Una, March 6. Due to its immense religious and rich cultural heritage, Una district of Himachal Pradesh is now making a new identity as a city of temples. The ancient temples, historical fairs and religious festivals here are not only the center of faith for the local devotees, but are also attracting tourists from the country and abroad. With the efforts of the Himachal government, these places are being developed, beautified and expanded, which is not only promoting religious tourism, but also strengthening the local economy.

Provision of crores for the beautification of temples:
The Himachal government is paying special attention to the beautification and maintenance of religious places in Una district. The world-famous Mata Shri Chintapurni temple in the district is a well-known religious place of North India, which is the center of faith for millions of people. Rs 250 crore is being spent to construct a grand building of Shri Chintapurni ji and to provide all the basic facilities to the devotees.
People have immense faith in Dera Baba Shri Rudranand Ji Maharaj and Dera Shri Jogi Panga in the district. There are many holy places of religious devotion in Una district including Shri Kila Baba Bedi Sahib Ji, Shri Gurudwara Dukhbhanjan Sahib Ji, Dera Baba Badbhaag Singh Ji, Peer Nigaah, Baba Garib Nath Ji, Shiv Bari, Brahmoti Sarovar, Shri Radha Krishna Temple Kotla Kalan, Chamukha Temple Bangana, Sadashiv Temple, Banaud Mahadev, Mahadev Temple Kotla. Every possible cooperation is being given in the development of facilities there.
Apart from this, about Rs 20 crore has also been released for other essential facilities including beautification and repair works of other temples in Una district. These include Rs 5 crore for the construction of a grand temple at Sheetla Mata Mandir Isapur, Rs 8 crore for road construction of Damamian Mandir, Rs 50 lakh to Sant Guru Ravidas Mandir Bhadsali, Rs 25 lakh each for Shri Guru Ravidas Satsang Sabha Saloh, Shri Baba Siddh Jalandhari Mandir Gondpur, Shri Baba Naina Mandir Kangar, Santa Baba Dangu Wale Beaton, construction of hut in Beaton, construction of hut in Saloh, Rs 25 lakh each for Radha Krishna Mandir Kotla Kalan, Banaude Mahadev Bahdala, Guru Ravidas Mandir Dulahad and Laldi, Rs 10 lakh each for construction of hut in Sant Guru Ravidas Mandir Haroli and Saloh and Rs 15 lakh each for Santguru Ravidas Mandir Dhanupar, Panjawar, Baliwal and Shri Chano Mandir Badhera for beautification of temples, better maintenance as well as strengthening essential facilities. With these efforts, Una is becoming a major centre of religious tourism and its cultural heritage is getting preserved.

Religious tourism gives new energy to local economy:
The development of religious places has not only increased the number of devotees, but has also given impetus to local trade, hotel industry and transport services. People associated with hotels, restaurants and handicraft business are getting direct benefits from this. Thousands of people have got employment opportunities through tourism, which has strengthened the economy of Una.

Religious festivals and fairs are becoming a confluence of spirituality and culture:
Traditional religious festivals and fairs in Una district are the soul of the culture here. The Himachal government is engaged in preserving and enhancing its traditions as well as giving new dimensions to religious and cultural tourism by organizing these fairs and festivals on a large scale. For this purpose, for the first time in the year 2024, a grand Mata Shri Chintapurni Mahotsav was organized in Amb, which was highly appreciated by the people. At the same time, Piplu Fair of Bangana and Holi Maidi Fair of Amb, which are held every year, are the center of devotion of the people. For the last several years, the religious conference organized by Baba Bal Ji in the month of February remains a special attraction for the devotees.

State level Haroli festival will be celebrated with great pomp:
This time after a long wait, the state level Haroli festival is going to be organized once again with its full grandeur. The state level Haroli festival will be organized with full grandeur at Kangar Ground in Haroli. The district administration is emphasizing on making this festival a memorable and public participation event as per the guidelines of Chief Minister Mr. Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Mukesh Agnihotri.
The festival will be officially inaugurated with a grand procession on 27 April. The cultural evenings of 27, 28 and 29 April will be the attraction of this festival, where local educational institutions and cultural groups will give colourful performances during the day. In the evening, national level eminent personalities along with local artists and famous artists of Himachal will enliven the stage with their excellent performances. This festival will run for a month, in which a trade fair will be organized in Kangar Maidan for the whole month. In this fair, self-help groups and business institutions of the state and the country will get an opportunity to display their products, which will promote local entrepreneurship and business.

Government's initiative for preservation and development of religious heritage:
The state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, is making continuous efforts to develop Una district as a hub of religious tourism. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who is also handling the responsibility of the Art and Culture Department, says that the temples are being beautified by incorporating traditional architecture and modern facilities. The aim of the government is not only to give a grand look to the temples, but also to preserve their historical and cultural heritage. While the efforts of the government are focused on making the religious journey of the devotees pleasant, they are also opening the door to new opportunities of self-employment for the local people.