Marking Lakshagriha on the spiritual and cultural tourism maps, the construction of the grand Kunti Satsang Bhavan and Maharishi Ved Vyas Dwar has been completed.
The construction works at Mahabharata-era Lakshagriha, located in Handia tehsil in the trans-Ganga area of the district around 38 km from Sangam city, have been ongoing for the past four years.
Along with the construction of the grand Kunti Satsang Bhavan and Maharishi Ved Vyas Dwar, septic tank and soak pit works, as well as the installation of a submersible pump, interlocking tiles, streetlights, and floodlights, were completed here at a cost of ₹2,78,27,000. All this work was done by the Uttar Pradesh Projects Corporation under the direction of the Tourism Department. These were formally handed over to the Dharma Kshetra Lakshagriha Tourism Site Development Committee recently, as informed by officials of UP Projects Corporation.
The site is identified with the Lakshagriha mentioned in the Mahabharat, which was built on the orders of Duryodhana and his uncle Shakuni as part of a plot to kill Pandavas along with their mother Kunti. Lakshagriha was set on fire and made to appear as an accident. The Pandavas escaped unhurt using an underground tunnel.
However, the exact location of Lakshagriha is disputed, as claims of its existence have also been made in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra and in the modern-day Barnava village in Baghpat district near Meerut in UP.
{{/usCountry}}However, the exact location of Lakshagriha is disputed, as claims of its existence have also been made in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra and in the modern-day Barnava village in Baghpat district near Meerut in UP.
{{/usCountry}}As part of the ruins, popularly called ‘Kilakoti,’ one can also spot several ancient pottery and artifacts. Locals believe that Kilakoti was, in fact, the Lakshagriha mentioned in the Mahabharat.
There was a long-standing demand from locals for the renovation of the site in Prayagraj. The site was selected under the Chief Minister Tourism Promotion Scheme. A survey was also conducted here, and a decision was taken to undertake construction works to attract tourists under the UP tourism department.
Omkar Nath Tripathi, general secretary of Lakshagriha Tourism Site Development Committee, said that Kunti Satsang Bhavan in Lakshagriha is fully ready. There is seating arrangement for 525 people in the huge building with 44 fans. The entire area is now well-illuminated. Some more work can be done here in the coming weeks. Religious events can be organized here even during Mahakumbh-2025 and also from time to time, he shared.
Along with this, a grand Ved Vyas gate has also been constructed, he added.
“Following the constructions, religious tourism will gain momentum here,” he maintained.