Park statue wonder

Kalimpong, April 5: Now there is more to Kalimpong than just the beauty of nature. The inauguration of a park housing a 31-ft Hanuman statue, is the latest addition to Kalimpong's list of "must see" tourist delights.

The 3-acre park at Deorali dara also offers a panoramic view of the town. The Hanuman statue, which is expected to become a tourist attraction, has been made from fibre by Calcutta-based artisans.

"The main purpose of setting up Hanuman Park is to attract tourists. More people with a religious bent of mind are also likely to come here. Even before the formal inauguration today, the park had been attracting a steady flow of visitors," said Dawa Sherpa, DGHC councillor and president of the Hanuman Park Construction Committee.

The scenic beauty of the park and the giant statue are expected to draw a lot of tourists. Plans are also afoot to cultivate medicinal plants in an effort to attract botany students interested in conducting research work at the park.

Hanuman Park, which is estimated to have cost around Rs 5 lakh, is said to have been built with funds gathered from residents of the subdivision.

"All the work for developing the park and building the statue, was done with funds raised from people in different parts of the subdivision. Around 80 per cent of the funds were made available by the Marwari committee here. The rest was collected from people in villages. Many people pitched in by providing raw material and other things necessary for the construction," said Sherpa.

Only around five per cent of the work in the park is yet to be complete. Construction began in December last year.

People from different parts of the subdivision and Darjeeling district attended the inauguration ceremony today.

DGHC executive councillor Dawa Pakhrin, who spoke on the occasion, said: "This is a good initiative, which will add to the existing tourist attractions here. The DGHC has plans to follow this up with construction of a 108-ft Buddha statue in the town. We are now looking for a suitable place to install it."

People who had come for the ceremony said they were impressed with the effort to give the town something unique.

Courtesy
The Telegraph

Latest Travel News