PM's visit set to boost tourism in Tiruchi region
Ever since the temple was declared as a world heritage monument in 2004, the number of visitors has been on the rise. Foreign tourists evince greater interest in understanding the grandeur and excellence of Chola architecture and sculpture that the temple features. The sprawling lush green lawns on the temple premises teems with children especially on weekends.
According to tourism industry sources, Gangaikonda Cholapuram has emerged as one of the top searched items online since the announcement was made on Prime Minister's visit to Brahadisvar Temple about two weeks ago. Besides a number of YouTube channels in Tamil, Hindi, English and others, the event was broadcast live on many news channels across the country, thereby garnering enormous interest among the people to know Rajendra Chola I and the temple built by him.
Tourism officials say the temple ranks among the top three places of archaeological significance in Tamil Nadu. The other two are the Brahadisvarar Temple in Thanjavur and the Airavatesvara temple of Darasuram. They are of the view that the tourist footfall to Gangaikonda Cholapuram will certainly witness a steep increase in the immediate future thanks to the immense popularity gained after the visit of Mr. Modi.
On average, 9,000 to 10,000 tourists visit Gangaikonda cholapuram per month. As per a recent official data, 9,107 tourists visited Brahadeeswarar Temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram in May. The footfall includes 342 foreigners. A total of 6,626 tourists visited in June.
'We expect an exponential increase in tourists, particularly domestic, arrival to Gangaikonda cholapuram. We can see this upward trend in August month itself. The tourist footfall in neighbouring Thanjavur and Tiruchi districts will increase correspondingly,' says A. Sankar, Tourism Officer, Ariyalur district.
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