Tattapani set to regain old glory

Shimla : Tattapani, the famous tourist resort which has suffered due to drying up of hot sulphur water springs after construction of Kol Dam, is all set to regain its glory on the occasion of Makar Sankranti tomorrow by setting a record of cooking over 1,100 kg “khichdi” in a single vessel to be served to the devotees arriving to take a holy dip.

Serving ‘khichdi’ is a 92-year-old tradition started by the late Durga Devi. It is now being carried forward by the Durga Devi Bihari Lal Virochan Charitable Trust.

This year, the Tourism Department has actively associated itself with the programme and a huge vessel in which khichdi will be prepared has been procured from Jagadhri in Haryana.

All necessary arrangements for one-day Tattapani Tourism Festival have been made and the state government is making all efforts to promote tourism, said Director, Tourism and Civil Avition, Yunus Khan.

He said the ‘khichdi’ to be prepared on this occasion would be the main attraction of the festival. The objective of the festival is to promote the unexplored places. The town is now expected to be on the world tourism map as a tourist destination near Shimla.

He further said besides preparation of ‘khichdi’, the other attractions of the festival would be a cultural programmes, Sutlej aarti and water sports activities. Tattapani has immense tourism potential with provision for activities like adventure and water sports apart from religious tourism.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports, Manali, is conducting water sports at Tattapani. Shortly, water sports will become a regular feature at Tattapani, said Col Neeraj Rana, Director, ABVIMAS. The activities connected with jet ski, enterprise class sail boat, kayak, speed boats, rafts, etc will be demonstrated at Tattapani on January 14.

An electric bus service would be started for the tourists from Shimla to Tattapani. Covering a distance of about 50 km from Shimla, the bus will travel via Mashobra and Naldehra, Yunus Khan added.

With the construction of Kol Dam on the Sutlej river, the area has taken shape of reservoir which has now emerged an attraction for tourists.The Deputy Commissioner further added that starting of water asports ctivities at Tattapani, will help in generating direct and indirect employment opportunities to the locals.