Centre plans 4 museums in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh

“The museum will be a major attraction, showcasing the expanse of Indian history, from the Vedic times till today,” said Sharma. “Also, since the region (western Uttar Pradesh) has such significant history related to the Mahabharata, a special section will be dedicated to that,” he added.

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The government has also approved three other mega museums for the state — in Mathura, Gorakhpur and Ayodhya.

Hema Malini, BJP MP from Mathura, recently met Sharma regarding the museum in her constituency, which will be dedicated to Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

Upadhyay was born in a village called Chandrabhan, now known as Deendayal Dham, near Farah in Mathura district. “The museum is likely to be constructed in his native village but the process of identifying and acquiring land is on,” said an official from the Culture Ministry. An amount of Rs 100 crore was already allocated to mark his birth centenary in the Union budget, but sources said that additional funds would be granted for the memorial museum through the Cultural Ministry’s Museum Grant Scheme. “Apart from the life and times of Upadhyay, the museum will have a unique section dedicated to modern India’s social and political history,” said the official.

The museum in Gorakhpur has been approved on the lines of a proposal submitted by Yogi Adityanath, BJP MP from the constituency.

Sources say the museum will have sections dedicated to all the great seers, philosophers and notable personalities from eastern UP.

“The ministry is in the process of acquiring approximately 25 acres for the project in Gorakhpur district. The plot should be located at a reasonable driving distance from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency,” a source added.

Finally, the Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya will portray the epic journey of Rama. The museum is part of the Tourism Ministry’s Ramayana Circuit project and is being established under the Museums Grant Scheme. “Several archaeologists and historians have already been approached to prepare its concept and design, and the government has shortlisted a plot for the same, away from the disputed temple site,” said Sharma.