Mountain ranges in Maharashtra may soon be dotted with sculptures of prominent figures from Indian history, as per the latest plan of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The plan draws inspiration from Mount Rushmore in the USA, where massive sculptures of four American presidents have been carved on the rocks of a mountain range in South Dakota state. The sculpture's roughly 60 feet-high granite faces depict American presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The site also features a museum with interactive exhibits. The MSRDC now wants to replicate a similar project in Maharashtra. The agency has floated a tender seeking a consultant to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a detailed master plan, as well as identify locations where these sculptures can come up. 🚨 Limited Time Offer | Express Premium with ad-lite for just Rs 2/ day 👉🏽 Click here to subscribe 🚨 The planned project, according to MSRDC officials, aspires to praise and develop a memorial of glorious leaders and warriors of Indian history, with special emphasis on heroes from the state of Maharashtra. The sculptures will also be complemented by tourist destinations in mountainous regions of the state. As per the initial concept, the MSRDC will first identify suitable locations, keeping in view the history, culture and heritage of Maharashtra. It will then develop tourist locations around the proposed sculptures and provide facilities for adventure tourism, cultural tourism, eco-tourism and leisure activities, as well as set up avenues to promote local art and culture. "Apart from praising prominent personalities with their rock-carved sculptures and telling visitors about their work and contribution, we are also aiming to develop tourism activities in mountainous regions, enhance the local economy, attract and capitalise tourism potential and create possibilities for local economic development of these regions, which are relatively underdeveloped. The project can be called a Memorial Museum and it will have amenities to facilitate tourists and could also have parks, a museum, a viewing gallery, selfie points and others.," said an official. MSRDC officials, however, did not elaborate on how the agency plans to fund the project.
