The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi reviewed the progress work of the Project of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) developing at Lothal in Gujarat on October 18.
Key points
- The project is being developed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in collaboration with Government of Gujarat.
- The Rs.3500 crore project is being built at the historic Indus Valley Civilization region of Lothal in Gujarat under the Sagarmala Scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
- Showcasing India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage, NMHC is proposed to be developed as a world class international tourist destination, the first of its kind in the country, comprising of maritime museum, light house museum, maritime theme parks, and amusement parks, etc.
- It would showcase maritime heritage of the country from ancient to modern times by adopting an edutainment approach using the latest technology to spread awareness about India’s rich maritime heritage.
- Lothal was one among the prominent cities of the traditional Harappan civilization dating to 2400 BC, located in Gujarat, a crucial western state of India.
- Archaeological excavations have discovered the oldest man-made dockyard, over 5000 years old, in Lothal.
- It is proposed to have a pavilion for each coastal State and Union Territory (UT) of India at NMHC to showcase the artifacts/maritime heritage of the specific States and Union Territories.
- Each coastal State and UT can present its vivid cultural identities including both tangible and intangible heritage at NMHC and represent India’s cultural diversity at international level.
