J-K’s Shankaracharya temple, Capitol Complex in Chandigarh among ASI monuments lit up to mark 1 billion vaccine doses
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 21
Colonial era Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir’s Shankaracharya and Avantipur temple complexes, Punjab’s Nurmahal and Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex were among 100 protected monuments the Archaeological Survey of India lit up in the Tricolour on Thursday night to mark the Indian milestone of administering over 100 crore Covid 19 doses.
The 100 monuments that were illuminated to express gratitude to Covid warriors include UNESCO World Heritage Sites — the Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutb Minar in Delhi, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, Konark Temple in Odisha, Mamallapuram Rath temples in Tamil Nadu, St Francis of Assisi Church in Goa, Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, the forts of Chittor and Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan, and the excavated ruins of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar and Dholavira in Gujarat.
Among the monuments from Jammu and Kashmir that were lit up are the ancient fort of Akhnoor, Kothi Bagh, the ancient palace of Raja Suchet Singh in Ramnagar and the group of arched terraces at Pari Mahal in Srinagar.
The ancient palace at Leh; the fort at Haryana’s Hisar; the Kangra and Nurpur Forts in Himachal Pradesh and Sarai including the gateway at Nurmahal in Punjab’s Jalandhar will also be lit up.
From Delhi, the historic monuments to be illuminated tonight are Purana Qila, Tomb of Rahim Khan, Safdarjung Tomb and Tughlaqabad Fort.
“The illumination is an expression of gratitude towards Covid warriors, vaccinators, sanitation staff, paramedical, auxiliary workers and police personnel who helped in one of the world’s largest and fastest vaccination drives,” the ASI said.
