Kota new spot on tourism map

Replicas made of stone and marble resemble original structures

Kota in Rajasthan is more famous for its IIT-JEE coaching classes and thousands of students throng this city with dreams in their eyes every year. Now, the town is focussing on pro­moting tourism and, if response is any indication, it has been a total success. The “wonder park” constructed in the heart of the city on Kishor Sagar Lake side at Vallabh Bari as a part of the tourism promotion initiative has become a major attraction. The park depicts “seven wonders of the world” in its own way.

Constructed on the banks of the huge lake and in the backdrop of the pristine waters, it is a real sight to watch at night with fountain and light in full glow.

The project is the brainchild of Rajasthan Urban Development Minister and local MLA Shanti Dhariwal. The replicas of the seven wonders in a park in Vallabh Bari have given the city a new life and charm. Besides, the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid of Giza, Kota’s version of the seven wonders in a single garden includes Brazil's Christ the Rede­emer, Eiffel Tower of Paris, Leaning Tower of Pisa, New York’s Statue of Liberty and Rome’s Colosseum.

“We have developed the park that will exhibit the seven wonders of the world. Not only will it be educative for the locals, but we also hope to draw in more tourists to the city with this initiative,” said R D Meena, Secretary of the Urban Improvement Trust, Kota, which has conceived and executed the project.

Designed by Jaipur-based architect Anoop Bartaria, the replicas almost resemble the originals in their construction and use of material, he said.

Traditional stone workers from Bharatpur and Dholpur were brought to construct the replicas. “We have used stone for most of the monuments and tried to give the same finish as the originals. Whether it is the Taj Mahal or the Colosseum or Christ the Redeemer, we have stuck very close to the original,” said project engineer O P Verma.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, the project is likely to be the first in the country and has become a big draw among students from other cities. As the park was hurriedly inaugurated before the announcement of the Assembly election in
Rajasthan, work is still on for completion of the remaining part of the project.

Over 150 workers, including sculptors, traditional stone artisans from across the state and Agra, worked at a feverish pace for over one and a half years to complete the project before the dates for the elections were announced. “The deadline for the project was June 2013 but it had to be extended as the stone work is time consuming,” said UIT Chairman Ravindra Tyagi. The project could be completed because of the active interest of the mini­ster. The Minister wanted to use it to boost his chances in this month’s Assembly elections. The garden also has facilities for refreshment and play area for the children.

“Close to 1.25 lakh students come here every year from different parts of the country for coaching. Their parents also visit them. We thought of offering them something unique and interesting in terms of a place to visit. We worked on the idea of developing a park along the lake that will exhibit the replicas of some of the wonders of the world. It will also be informative for the children,” said an elated Dhariwal.

“As much as Rs 6 crore was spent on the constr­uction of the replicas while remaining funds were spent on other developmental activities, including lighting, landscaping and re-construction of the road which is on the periphery of the park,” said Tyagi.

“Kota is blessed with the perennial Champal River which feeds the lake throughout the year. We thought of making use of this natural gift as a part of the beautification of the city. Rajasthan is water scarce state but it is a beauty to watch this lake brimming with water through out the year. It is the only city in Rajasthan which boasts of such a spectacular sight. Even Udaipur, which is known as the city of lakes, there is no perennial river to feed the lakes but depends on rain water. we decided to take
advantage of the situation,” he said.

The place has already started witnessing a heavy rush in the evening with people posing with the replicas for photo-ops. “It is one of the best things to have happened in our city. We are waiting for it to be fully functional. Earlier, we had to take our guests to Jaipur and other parts of the state whenever they visited us during vacation, but now this will certainly appeal to them,” said Sangeeta Jain, a homemaker who was visiting the park with her family.

On a recent visit, Sanjiv TP, a Central government employee who had stint here earlier, expressed pleasant surprise over the sudden transformation of the city. “I am visiting Kota after a year and I am happy to see the change brought about by the garden tothiscity,”hesaid.