Tourists miss the Maharaja: Glorious past, neglected present

Punjabis from all walks of life remember Maharaja Ranjit Singh on his death anniversary but the government and its dedicated Tourism Department have over the years failed to popularise the legendary Sikh ruler’s Summer Palace, containing Ram Bagh, Panorama and museum among tourists.

Several studies in the past proved that a record number of tourists visit the Golden Temple daily yet the government failed to draft a conducive plan to divert at least five per cent of the visitors to these sites. Notably, the palace is situated just 3.6 km from the world’s holiest Sikh shrine.

Only a minuscule number of tourists — between 20 to 50 — make it to the museum and Panorama, a feature added about 19 years back in the historic Ram Bagh to showcase the life history of the Maharaja with the help of mannequins.

Shivjit Hundal and his wife Preminder Hundal, NRI tourists from Chicago, said that the first problem they encountered was that neither the Summer Palace nor the museum has its individual website, instagram and other social media accounts, offering relevant information including working hours and holidays to help visitors prepare their itinerary.

The second shock was that there was no power circulation during the time of their visit and the museum did not have its own generator set either. It made them depend upon torch light emanating out of their mobile handsets.

A tourist blogger Rameshinder Singh says, “Despite being historically rich, it has been ignored. It could actually attract more tourists if it is well maintained, including the palatial buildings built by the Maharaja. The Punjab Tourism Board along with the local administration should step in to look after it. It’s after all, no ordinary park.”

Cities across the world feel proud of their parks as they also serve as lungs for them. The water reflection pool in Ram Bagh is lying dry. The light and sound show is played only in Punjabi but a large number of tourists visit the city from different parts of the country and abroad who need to be informed about the exploits of the Maharaja in English.

Heritage experts lament that against the established norms, the original look of the Summer Palace, a protected monument, has been changed by constructing internal roads, musical fountain and the building of Panorama itself.

Amritsar