it involved felling of trees. To compensate felling of trees for the rope way, 10 times the number of trees felled were grown nearby and their photographs were submitted to the NGT to have clearance..
Barsana is a spot declared ‘teerth’ (pilgrimage) by chief minister Yogi Adityanath after he came to power in 2017. Many hold Barsana as the village of Radha and according to tradition, about a week ahead of the traditional Holi, ‘huriyare’ (holi revellers) from Nandgaon reach Barsana for a day to celebrate Holi and are welcomed by baton wielding ‘gopi’ (friends of Radha). Tgo save themselves, these huriyare of Nandgaon wear colourful headgear amidst singing of Holi folk songs. This spectacle is famous as Latha-maar Holi and is a major attraction not only for devotees but even for foreign tourists.
The rope way will facilitate devotees on Latha-maar Holi and other festivals like Radha-ashtami when lakhs gather to offer prayers at this temple.
