Residents of Delhi don’t have to go city hopping to catch a glimpse of 21 historic monuments situated in different states. They just have to visit Bharat Darshan Park in their own backyard in Punjabi Bagh where South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has created a replica of these world-famous monuments with waste and scarp materials such as old automobile parts, iron rods, electricity poles etc. The park has been constructed in an area spanning across 8.5 acres of land.
Earlier the civic body had opened a similar park named ‘Waste to Wonders’ depicting the seven wonders of the world.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, SDMC Director Horticulture Dr Alok Singh said the park has replicas of Qutub Minar (Delhi), Taj Mahal (UP), Char Minar (Telangana), Gateway of India (Maharashtra), Konark Temple (Odisha), Mysore Palace (Karnataka), Meenakshi Temple (Tamil Nadu), Hampi (Karnataka), Victoria Memorial (West Bengal), Sanchi Stupa (MP), Gol Gumbaz (Telangana), Azanta & Ellora Caves (Maharashtra), Hawa Mahal (Rajasthan), Khajuraho Temple (MP), Nalanda University (Bihar), Junagarh Fort (Rajasthan), Tawang Gate (Arunchal Pradesh), Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), Dwarkadhish (Gujarat), Jagannath Puri (Odisha), Badrinath (Uttarakhand) and a banyan tree.
IDEA BEHIND BUILDING THE PARK
Dr Alok Singh says that the idea behind building up the Bharat Darshan Park was to show people how one can use the waste material that is thrown away, for beautification of the public places. “We also wanted to show everyone how craftsmanship can make a place look unique,” added Dr Singh.
Showcasing all the 22 best monuments of our country at one place would also make children get some knowledge about these monuments and get to see these places in real. “These beautiful monuments will attract visitors and tourists to visit the original site,” he added.
UNIQUENESS OF THE PARK
The SDMC has also installed solar and wind energy plants generating around 109kW needed to meet the power demand of the park. The park has 755 façade light, 3 LED screens, 600 bollard lights, 1 DJ set and 102 compound lights. Apart from this, 51 CCTV cameras have also been installed inside the park for the safety purpose.
Apart from the replicas there are two to three fun places for the kids who visit the park. “In the future we are planning to have a good infrastructure for the children to play in the park. But it is going to be in the second phase,” shares Dr Singh.
It took almost 22 months to build the whole park and the project got delayed to around 8-9 months due to two covid-19 waves in the country. “Nevertheless we have managed to achieve the result,” says Dr Singh.
ENTRY FEES
The entry fee for adults is Rs 100, Rs 50 for senior citizens and children aged between 3 to 12 years. There is no entry fee for small children aged below three years. SDMC will sell premium tickets in the evening when the replicas will get lit up with beautiful lights. In the evening the ticket will cost Rs 150 for the adults and Rs 75 for children aged above 3 to 12. There will be no entry fee for 10 lakh students studying in the three civic bodies’ school while entry fees will cost Rs 40 for students from other school.
