Conservation of rural heritage will help to promote tourism

S K Mishra, Chairman, ITRHD with Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

“Conservation of rural heritage will help to promote tourism and development in rural India,” said Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. He was speaking at the inauguration function of the seventh Annual General Body Meeting of the Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD). He lauded the conservation efforts of ITRHD, which is devoted to the preservation of Indian heritage and culture in rural India.

Khare highlighted the ITRHD’s conservation works of 17th -19th century village of terracotta temples in Maluti, Jharkhand. He said such conservation efforts will help not just to enhance tourism in rural areas but also encourage cultural awareness among the locals.

Maluti Temples

The Maluti village is situated in the Shikaripara block of Dumka district of the state of Jharkhand. It is 18 km far from the Rampur Hat railway station. Maluti, also known as the temple village, has a rich historical association. It was known as Gupta Kashi in ancient times due to the large worshipers of Shiv Lingas at one place. Mention of the place is made as far back as to 185-75 B.C.

Earlier, ITRHD has signed a MoU with the Government of Jharkhand in July 2015 to conserve the temples and develop the Maluti village as a whole. Scheme includes providing drinking water and sanitation facility, Solid Waste Management system, Tourist Interpretation Centre, Primary Health Centre, Primary Education Centre, Rain Water harvesting system, Electrification, Terracotta Training Center, conducting employment generation training, etc.