Lucknow, Jul 29 (IANS): The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is all set to restore the glory of Hastinapur with the renovation of the Draupadi Ghat.

Mukesh Kumar Mishra, the executive officer of Hastinapur Nagar panchayat, said that the renovation of Draupadi Ghat is being carried out at a cost of Rs 40 lakh.

The reconstruction of Draupadi Ghat is already underway and the renovated ghat will have a lake for women's bath, two changing rooms, washrooms and benches.

Hastinapur, the capital city of the Kauravas in the ancient period, according to the epic Mahabharata, is a town situated on the banks of river Ganga in Meerut district and has immense mythological value.

Its significance can be gauged from the fact that even today, hundreds of women come to take bath at the ghat.

Once a year, the Satta Pheri fair is also held there which is attended by people in large numbers from the nearby areas.

Mythology has it that taking a bath at the ghat can rid a person of all skin diseases.

The ghat, which also has a temple, had special significance in the Mahabharata with several crucial events taking place there.

According to the Mahabharata, the decline of Hastinapur started due to a curse by Draupadi when she was insulted in the royal court by the Kauravas after Yudhisthir, the eldest of the five Pandavas, lost her in a deceitful game of gambling conspired by Shakuni and Duryodhana.

It is also believed that Draupadi used to go to the ghat daily to take bath and worship. One day, she had gone there to take a bath when sage Durvasa was also taking bath there at some distance.

Durvasa, who was famous for his anger, was inside the river, when his undergarment drifted along with its flow.

Seeing this, Draupadi tore a part of her sari and floated it towards the sage to save him from embarrassment.

Pleased with the wisdom of the queen, the sage granted Draupadi a boon that her dignity would never be affected.

It was due to this blessing of Durvasa that Lord Krishna came to her rescue and protected her honour at the royal court of the Kauravas at the time of her disrobing.

Hastinapur now features prominently in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's tourism plans.

He has already divided Uttar Pradesh into 10 tourism circuits to cater to different audiences.

The 10 tourism circuits that are being developed by the Yogi government include the Ramayana and the Mahabharata circuits, the Krishna-Braj circuit, the Buddhist circuit, the Wildlife and Eco-tourism circuit, the Bundelkhand circuit, the Shakti Peeth circuit, the Aadhyatmik(spiritual) circuit, the Sufi-Kabir circuit and the Jain circuit, covering the entire range of India's rich religious, mythological, spiritual and cultural history.

The Uttar Pradesh government has also decided to form the Vindhya Dham Development Council and the Chitrakoot Dham Development Council for the development of these regions to promote religious tourism.