₹550 Crore Being Spent on Preservation of the State’s Cultural Heritage
Vikal Sharma
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has taken significant steps toward the preservation and development of the state’s cultural heritage, ancient temples, religious sites, and historical monuments. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who oversees the Department of Language, Art, and Culture, stated that around ₹550 crore is being spent by the government for the protection of Himachal’s cultural legacy.
To safeguard the state’s cultural identity, the government has approved approximately ₹50 crore for the restoration of ancient temples, forts, and archaeological sites. Of this, ₹37 crore has been allocated as grant-in-aid for various developmental works in state-acquired temples.
For the convenience of devotees, a “Sughm Darshan System” was launched at Mata Shri Chintpurni Temple on August 8, 2023, which has facilitated effective crowd management and provided special assistance to the elderly and differently-abled. Digital services like online langar booking and online darshan have also been made available for devotees. Similar systems are being planned for other temple trusts in the state.
Under the PRASAD Scheme, ₹56.26 crore has been sanctioned for Mata Shri Chintpurni Temple to strengthen religious tourism and spiritual heritage. Additionally, the state government is constructing a grand complex for Mata Rani at a cost of ₹250 crore. Furthermore, ₹100 crore each has been approved for Mata Shri Jwalaji and Mata Shri Naina Devi Temples.
To ensure purity in worship rituals and chanting, 15 priests from Shri Chintpurni Temple and 10 priests from Mata Shri Naina Devi Temple were given online training from February 5 to 25, 2025, by the Sanskrit Faculty of Banaras Hindu University. In the future, priests from other temple trusts will also be trained in a phased manner.
In addition, the state government has approved ₹11.16 crore for the maintenance of cultural heritage sites and ₹1 crore as grant-in-aid to religious institutions for annual rituals and asset development under the Recurring Fund Scheme. The incense and lamp assistance provided to smaller temples has also been doubled for the financial year 2025–26.
Mukesh Agnihotri said the state government is committed to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. “We are not only safeguarding religious centers structurally but also protecting them as expressions of cultural consciousness and tradition,” he stated. “Our aim is to provide better facilities to devotees, enhance the quality of traditional rituals, and make temples more digital and organized.”
Vikal Sharma
